Intercultural communication in the workplace

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace:

As the world continues to experience globalization because of the numerous technological advancements, intercultural communication has become an important element in today's working environments. Intercultural communication is critical because workplaces are currently made up of people from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicity, and cultures. Therefore, understanding intercultural competence and communication is vital since it helps in promoting effective communication in the workplace. Such understanding also helps in dealing with various intercultural issues that may arise in the working environment from time to time. When the intercultural communication issues are dealt with in the workplace, the organization enhances effective communication.

Description of Intercultural Communication Issue:

Intercultural communication is an important aspect for organizations and companies that are involved in international businesses. These companies need to consider the complexities of intercultural communication as part of enhancing effective communication and productivity. Some of the major ways for such firms to consider intercultural communication difficulties include knowledge of potential customers and understanding the cultural influences of these customers ("Intercultural Communication," 2007). These two factors are critical before the organization can make these potential customers its actual customers. This is primarily because the failure to understand the cultural differences between the organization and its global customers can result in the failure of its business even before it gets started.

As examples of an intercultural communication issue between a company and its customers is Disney. The firm was quite successful in opening theme parks in Japan and the United States to an extent that it assumed that building a EuroDisney theme park could be easy and successful. While the assumption was not entirely wrong, the company made several cultural mistakes in the development of the EuroDisney theme park. The cultural mistakes started before the Disney embarked on the process of building the park.

First, Disney offended the French through its use of lawyers to discuss issues related to construction and other contracts. Secondly, the company enacted regulations towards strict dress code for its workers based on the dress code of its parks in the United States. Third, Disney instituted American norms and prohibited the sale of alcohol in the EuroDisney theme park. Finally, the organization did not expect Europeans to eat sit-down breakfasts and anticipated to make huge sales on souvenirs in the new theme park. These cultural mistakes contributed to reduced potential profits for Disney since they were offensive to the local people and customers in this region.

Diagnosis of the Communication Issue:

The intercultural communication issue that prohibited the probability of huge profits basically involved two major players i.e. Disney Company and the French. This issue basically originated from the fact that the organization did not understand the local customers in France but sought to establish its business based on its success strategies in other countries. While the planned project could generate several billions of dollars, it did not meet revenue expectations because it created significant frictions with the French public. The procedures that were successful in the American theme parks were incompatible with the French culture (Gunn-Graffy, 2007).

The French are widely known as proud people who are quite sensitive about their culture to an extent that they consider other cultures, especially the American culture, to be threats. On the other hand, Disney's business approach was mainly based on the American culture since it utilized highly systemized operations management and human resource strategies. This was largely evident when the company imposed American standards of morality, behavior, and dressing for all its employees. As the French people felt affronted by the actions of Disney, which had an insensitive and overbearing attitude, the development of EuroDisney not only contributed to huge intercultural differences but also intercultural communication issues.

The use of lawyers in negotiations implied mistrust on Disney's part because the French use lawyers as the last option in such discussions. Secondly, the imposition of American dress code, morality, and behavior was considered as an attack to the culture and style of the French. Third, the assumption that Europeans would not eat sit-down breakfasts resulted in crowded dining rooms and unsatisfied customers. Fourth, the ban on sale of alcohol in the theme park was an insult to the French culture where consumption of wine during a meal is part of daily life. Finally, unlike expected, Europeans do not tend to huge spending sprees while on vacation resulting in the failure of the sale of souvenirs.

Strategies for Dealing with the Issue:

In order to deal with the intercultural communication issue and differences, Disney Company should adopt various strategies. First, Disney should have conducted an analysis of the French to understand their culture and style before embarking on the building project. Such an analysis could have been an initiative by the organization to develop intercultural competence to help in promoting the success and profitability of its business. Secondly, the company should have adopted policies and strategies that are culturally relevant to the local population following the development of intercultural competence. The use of such strategies could help in avoiding arrogance and strict regulations that contributed to threats on the French culture. The vital involvement of the population in the planning stage could also help in promoting understanding.