PC-Intercultural-Global-Communication.pdf

Intercultural and Global Communication Intercultural and Global Communication Lesson 1 Thinking About Culture At the end of the lesson, you shall have:  defined culture;  identified the different dimensions of culture; an...

Intercultural and Global Communication Intercultural and Global Communication Lesson 1 Thinking About Culture At the end of the lesson, you shall have:  defined culture;  identified the different dimensions of culture; and  explained how these dimensions of culture affect the communication situation. How do our cultural differences shape the way we communicate, and in an increasingly interconnected world, can we truly bridge the gaps between them? Culture is a system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people. It is often defined by external aspects such as language, traditions, religion, arts, and cuisine. However, culture runs deeper, influencing how we think and interact with those around us. This deep connection between culture and communication significantly shapes our interactions. Since culture is shared, understanding its relationship with communication is crucial. The two are tightly interwoven, with communication enabling the spread and reinforcement of cultural values. Through repeated interactions and exchanges, communication and media perpetuate the ideals and norms of a culture, making it dynamic and continuously evolving. A more insightful way to understand this relationship is to recognize that it is not culture that creates different forms of communication; rather, it is the diverse ways of communicating that actively shape and create culture. Developing the ability to navigate communication in an intercultural context is an essential skill for everyone, as all communication, to some extent, involves intercultural dynamics. Even within the same cultural group, challenges related to intercultural communication can arise. Intercultural communication addresses how people from different cultural or social structures interact and the difficulties or differences they encounter, beyond just the languages they speak. Intercultural communication essentially means communication across different cultural boundaries. Effective communication across cultural lines requires perseverance and sensitivity to each other’s differences—encompassing language, customs, ways of thinking, social norms, and habits. Mastering the ability to communicate across cultural boundaries is essential for the success of any intercultural or multinational endeavor. It also improves relationships by fostering two-way conversations that nurture mutual understanding between people of diverse backgrounds. © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)  Intercultural and Global Communication Characteristics of Culture Culture has five basic characteristics: It is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and dynamic. All cultures share these basic features. Culture is learned. It is not biological; we do not inherit it. Much of learning culture is unconscious. We learn culture from families, peers, institutions, and media. The process of learning culture is known as enculturation. While all humans have basic biological needs such as food, sleep, and sex, the way we fulfill those needs varies cross-culturally. Culture is shared. Because we share culture with other members of our group, we are able to act in socially appropriate ways as well as predict how others will act. Despite the shared nature of culture, that doesn’t mean that culture is homogenous (the same). Culture is based on symbols. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Symbols vary cross-culturally and are arbitrary. They only have meaning when people in a culture agree on their use. Language, money and art are all symbols. Language is the most important symbolic component of culture. Culture is integrated. This is known as holism, or the various parts of a culture being interconnected. All aspects of a culture are related to one another and to truly understand a culture, one must learn about all of its parts, not only a few. Culture is dynamic. This simply means that cultures interact and change. Because most cultures are in contact with other cultures, they exchange ideas and symbols. All cultures change, otherwise, they would have problems adapting to changing environments. And because cultures are integrated, if one component in the system changes, it is likely that the entire system must adjust. In summary, culture is a multifaceted system that shapes our identities and behaviors through its learned, shared, symbolic, integrated, and dynamic aspects. It provides a framework for understanding our world and interacting with others, yet it is constantly evolving as societies adapt to new influences and changes. As cultures come into contact with one another, they exchange ideas and symbols, highlighting the importance of intercultural communication in today’s interconnected world. By recognizing and appreciating these characteristics, we can better navigate cultural differences and foster meaningful connections across diverse communities. © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)  Intercultural and Global Communication Lesson 2 Dimensions of Culture Cultures vary in their underlying patterns of values and attitudes. The way people think about such matters as achievement, wealth and material gain and risk and change may influence how they approach work and their influence with organization. A framework offered by Hofstede offers one such approach for understanding how values differences across national cultures can influence human behavior at work. The values that distinguished countries from each other could be grouped statistically into six clusters: https://i0.wp.com/www.business-to-you.com/wpcontent/uploads/2017/04/Hofstedes-Cultural-Dimensions.png Power Distance This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally: beliefs about the appropriate distribution of power in society. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of Power Distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalize the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. China and Saudi Arabia are countries with a high Power Distance index. Individualism The Individualism/Collectivism dimension is about the relative importance of individual versus group interests. The high side of this dimension, called individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of only themselves and their immediate families. Its opposite, collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society’s position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.” The USA is considered as one of the most © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)  Intercultural and Global Communication individualistic countries in the world. Masculinity The Masculinity/Femininity dimension is about what values are considered more important in a society. The Masculine side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success. Society at large is more competitive. Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented. In the business context Masculinity versus Femininity is sometimes also related to as “tough versus tender” cultures. Japan is considered to be a very masculine country, whereas Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden are considered highly feminine. Uncertainty Avoidance The Uncertainty Avoidance dimension expresses the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. In addition, its impact on rule making is taken into account. The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? Countries exhibiting a high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. These countries often need many rules to constrain uncertainty. Countries with a low Uncertainty Avoidance index maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles, tolerance for ambiguity is accepted and the need for rules to constrain uncertainty is minimal. South American countries such as Chile, Peru and Argentina are highly uncertainty avoiding countries. Time Orientation Every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and the future. Societies prioritize these two existential goals differently. Countries that score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honored traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. They are past and present oriented and value traditions and social obligations. Countries with cultures that scores high on this dimension on the other hand take a more pragmatic approach: they are future oriented and encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future. Asian countries such as China and Japan are known for their long-term orientation. Morocco is a short-term oriented country. Indulgence The Indulgence dimension is a relatively new dimension to the model. This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. Relatively weak control is called Indulgence and relatively strong control is called Restraint. Cultures can, therefore, be described as Indulgent or Restrained. Indulgence stands for a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms. © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)  Intercultural and Global Communication Cultural norms significantly influence interpersonal relationships in different contexts. When raised within a particular culture, you naturally adhere to its societal norms, often without conscious thought, as long as your behavior aligns with the general expectations. However, entering a foreign culture can make things feel unfamiliar, and you may become cautious to avoid causing offense. By applying Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions as a guide, you can assess your behavior, decisions, and actions with a broad understanding of how people in that society might think and react. While individual differences always exist and no culture is completely homogenous, Hofstede's model can reduce uncertainty, help you avoid missteps, and boost your confidence when navigating an unfamiliar cultural environment. © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)  Intercultural and Global Communication References: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. (August 8, 2024) Think Insights. Retrieved from https://thinkinsights.net/leadership/hofstede-cultural-dimensions/. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. (June 17, 2017). Business-to-you. Retrieved from https://www.business-to-you.com/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions/ Middlebury Language Schools. (March 24, 2023). Language Learning: Why Is Intercultural Communication Important? Retrieved from https://www.middlebury.edu/language-schools/blog/language-learning-why intercultural-communication-important Nideffer, R. (n.d.) Chapter 8: The Characteristics of Culture. Nideffer.Net. Retrieved from https://www.nideffer.net/classes/GCT_RPI_S14/readings/Chap8Characteristics ofCulture.htm The Relationship Between Culture and Communication. (July 3, 2023). The Cultural Enthusiast. Retrieved from https://theculturalenthusiast.medium.com/the-relationship-between-culture-and- communication-8a925da81814 Vela, R. (2019). Relationship Between Language and Culture. MarsTranslation.com. Retrieved from: https://www.marstranslation.com/blog/language-and culture#:~:text=Culture%20impacts%20our%20core%20traditions,behave%20a nd%20interact%20with%20others. © 2024 Caraga State University PC (Purposive Communication)