Cross-Cultural Communication in Business Cultural

Cross-Cultural Communication in Business

Cultural differences have always required a degree of awareness and sensitivity in the business environment; in the age of rapidly increasing globalization, the issue becomes even more important. In conducting business transactions with prospective foreign partners or presenting proposals to investors, awareness of cultural practices and expectations can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful negotiations.

Within modern business management in organizations, the increasing integration of individuals from many different national, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds necessitates a corresponding awareness of various perspectives, norms, and expectations on the part of management and human resources. Whereas the successful effort to accommodate culturally oriented idiosyncrasies as much as possible is conducive to effective operational business management, the failure to do so can undermine even the best efforts in other areas of business management.

Differences in Cultures:

Many social cultures maintain very specific social customs and expectations that differ substantially from the mainstream American social culture. While some of these differences pertain exclusively to private and religious life, others transcend the workplace environment. Especially where close interaction and cooperation between and among coworkers is directly related to business performance, cultural awareness and sensitivity can impact on profitability for many reasons. In general, employees who feel comfortable at work and respected by their colleagues are more content and therefore more productive (Blair, 2003).

Likewise, a climate of cultural sensitivity is associated with lower employee turn-over rates and absenteeism (Lindsey, Robins, Lindsey, et al., 2009; Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2007). Some of the most basic cultural differences encountered in the workplace arise in the context of dress, social gestures, cuisine, the connotations and interpretations of mannerisms such as aggressiveness, emotions like anger, and also interactions between the two genders (Galin & Avraham, 2009; Hughes & Chesters, 2003).

Effects of Cultural Differences in the Workplace:

Without any guidance from management, employees from the dominant of mainstream social culture may develop a negative attitude toward some of their coworkers, particularly where different cultures are under-represented in the organization. Negative attitudes can be the result of no prior exposure to specific cultural differences, especially in dress and cuisine when employees from the mainstream culture encounter foreign practices for the first time in the workplace (Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2007).

Cultural differences also have the capacity to inspire resentment to the extent they give rise to false perceptions of preferential treatment. In that regard, lack of cultural awareness with respect to certain religious calendars and traditional practices is potentially detrimental to employee relations because of negative perceptions associated with different holidays and definitions of the Sabbath within various different cultural traditions. Similarly, lack of awareness of different social expectations within various cultures can easily result in misconstruing modesty or respect for rudeness or unfriendliness.

Alternatively, ignorance of social boundaries and expectations in different cultures can easily result in unintentional offenses that make certain employees uncomfortable in various situations that typically arise in the workplace. This is particularly important in business negotiations between individuals from Eastern, Western, and Middle Eastern nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Gestures that are perfectly innocuous in some parts of the world and in some cultures carry distinctly negative connotations in others and vice-versa (Galin & Avraham, 2009; Hughes & Chesters, 2003).

In that regard, fundamentally different interactions between the genders is one element of cultural practices that differs most substantially from national culture to culture and even among individuals of different ethnic or religious backgrounds within the dominant national culture. Typically, individuals of Muslim and Jewish religious traditions (and others) avoid any incidental or polite physical contact between members of the opposite gender, even though such gestures (like handshaking) might be completely appropriate under ordinary circumstances (Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2007).

Dealing with Cultural Differences Positively:

Cultural differences have tremendous potential for creating divisiveness in the workplace where no appropriate effort is made by management to increase cultural awareness and mutual sensitivity and respect among coworkers with different cultural backgrounds and expectations. Conversely, any negative effects attributable to cultural differences can be minimized or neutralized entirely by effective approaches designed to do so (Locker, 2003; Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2007). Ideally, business management should institute policies and awareness training in the realm of cultural sensitivity throughout the organization and in advance of any specific issues arising in that regard.

Precisely because awareness is such a crucial component of cultural sensitivity, in many cases, potential conflicts and issues that are functions of cultural differences are capable of prevention instead of a post-hoc approach to resolve such issues only after they manifest themselves as problems between and among coworkers (Blair, 2003). In principle, cultural sensitivity training need not necessarily convey specific knowledge of any particular culture.