Essay Sample on Intercultural Communication in International Business

Introduction

Intercultural communication evaluates communication between people from diverse social groups and cultures. It is concerned with the effects of culture on communication processes, and the challenges that emerge within social contexts or organizations where people from different social, ethnic, educational, and religious backgrounds interact (Barnlund 2014). Intercultural communication evaluates how people from diverse cultures and countries communicate, behave, and perceive the world. Moreover, it assesses how people choose communication medium, encode messages, and interpret communication. This model also evaluates thought patterns and social attributes among people who share similar cultural traits. A person should value and understand cultural differences for him/her to study intercultural communication.

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One of the key areas where intercultural communication manifests itself is in international business. Many organizations with a global workforce hire people from diverse cultural backgrounds. They possess different belief systems, language, norms, and values, which make them unique. However, diversity of culture normally leads to communication barriers in international organizations (Smith 2013). When employees do not share a similar language and values, they may experience challenges in the communication process. It is therefore imperative that one addresses communication barriers within a multicultural organization, to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals.

This paper will evaluate barriers to effective intercultural communication within the context of international businesses. For purposes of this paper, focus will be on verbal, written, and non-verbal barriers to intercultural communication within a global organization. Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory will be applied in analyzing the issue. After assessing how diversity in culture can create communication barriers, the paper will recommend strategies that managers can use to reduce these obstacles. Through developing knowledge on intercultural communication barriers in international business, managers, organizational stakeholders, and members of the public will be able to understand how they can improve communication and thrive on cultural diversity within global organizations. Managers will also learn how to take advantage of cultural diversity to benefit from the unique ideas and perspectives that different cultures contribute towards the goals of international firms.

Verbal Barriers

These are obstacles that affect effective verbal communication in international business organizations. Verbal barriers usually arise from different spoken languages by employees within international organizations (Bartell 2011). Many global companies use internationally accepted languages, such as English, for official communication. People whose first language is not English may experience communication problems, as it usually takes months or even years to become fluent in a foreign language. Most organizations do not have the resources or time to help workers learn language skills. When employees attempt to speak a foreign language and they are not fluent, then serious challenges can emerge. The message may either be distorted, or other employees may fail to understand what the non-native speaker is saying. This problem will likely affect the ability of the workforce to work in teams and accomplish their objectives.

Written Barriers

These are the challenges that arise when using written communication within multicultural organizations. There are several obstacles that employees may face when dealing with written communication in a culturally-diverse environment. One of the challenges relates to the tone of the wording, and a message may be misinterpreted due to tonal variation and differential meaning within cultures (Trenholm & Jensen 2013). In some cultures such as the Japanese, statements usually adopt an apologetic tone, where the writer places himself/herself at an inferior level to the recipient. However, in cultures such as the American culture, written communication should be direct and authoritative, for the recipient to understand the message clearly. In such a situation where there is a culture clash between the two cultures, a Japanese employee may view written communication from Americans as aggressive and directional, while an American will perceive Japanese texts to be non-committal and weak.

Another challenge that workers in a culturally-diverse international organization may face when dealing with written communication is cultural practice and meaning. Some terms used in normal written communication may be viewed as offensive in other cultures. For instance, many official letters begin with the word 'dear', yet in countries such as Spain, 'dear' is a term of endearment and is used mostly for close family members and friends. A Spanish person may therefore take offence if he/she receives such a salutation in written form from a colleague.

Non Verbal Barriers

These are the barriers to communication that arise through use of non-verbal cues such as body language. In most cases, non-verbal signals pose greater threat to communication in a multicultural environment, as compared to verbal communication. Some examples of non-verbal communication are gestures, facial expressions, and personal stance. Others are sense of time, personal distance, seating arrangements, tone of voice, pitch, and dressing among others. Different cultures have assigned meaning to non-verbal actions, and it is imperative that people who communicate within an international organization are aware of how their communication style can affect other employees. For instance, British people may perceive Germans and Americans to be loud (Schwartz 2017). However, in Arab countries, loudness is linked with forcefulness and sincerity, unless one is speaking to a person who is superior to him/her.

The major issue with non-verbal communication is that it occurs subconsciously, which makes it difficult to control. Moreover, for the offended party, it provokes feelings that are difficult to recognize or rationalize. Employees in an international organization are likely to experience conflict from non-verbal communication since they may be unaware of how their subconscious actions impact people from different cultures (Berlo 2016). It is therefore vital for employees to understand each other's culture when working in a global organization so that they are sensitive to colleagues who may get offended due to certain non-verbal cues.

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory and Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication in International Business

This is a framework that analyzes cross-cultural communication, and it explains how culture impacts the values and behaviors of members within an organizations. The cultural dimensions framework that Hofstede developed largely explains the communication barriers that employees in global organizations experience. It is important to understand this framework for one to analyze how diversity in culture may affect intercultural communication within the context of international businesses. There are six main dimensions that Hofstede addresses in the model.

The first is the power distance index, and this analyzes the levels within which members of institutions and organizations accept unequal distribution of power. A high degree of power index means that people within the organization have embraced a clear hierarchy where there are different levels of power, and vice verse (Fischer 2009). Power distance can create a communication clash between employees in a multicultural organization. For instance, managers from a society that accepts hierarchy and inequality between members may feel offended if lower cadre employees use casual language when addressing them. These managers will expect workers to be humble and polite when communicating with them, as a means of accepting the power distance that exists. Moreover, if the workforce is from a culture where there is a low power index and equality is emphasized, then they will face challenges communicating verbally or through written form, with managers within organizations that respect hierarchy and power distance.

The second dimension is collectivism versus individualism. Collective cultures are those with strong social ties where members support each other (Hofstede 2011). However, individualistic cultures emphasize on individual gains and members strive to safeguard their own welfare, without focus on their communal gains. Employees in a global organization with a collective culture may experience challenges when communicating with other employees and managers especially if their native culture is individualistic in nature. Such workers may use language and written text that stresses their individual input in job-related tasks, yet the organization encourages a culture of collective gains through teamwork.

The third is the uncertainty avoidance dimension and this analyzes the ability of society to embrace views that challenge the status quo. Societies with high uncertainty avoidance thrive on rules, regulations, laws, and guidelines. Those that score lowly usually tolerate and accept differing ideas and thoughts from people. If personnel in a global organization have a culture which scores highly in uncertainty avoidance, then they will likely be intolerant to embracing new and creative ideas. Such people will present verbal and non verbal cues reject innovative thoughts and perspectives. Conflict may for instance arise if fellow colleagues generate innovations.

The fourth dimension is femininity versus masculinity. Masculine societies stress the role of assertiveness, heroism, and achievement, while feminine societies accept qualities such as care and modesty, which are ordinarily linked to women (Gilligan 2012). In global organizations, employees from masculine cultures may communicate assertively or aggressively, and they may clash with employees from feministic cultures. The latter may find this form of communication offensive and disrespectful.

The fifth is the long term versus short term orientation dimension, and it measures the relationship between past events and current practices. A low degree of the short term index means that a society honors and keeps its traditions, while societies with a high degree of the long term index believe in pragmatic and adaptation problem-solving processes (Schramm 2017). Workers who share short term orientation value their traditions, and will be less likely to embrace views that oppose their culture. When communicating, they will be easily aggrieved if someone communicates and undermines their culture either consciously or subconsciously.

Finally, the sixth dimension is restraint versus indulgence, and it evaluates the levels of happiness within a society. Societies that are indulgent allow gratification of natural and basic human desires while those that are restrained apply different factors in attaining happiness (Hearn 2016). This factor may affect interpersonal communication and relationships between employees as those from indulgent cultures may appear to be too liberal as compared to workers from restraint cultures.

How to Reduce Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication in International Business

There are certain steps that international organizations should implement to address to reduce ineffective communication. The first is through sensitizing all employees on the importance of cultural diversity. Management should sensitize employees on cultural differences in their backgrounds to help them appreciate that they have different languages, norms, values, a...