Cross Cultural Communication

Definition

“Cross Cultural Communication (CCC) is a field of study that looks at how the people from

differing cultural backgrounds communicate in similar and different ways among themselves

and how they endeavour to communicate across cultures”.

Importance of Cross Cultural Communication

Globalization has led to a stage where we have come to a borderless world. The companies

have expanded their businesses overseas and this has necessitated the companies and

corporations to train their employees\executives not just in getting to know the language of

the specific country where the business is set-up but also to understand and respect the

culture prevailing in the country. The governments also encouraged the diplomats and

officials to acquire intensive training in CCC to gain a “world view” perspective and come

out of the local and parochial thinking.

Communication and the communication style are influenced by the culture. Culture refers to

the norms, beliefs, customs, ethics, codes, mores, values, sentiments, behavior and attitudes

of individuals in a society. Culture is a way of life.

Globalization opened up many frontiers by breaking the barriers between the nations and

there has been tremendous increase in the number of people travelling across nations for

business or personal tours. A person representing a corporate broadcasts to the world at large

that he is an ambassador of the company. He is expected to present himself and in the process

his company also in a better way for long and enduring business relationships with the

representatives of other countries.

Hence one of the important aspects of foreign travel is the cross cultural aspects of specific

countries. A corporate executive is expected to imbibe the nuances of the culture of the

country. A culturally fluent approach involves three important aspects- being aware of own

culture, being aware of others culture and trying to find common a ground.

According to Edward T. Hall, countries or cultures can be divided into two major groups viz:

Low context countries and high context countries. Low context countries are the countries in

Europe and N.America where people mean ‘only business’ in their interactions with their

counterparts from other countries. Limited importance is accorded to the interpersonal

relationships. On the other hand, high context countries are the ones in Africa, Asia and

Middle East where more importance is given to the relationships. The people first establish a

personal rapport with their counterparts from other countries before discussing the main

agenda of business.

As a global executive or a global manager, one has to come out of one’s cultural paradigm

and try to know others and their culture. Today’s managers have to work in cross cultural

teams or virtual teams having members from various countries. Sometimes one has to lead or

receive a delegation to or from countries. It could be that one can pay a visit to a country as a

tourist. Someone has rightly said, “If Mind is hardware, Culture is the Software”. Hence, a

perfect knowledge of cross- cultural communication (CCC) ensures that one can live in

multilingual, multiethnic and a multidisciplinary society. The words of Derek Torrington,”

Think globally, Act locally” are very much relevant in the sense that today’s managers should

have a global vision and local precision in all their dealings, including CCC.

The universities and more importantly the B-Schools across the globe which have always

been proactive to the needs of the corporates, have started incorporating into their curriculum,

subjects and topics related to international understanding and international literacy on

cultures existing in various nations. The inter-cultural focus on the topics gave a broader and
wider cross cultural understanding to management graduates interested in international trade

and business. The CCC training in the B-Schhools has been given a very strong global

perspective and competence to the management graduates to foster better business

relationships with their countrerparts in other countries.Thus they were trained to have a

‘global vision’ with a ‘local precision’ to understand and respect the cultures existent in the

countries in which business is expanded.

The corporates on the other hand not only trained their executives in CCC but also developed

communication strategies to strengthen inter-ethnic relations with a critical understanding of

the local or country specific culture for a better image of the company. The executives were

also expected not to over-generalize the stereo-typical characterizations*. In a way, the

corporates ensured that they should not be engrossed in cultural conflicts so that they can

focus on the business growth and development in the host country. Effective Communication

strategies involved etiquettes, language, local lingo, dining, gifting, time sense, haptics,

proxemics and chromatics.

Talking of relationships, the countries in the world could be categorized as ‘individualistic

cultures’ and ‘interdependent cultures’. In individualistic cultures like America, Canada and

W.Europe, the individual or self is a dominant entity and very independent. The ‘independent

individual’ is something unique and different from other persons and the environment. On the

contrary, in interdependent cultures like those in Asia, Africa, S.Europe and Latin America

the interdependence of an individual to others, society and environment is very important and

is a focal point of or fountain of relationships. The ‘individual or self’ is appreciated or

assumes meaningfulness in the context of social relationships, roles, duties and

responsibilities.
Cross Cultural management has become a very important tool to understand the internal

dynamics of the people of a country to add value to the relationships and also to attain

success in the business. “We did not all come over on the same ship, but we are all in the

same boat”-Bernard Baruch. The famous quote from the American financier and statesman

sums up the essence of cross-cultural understanding required for business executives and

diplomats involved in international trade and business.

The business environment is expanding rapidly and covers a huge geographic area spanning

different cultural locations and regions, each distinct from other. It is to be noted that the

nations may have English as the common language for communication but they are different

interms of culture. There is a sort of ’mutual incomprehension’ with in the English speaking

countries with respect to cross cultural communication. Hence, it is a new norm and a greater

challenge to comprehend and understand the cultural diversity. And in effect, the effective

communication strategy lays a great emphasis on first understanding the fact that the sender

of message and the receiver of message are from culturally different countries and

backgrounds.For example, when we discuss about ‘haptics’ or ‘touch’ in communication, in

France, a peck on the cheek is a formal way of greeting which is inappropriate in America. In

America, a firm handshake is an accepted way of receiving people, which is not so in other

cultures.

Cross Cultural Strategies- Points to remember:

Customs, beliefs, value systems and communication strategies are different to different

countries:
1. Understand that the cultures are different though the language of communication may

be same

2. Respect people for what they do because their behaviours, responses and reactions are

driven by respective cultures

3. They may be different but it is appropriate to their country’s cultural setting

4. We should know that each country has different way of receiving, treating, and

entertaining guest during dinner

5. Gift is important and also the color of packing or the wrapper and the color of flowers

used for preparing a bouquet

6. Cultivate and demand ‘mutual acceptance’ in respecting the differences, especially

the ‘time zones’. For example,Newyork is 10 hours later to any Indian city

7. Different holidays may also be observed—August 15 is a holiday in India but not in a

foreign country

8. Accept and respect the prevailing natural law of the country

9. Understand that ‘humour’ should be used in a very intelligent way and know that

humour is a notoriously culture specific issue

10. Use of signs and symbols is different—Round index finger denotes ‘something

excellence’ in India whereas it is not accepted in Singapore

11. With in the language, the ‘lingo’ or words may be specific to different cultures and

one should have a thorough knowledge of the country specific lingo—In America,

Gas station refers to petrol bunk(India),Trash Bin for dust bin(India),Currrency for

cash(India). Similarly, if you propose something to someone in America, and he\she

says ‘cool’, it means he\she is accepting your proposal.

12. Proxemics or power distance is different in various countries—In America, people

follow informal hierarchies with low or no power distance and close interaction
 between executives and subordinates is maintained and hence they socialise with the

subordinates. In Asia, there are specific levels of authority and most times the leader

speaks during meetings or some formal occasions. English and Americans follow the

principle of ‘line democracy’ whereas the French tend to practice ‘resquillage’ i.e.,

line jumping, as a natural process of living.

13. Body language or non-verbal communication is different in cultures—pointing finger

is accepted in America and it is a rude gesture in Japan where instead of pointing

finger, people show open hand with palm facing up to indicate something to others;

Eye contact is a sign of honesty in America and it is a rude sign in Japan to maintain

eye contact with superiors. Women in Japan also avoid lingering eye contact and

consider it as a sign of sexual interest. Japanes do not look straight into eyes while

speaking which an American may consider as ‘not being interested’. Low context

cultures like America and Canada do not give much importance to body language or

non-verbal communication. They focus more on the literal meaning of the words

spoken. A round sign or symbol with index finger touching the thumb indicates OK in

America, Money in Japan, zero in Russia and insult in Brazil.

14. One should be aware of ‘high context’ and ‘low context’ cultures—Middle East, Asia

and Africa are the ‘high context’ cultures where trust is more important than the

business. Interpersonal relationships are more important and people want to know the

person and establish a rapport before getting on to the actual business process or

business negotiation. Japanese would always wish to know the person and his country

before actually discussing the main point of business. America, Canada and W.Europe

are the ‘low context’ cultures where people are very individualistic and directly talk

business and they take decisions based on plain facts or specifics. Americans get into
 the business discussion very quickly because for them business is more important than

the representatives of a company or corporate.

15. Cultural influences are very much ingrained and internalized into a person’s

personality in such a manner that they are showcased as a natural process of living

and most commonly in person-to-person interactions. Hence, it is worthwhile to

respect, understand and tolerate cultural differences in terms of behavior, attitude,

opinion and social norms

16. Time and space (Chronemics)—In the United States of America, time is highly

valued and the people are addicted to a sort of ‘chronocracy’ (Novinger). They follow

a time approach called ‘monochromatic’ which focusses on one event or interaction at

a time. ON the contrary, in the East, people tend to be ‘polychronous’ in the sense that

they attend to or get involved in a multitude of activities.

We have to exhibit an extraordinary sense of ‘cultural fluency’—awareness of and

tolerance to the ways in which cultures operate during various situations of commnication

and conflict. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to apply these understandings in order

to enhance and build long lasting relationships with people of different cultures and in

different countries.

There are four fundamental patterns of cultural difference which are as follows:

1. Communication Styles

2. Attitude towards conflicts

3. Decision Making Style

4. Approaches to Knowing

High Context Culture: People rely more on the non-verbal or situational cues while

communicating with others. Japanese, Arabs, Italians and Latin American give lot of
importance to the body language and non-verbal aspects of communication. In the low

context cultures like Britain, America, France, Germany, Canada and Sweden, the focus is

more on the ‘words’ to convey meaning in a communication setting.

Blocks to Cross Cultural Communication

a. Ethnocentrism is a condition or an attitude where in a person does not respect and

accept another country or society’s culture. It is an aggressive stance indicating “my

way is the best” and not showing interest to know and respect other cultures.

b. Stereotyping: is a situation of ‘generalization’ of a person which ignores individual

differences. For example, he is from a particular country

c. Discrimination: is a situation of preferential and differential treatment given to people

based on the culture-minority or majority status

d. Cultural Blindness: is a situation where people do not give much importance to

cultural differences and they are totally ignored by them in their dealing or

interactions with the people of other cultures. Business is more important and no need

to worry about the cultural differences.

e. Cultural imposition: is the situation which is diametrically opposite to cultural

blindness where a person tends to impose on others or force others to follow the

culture practiced by the majority of the people. ‘We are the best, you better follow us

or you may leave’ is the dominant and aggressive stance taken by the people.

f. Tone difference: is a condition where a ‘formal tone change’ becomes an

embarrassing and off-putting in some of the cultures.

 Learning in Cross Cultural Communication

A proper knowledge of CCC is imparted by the process of Acculturation (Adult learning) or

Enculturation (socializing ways or bringing up children) to enable an individual operate in a

Positive spiral without the acrimonious experience of being in a negative spiral.

Positive spiral

a. Awareness of one’s own cultural

b. Awareness of others’ culture

c. Avoid using attributes

d. Find common ground

Negative spiral

a. Conflict incident

b. Defensive or offensive response

c. Frustration

d. Aggression

The following five stages are important in CC learning.

1. Identifying: Similarities, differences between one’s own and others’ cultures.

2. Coping: Living up with them, reacting positively, adjusting and adapting. Or else, one

will suffer a Culture Shock- Aggression, frustration, isolation, home-sick, depression,

hyper-criticality, alienation and confusion.

3. Integrating : Various cultural elements into one’s operating systems/paradigms

4. Understanding : the form, content, and salient differences

 5. Managing: Work proactively with the differences to produce mutually satisfying

outcomes.

Focus Points in Learning Cross Cultural Communication

The process of knowing or understanding the CCC is best done by concentrating on the

following aspects.

1. Kinesics or body language: gestures or posture. For example, the Japanese bow, and

the Germans stand upright. In Europe, a cross legged posture with the knee on knee is

ok whereas in America, the cross legged posture with the ankle on thigh is accepted.

2. Occulesics or eye contact: Arabs depend on eye contact while the Japanese focus on

the neck and a prolonged eye contact is not liked by them. In the Europe, a steady eye

contact is a sign of confidence, trust-worthiness and interest.

3. Haptics or touch: Arabs like it and the Europeans do not and restrict it only to

the handshake. In Germany, a short but firm handshake is appreciated very much. In

Italy, France, Spain and Mexico the women kiss on both the cheeks after knowing an

individual for a while. The French kiss or ‘peck’ is very popular.

4. Proxemics or distance: Intimate distance is when the persons move or stand closely,

touching each other. Personal distance is one or two feet, social distance is three to

eight feet and the public distance is about ten feet. In Japan and China people

maintain four feet distance and in the Middle East, a very close distance is

maintained.

5. Chronemics: The European society is clock conscious and punctuality is admired. In

Japan and China, they treat it as an insult if a person is late on an appointment. In

S.America and Middle East people are not time bound and they do not give much

importance to time.
 6. Chromatics or color: The color choices are varied in various countries depending on

the local sentiments. In China red ink is not used because it is a sentiment which

portends death. Similarly, when a bouquet is sent to a Chinese, care should be taken to

avoid white flowers.

7. Olefactics or odour: In the Middle East, having a body spray with a strong smell is

ok and in western society it is resented.

8. Gifts: In Japan and China, presenting the gifts is an integral part of the business

protocol whereas it has negative connotations in other cultures

9. Business Negotiation: In the European society, the people at the negotiating table

follow the agenda strictly. The Arabs tend to interrupt a person while he is

communicating with them. The Italians are voluble Europeans are very reserved and

talk less. Further, they do not like threats or challenges in the form of deadlines. The

Japanese talk slowly with pauses. The Chinese do not say “No” and respond with

“Let’s see”. The Russians are hard bargainers.

10. Forms of Address: One should not use the first names in all the societies. However,

using the second name is accepted in almost all the societies. In Germany, the

professional titles are used after Mr. (Herr) and Mrs. (Frau). In Mexico, the

professional title is used before the name of the person as in other societies. (Ingenero

Fernandez for an engineer or Doctoro Fernandez for a doctor). In Mexico, the

following titles are used to address the people.

a. Senor (Sr) for Mr.

b. Senora (Sra) for Mrs.

c. Senorita (Srita) for Miss

In France, the titles Madame and Monsieur are used for ladies and gentlemen respectively.
11. Visiting cards: generally the visiting cards or the business cards are printed on the

both the sides. On one side the information is printed in the local language and on the

side it is in English. In Japan, the cards are handed over with both the hands, and of

course, with a bow. In the Middle East, the left hand should not be used for giving or

receiving a business card. In China, one should not put the card in the pocket without

reading it and also not to put it in front of the person who gives it.

12. Etiquette: The dining etiquette and the social graces are very important and specific

to various cultures. One should be very careful in understanding them before

interacting with the people of the respective cultures.

13. Para Langauage

The japnese speak at a slower pace and have long pauses as they speak

The Italians are voluble and speak fluently. The Europeans are very reserved and they

talk very less

14. Language & Slang

America- Gas station for petro bunk, trash bin for dust bin, no currency on my mobile

for balance; use the word ‘Cool’ to accept something or to agree to something; Mr.

Anil…please complete the report by January 30….Anil: Cool (Agree to or accept)