INTRODUCTION TO INTERCULTURAL

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS AND

POLITICS
“Introducing the significance and the components of communication in
business and politics”
Organised by University of the Peloponnese
Kyriaki - Vasiliki Kalogeropoulou
 What is globalization?
● the increasing interdependence among national governments, businesses, non-
profit organizations, and individual citizens.

● In business: is when technology, communications, trade, tariffs, migration, and

labor markets open across borders so that free trade and capital flow
unhindered by national boundaries.

● The drivers facilitating globalization are:

○ the free movement of goods, services, knowledge, and communication
across national boundaries
○ the development of new technologies—think high-speed Internet and air
travel
○ the lowering of tariffs and other obstacles to such movement
○ human migration (especially from developing to developed countries)
○ political alliances & global peace
 What is culture?
● affects the norms of every group. These are the accepted and expected ways of
behaving and interacting with other people.
● But culture is something that we don’t always see.
● is something that we learn→ from infancy, we are conditioned to act, react, and learn
about how people in our world behave by watching them, conversing with them, and
interacting with them.
● Culture consists of a group’s communication
patterns
○ how a group solves problems
○ how a group perceives and passes on its
shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors, including its perception of self,
group, environment, authority, and power.
● The word “culture” comes from the Latin, cultura,
which means to grow or to cultivate
 What is culture?
Notion of culture: abstract and complex → there is no end to the number of ways to
define this multifaceted human phenomenon.

Some definitions given:

● culture is about how we communicate and that is governed by hidden rules (the silent
language and hidden dimensions) which are reflected in both language and behavior
(Hall, 1959)

● culture implies a kind of collective “software of the mind,” learned over a lifetime of
“programming” the way we do things (Hofstede, 1997)

● definition around six dimensions that set cultural differences: environment, time,
people, activity, responsibility, and space- the basis for much of today’s research on
intercultural communication (Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952)
 The Building Blocks of Culture
● Culture are the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of a group
of people
○ Values:
■ fundamental, unmovable principles that make us who we are and
that shape all other structures in our attitudinal system
■ We acquire them at an early age, before rational thought begins
to play a role in what we know and hold to be true
■ We’re not in a position to challenge such beliefs—we simply
accept them for what they are.
■ values can change but really slowly
 The Building Blocks of Culture
○ Beliefs:
■ they are provided by values
■ Beliefs consist of what is right or wrong; true or false.
○ Attitudes:
■ arise from beliefs
■ navigational term meaning orientation or position

example: value: living a healthy lifestyle is important → belief: we should exercise

→ attitude: exercise & encourage family and friends to exercise
 The Building Blocks of Culture

○ Behaviors:
■ the direct result of all these blocks (values, beliefs, attitudes &
behaviors)
■ the most visible

Culture is invisible to us—we don’t realize that we do things a certain way, and when
asked, we really don’t know the why behind the what.
 Culture

The iceberg metaphor:

● only the “tip” is visible:

○ behavior: nonverbal gestures,
language, how people dress, the
foods they eat, and what customs
they practice
● 90% of the iceberg not visible-below the
waterline:
○ Attitudes,
○ beliefs
○ values
Defining “Intercultural,” “Cross-Cultural,” and “International communication”

Intercultural communication

● the communication exchange between individuals from different cultural

backgrounds
● a process of exchanging information and creating understanding between
people of different cultures
● it examines how the specific cultural differences affect the
interactions of the people engaged.
● it involves understanding how culture shapes values, beliefs, attitudes &
behavior
Defining “Intercultural,” “Cross-Cultural,” and “International communication”

Cross-cultural communication
● not about the interaction of people from different cultures communicating
● the comparison of their differences across culture.

So, if we look at our communicators from São Paolo and Singapore, and compare
their communication patterns, we would be talking about a cross-cultural
comparison. The study of cross-cultural communication comes from anthropology
and is usually comparative in nature (Gudykunst and Mody, 2002).
Defining “Intercultural,” “Cross-Cultural,” and “International communication”

International communication (global communication/transnational

communication)

● comes from the increasing influences of globalization

● It involves the interaction of people from differing cultures, but it is
focused on macro issues, such as governmental or political influences
that affect the communication processes as people interact with each
other across borders.
Model of intercultural competence (Chen & Starosta’s;
1996)

3 Perceptions:
● Intercultural sensitivity - acknowledging and respecting the
cultural diversity;
● Intercultural awareness- understanding culture variation and being
aware of one’s own cultural identity ;
● Intercultural ability- message skills, knowledge of appropriate
self-disclosure, flexibility, interaction management, social skills.
The significance of Intercultural Communication on
Business & Politics
● Intercultural communication (communication between people from different
cultures) has a long history (wars, commercial activities etc)
● Nowadays: in various settings such as classrooms, workplaces, healthcare, and
politics.
● Also, wide range of communication issues within an organization→ individuals of
different religious, social,ethnic, and educational backgrounds: each brings a
unique set of experiences , values, characteristic of culture to the workplace
● In Business: poor communication can lead to poor performance
● In global environment: Communication is a constant challenge
The significance of Intercultural Communication on
Business & Politics
● Expansion of Business globally: communication is essential- intercultural
communication→valuable advantage+ requirement
○ staff
○ customers
○ partners
○ generally: stakeholders
● Reduction of conflicts: In firms employees: different social layers, backgrounds &
cultures→ different personalities→ conflicts/disagreement →reduced performance
● Positive work environment:
○ respect→ self-worth
○ healthy relationships
○ Motivating language by managers (cultural oriented)
 The significance of Intercultural Communication on
Business & Politics
● employees need to be able to cooperate with each other in order to achieve the
company's goal
● In Communication: important to know your audience!!

Example of “Running man in desert” campaign (advertising a beverage in Middle East)

What went wrong?

In Business it happens all the time: missing the point!!

The significance of Intercultural Communication on
Business & Politics
Being aware of a counterpart’s specific cultural norms
● allows better management
● demonstrates respect—and that you have spent time learning their customs in
order to develop a lasting relationship.
● Examples:
○ In Japan, the subordinate is expected to bow lower than the boss.
○ In France, you kiss a friend on each cheek, but in the Netherlands, three
times.
○ In China, you are expected to give and receive business cards with both
hands while commenting on the other person’s impressive credentials.
It’s not the actual gesture that contains meaning, but what is in that person’s mind.
People create the meaning that is attached to gestures.
Example: Why Walmart failed in Germany..
● building global business relationships → learn about other cultures and
proper training to help a person adjust once he or she is in another culture

● when interacting with counterparts of other cultures in a

business/marketing context→ important to know their customs in order
to avoid unintentionally offending them (by conveying meanings differently)

● several researchers: the most common factors to failure in international

business is the inability to understand and adapt to foreign ways of thinking
and acting

● The concepts of Emotional & Cultural Intelligence

 Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
In the workplace:
● EQ → 80–90% of the competencies that distinguish outstanding leaders from average
leaders (Goleman, 1998).
● A person with high EQ possesses the following skills:
○ Self-awareness and other awareness: knowing how you and the others are feeling and how
your emotions might be affecting others + be reflective-honest look at yourself (strengths and
weaknesses)
○ Self-regulation: The ability to control your emotions and actions under pressure and think
before you act. Because you are self-aware of who you are and how you might respond in
different situations, you are able to gauge how to act and react.
○ Motivation: Your personal drive to learn and improve, to achieve goals, and to take initiative.
This also includes your optimism for learning new things and your resilience when the
unexpected happens.
○ Empathy: The insight to see what motivates others while simultaneously planning how to
respond to them. This means having empathy in order to understand the emotional makeup of
other people and the skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions.
○ Social skills: the instinctive “hunch” : what to say/not to say & how to treat people accordingly.
people with good social skills → strong communicators→ building and maintaining relationships.
 Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
Like EQ, CQ has certain aspects that deal with self-awareness and other-
awareness.

● it is a person’s ability to function in a cultural context different - a culturally

intelligent person is someone who is not only able to empathize and work well
with others, but can acknowledge differing values, beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors in order to anticipate, act, and react in appropriate ways that
produce the most effective outcomes.
● Plus they can then re-evaluate & try acting or reacting in a different way
● also known as intercultural competence
 The Cultural Intelligence Model
● demonstrates that having knowledge, mindfulness, and skills (also
acknowledged as competencies), and using them in synergistic ways, leads to
CQ.
● Culturally intelligent people are able to
○ use their knowledge to understand multiple aspects of cross-cultural phenomena
that come their way.
○ use mindful cognitive strategies that both observe and interpret any given
situation in order to develop a repertoire of appropriate behaviors across a wide
range of situations.

CQ is a critical aspect of being successful in today’s global environment

 The Cultural Intelligence Model
Competencies:

1. Knowledge→ recognizing fundamental principles of behavior (customs,

practices, rituals, greetings, language, etc.)& understanding something about
a culture’s history, politics, economy, and societal norms.
2. Mindfulness→ paying attention to the subtle cues in intercultural
circumstances and tuning into one’s prior knowledge, thoughts, feelings,
reactions, and actions to what is going on. The person practicing mindfulness
is aware of their own assumptions and perceptions, and the emotions and
attitudes attached to them.
3. Skills/Competence→ ability to choose appropriate behaviors (based upon
developing knowledge and experience) that are suitable for a given
intercultural situation.
Essential skills for successful intercultural
communication:
1. Self-awareness –ability to use information about oneself in multicultural
situations, to use that information in order to cope with difficult situations
2. Self-respect- self-confidence, respect for oneself and respectful behavior;
3. Interaction- effectively communicating with people coming from another
culture;
4. Empathy- understanding the other people’s feelings and worldview;
5. Adaptability- adjusting to unfamiliar environment or to norms different than
your own;
6. Certainty- attitude of confidence in confronting with contradictory situations
7. Initiative and acceptance- tolerance or willingness to accept things that
differ from what you are familiar with
 References with open access
1. Washington, M. C., Okoro, E. A., & Thomas, O. (2012). Intercultural Communication In Global
Business: An Analysis Of Benefits And Challenges. International Business & Economics
Research Journal (IBER), 11(2), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.19030/iber.v11i2.6776
2. Kei, S.,S., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The Significance of Intercultural Communication for
Businesses and the Obstacles that Managers should Overcome in Achieving Effective
Intercultural Communication. Global Journal of Management and Business Research: A
Administration and Management 15(4)
3. Ilie, O.,A. (2015). THE INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE. DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS. International Conference KNOWLEDGE-
BASED ORGANIZATION vol XXV, No2
4. Drake, L.E. (1995), "NEGOTIATION STYLES IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION",
International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 72-90.
https://doi.org/10.1108/eb022756