GLOBALIZATION:

DIVERSITY AND HARMONY OF

CULTURES
What is globalization for you?
 Globalization is defined as the increasing economic,
political, and cultural integration and interdependence
of diverse cultures—the worldwide integration of
humanity (Forey & Lockwood, 2010).
Culture is the system of knowledge, beliefs, values,
customs, behaviors, and artifacts that are acquired,
shared, and used by its members during daily living.
 DIVERSITY

recognition and
valuing of difference
encompassing such factors as age,
gender, race, ethnicity, ability,
religion, education, marital
status, sexual orientation, and
income
 Creating the need for people who are
multiculturalists or people who respect and
engage with people from distinctly different
cultures
 WHY COMMUNICATION SOMETIMES FAIL?

Communicators who fail to realize

that people from different cultures
may not look, think, or act as they
themselves do may run the risk of
being judged as insensitive,
ignorant, or culturally confused
(lacking an understanding of cultural
difference).
 CULTURE

⚫ Culture is the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of

a particular people or society.

⚫ A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the

behaviors, beliefs, values and symbols that they

accept, generally without thinking about them, and
that are passed along by communication and
imitation from one generation to the next.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE

⚫ Culture is not inherent, but learned

⚫ Cultures are rooted in deep seated beliefs
⚫ Culture is the basis for self-identity and
community
⚫ Cultures are dynamic
 WHAT IS CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION

Cross-cultural communication is a field of study

that looks at how people from differing cultural
backgrounds communicate in similar and different
ways among themselves and how they endeavor
to communicate across cultures.
 PROBLEMS OF CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES
⚫ People in different countries have different ways of interpreting events; they

have different habits, values, and ways of relating to one another. When they
come across, problems pop up.

⚫ People tend to view their cultural practices as right while others as wrong or

peculiar. This is called ethnocentrism.

⚫ Gestures and body movements, beliefs, and practices related to human

relationships are the two main factors that impact communication.

 BLOCKS TO CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
⚫ Ethnocentrism:Inability to accept another culture’s worldview; "my way is the best."

⚫ Discrimination: Differential treatment of an individual due to minority status; actual and

perceived.

e.g., "we just aren't equipped to serve people like that."

⚫ Stereotyping: Generalizing about a person while ignoring individual differences.

e.g., "she's like that because she's Asian – all Asians are nonverbal."
⚫ Cultural Blindness: Differences are ignored, and one proceeds as

though differences did not exist; e.g., "there's no need to worry about
a person's culture

⚫ Cultural Imposition: Belief that everyone should conform to the

majority; e.g., "we know what's best for you; if you don't like it, you
can go elsewhere."
 CULTURAL CONFLICTS IN THE
WORKPLACE

⚫ Cultural conflicts arise because of the differences in values and norms of

behavior of people from different cultures.
⚫ A person acts according to the values and norms of his or her culture; another
person holding a different worldview might interpret his or her behavior
from an opposite standpoint.
⚫ This situation creates misunderstanding and can lead to conflict.
ONE GESTURE DIFFERENT
INTERPRETATIONS.
KEY METHODS IN
DESCRIBING
CULTURE
 Geert Hofstede
An influential Dutch social
psychologist who studied the Power
interactions between national Distance
cultures and organizational cultures.

Long-term
Masculinity
Orientation

Hofstede

Uncertainty
Individualism
Avoidance
 Edward T. Hall
He is respected anthropologist who
applied his field to the understanding of
cultures and intercultural Context
communications.

Hall
Time Space
 NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Eye Contact

Paralanguage Touch

Posture NVC Gestures

Physical
Appearance
Distance

Facial
Expressions