Culture and Communication CM4203 2024 PDF

Communications Intercultural Communication Dr. Caoilfhionn Ní Bheacháin CQ builds on EQ and SQ!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMi7yhHj ASQ  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=aAtfNjLcSC0  Culture is “a pattern of learned, group-related perceptions – including both...

Communications Intercultural Communication Dr. Caoilfhionn Ní Bheacháin CQ builds on EQ and SQ!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMi7yhHj ASQ  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=aAtfNjLcSC0  Culture is “a pattern of learned, group-related perceptions – including both verbal and nonverbal language, attitudes, values, belief systems, disbelief systems and behaviours that is accepted and expected by an identity group” (Singer, 1998:5)  Fish in water  The Communications Process Context Media Media Sender Sender Encoding Encoding Message Message Decoding Decoding Receiver Receiver Noise Noise Context Context Feedback Feedback Response Response Context Intercultural Communication and the Communication model  It influences senders and receivers – values, traditions, social and political relationships and worldview influence both senders and receivers.  It influences messages and feedback – in the case of non-verbal and verbal communication.  It influences the setting / context – for example, to be in a minority in a communication context does change the communication event.  It influences the elements involved in any transaction  Culture influences everything about communication including:  Language  Nonverbal symbols  Word meaning  Time and space issues  Rules of human relationships Personal Interpersonal History Cultural Business Communication Contexts Cultural Context  Collective experience – a framework for how we should think and behave as members of a society.  We view the meanings of ideas, objects, motivations, feelings through a cultural lens.  Culture – shared conceptual maps, shared language systems and codes The global marketplace  Mostnatural boundaries and national borders are no longer the impassable barriers they once were.  Ford markets to customers in 130 countries – providing websites that offer local information etc.  What is culture?  Howwould you assess your intercultural competence?  Strengths? Weaknesses?  What is your experience with other cultures? What does culture do?  Acquisition of food, clothing and shelter  Provision of protection from enemies  Regulation of sexuality  Child raising and instruction  Division of labour  Social controls against deviant behaviour  Distribution of power  Regulates roles, norms, etc.  Provides values Culture and communication  Collective experience  Organisational psychologist Edgar Schein notes that the shared assumptions that help to define a culture eventually operate ‘outside of awareness’.  Our understanding of semiotics also operates outside awareness – what Roland Barthes calls ‘myths’ The iceberg metaphor for culture: Observable behaviour Beneath-the- surface values and assumptions Iceberg metaphor for culture: what aspects are visible and what is not apparent at first glance? Cross-cultural communication  In the cross-cultural context, communication (like everything else) is more complicated. It is almost impossible to send a message that does not have at least some cultural content – in the words themselves, in the way they are said, or in the non-verbal signals that accompany them. And then we receive messages through the filter of our own cultural conditioning. Cross-cultural conflict  Any situation where differences in cultural background can lead to misunderstandings with emotional consequences. Most cross- cultural conflict involves respect: one party does not show enough respect for something that the other person considers very important. Getting to yes across cultures  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSPeLrKJ LYo  Culture influences everything about communication including:  Language  Nonverbal symbols  Word meaning  Time and space issues  Rules of human relationships How cultural difference can impact on professional relationships  Either completing a task or building a relationship takes precedence  Either the written word or the spoken word is more trusted  Persuasion is based on facts or on the reputation of the individual  Meetings are for exploring an issue or for demonstrating agreement Team members may differ in:  their perception of the team’s objectives  the way they communicate  how they view leadership  work habits  their manner of interacting with members of the opposite sex  their level of formality with other team members  their willingness to socialize with other team members Managing Conflict  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kujUs_6q eUI&feature=emb_title Some dimensions of cultural difference  Co-Culture - a culture within the larger culture  That group or co-culture will often share ‘a specialised language system, shared values, a collective worldview and common communication patterns’  (Samovar and Porter, 2000) Intersectionality Cultural difference  Last 30 years – dramatic increase in intercultural communication – primarily because of technological innovations of aviation and electronic communication networks.  In 2002, the US census reported that the number of US residents born outside the United States or are children of immigrants was the highest it had ever been. Thus, while all are part of a larger national culture, many will identify themselves as members of one or more co-cultures. Similar process happening globally – unprecedented movements of peoples.  Social and Political effects  We are all effected by political, economic and social changes on the global scale.  Communications, banking and manufacturing have become international – the economies of the world have become more intertwined.  Demand for natural resources  Political unrest impacts business, travel and tourism.  Interdependence is a reality.  Challenges now are global – Climate change / Covid 19 etc. Hofstede (1980; 1991) – A tool for thinking about cultural differences  Individualism/ Collectivism  High- and Low-Context Cultures  Power Distance  Achievement-Nurturance  Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism / Collectivism  Many theorists regard this as the central dimension within which variations between cultures may be measured.  Individualism: ‘the tendency of people in a given culture to value individual identity over group identity, individual rights over group rights, and individual achievements over group concerns’  Collectivism: ‘the tendency to value group identity over individual identity, group obligations over individual rights, and group- orientated concerns over individual wants and desires’  (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 1996) Individualism / Collectivism  Members of Individualist Culture – emphasise personal goals, think of themselves as independent and tend to be direct when communicating. Outside groups (family, school, church, occupation) have specific, usually limited influence.  Members of Collectivist culture – emphasis on importance of fitting in to the group, regard themselves as interdependent, and are more focussed on group welfare and goals rather than on individual achievements and desires. And they tend to avoid direct conflict. High- and Low-Context Cultures  Members of high-context cultures are more skilled in reading non-verbal behaviours; and they assume that other people will be able to do so too. Thus, they speak less than members of low- context cultures and listen more. In general their communication tends to be indirect and less explicit.  Members of low-context cultures stress direct and explicit communication. They emphasize verbal messages and the shared information they encode. High- and Low-Context Cultures  Researchers link high-context communication style with collectivist cultures and low-context communication with individualist cultures.  Variations within individuals and also in how each culture interprets various concepts such as the self, or community or conflict.  High-context cultures – South Korea, China, Japan etc.  Low-context cultures – German, American etc. Power Distance  Power distance refers to the degree to which people accept authority and hierarchical organisation as a natural part of their culture.  Members of high-power distance cultures (France, India and Mexico) have a more authoritarian style of communication.  Among low-power distance cultures (Ireland and Australia), people emphasize and assume equality. They tend to perceive the power others have as appropriate only as it is confined to a given role (teacher, doctor, government official) and are more accustomed to questioning people in power. Achievement-Nurturance  Attempts to draw a parallel with gender  Achievement cultures – value work, strength, competition and assertiveness. Gender roles more strictly defined.  Nurturance cultures – place more value on traits such as affection, compassion, nurturing and interpersonal relationships. They give more importance to non-verbal communication. Uncertainty Avoidance  Uncertainty avoidance is a measure of the extent to which members of a given culture attempt to avoid uncertainty or ambiguity about others.  Low uncertainty avoidance – ‘what is different is curious’ High uncertainty avoidance – ‘what is different is dangerous’ (Hofstede 1991)  Respect and rank are reflected differently from culture to culture in the way that people are addressed in their working environment.  Workers in Australia, Japan, Spain and the US work significantly longer hours than workers in France, Germany and Norway.  Attitudes towards time / schedules etc can vary Erin Meyers – Culture, communication and management  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf1ZI-O_ 9tU Nonverbal Communication differences  Greetings  Personal Space  Touching  FacialExpressions  Eye Contact  Posture  Formality Obstacles to intercultural communication  The less a code system (either verbal or non- verbal) is shared, the less communication is possible.  Different beliefs and behaviours between communicators establish the basis for different assumptions from which to respond.  Different levels of knowledge and acceptance of the beliefs and behaviours of others.  (Sarbaugh 1979) Cultural characteristics that impact communication Collectivistic ______________Individualistic High Context _______________Low Context More Hierarchical ______________Less Hierarchical Intercultural Communication Competence – (Ruben 1976)  Ability to be flexible  Ability to be non-judgemental  Tolerance for ambiguity  Ability to communicate respect  Ability to display empathy  Willingness to take turns Phrases, metaphors, cultural references  ‘breaking the ice’, ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’, ‘sweep under the carpet’, ‘not for the fainthearted’…  Come up with some examples….. Checklist of stylistic traits to be avoided in intercultural communication:  Ironic humour  Linguistic idioms or clichés  Shifts in tone (serious to humourous etc.)  Allusions to people, places and events  Culture-specific allusions Barriers to intercultural understanding  Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge the values, customs, behaviours, or other aspects of another culture in terms of those that our own cultural group regards as desirable or ideal.  Ethnocentrism – putting one’s nation at the centre.  Ethnocentrism is not the same as patriotism.  Xenophobia – a fear of foreigners / strangers  Cultural homogenisation – the tendency for cultures in contact with one another to become increasingly similar to one another  Valuable cultural exchange – sharing knowledge, foods, music, medical methods etc. Summary  People from different cultures encode and decode messages differently  Many categories of difference  Intercultural communication – increasingly important in contemporary organisations and in the global marketplace.  No ‘recipe book’ solutions. Communicators require an open and analytical mind.  Assess each situation in terms of context, purpose, audience, and message to be communicated.