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When dinning out with a diverse group to my surprise some of them paid their bill without tip. In United States it is looked upon favorably to give a large tip, as in Germany you are expected to tip very little, while in some nations tip is not expected. Every nation has it’s etiquette when it comes to tipping and it’s social norms. I had to explain to the group it is customary to tip and is the way to thank the waiter for the job well-done. They get paid for it was their response to which I had to clarify that most waiters in US are paid less than a minimal wage. They were shocked.
If cross-cultural communication at this level has already presented differences, it gets even more involved in the business world. According to CIA World Factbook report in 2013 United States is involved in 13.9% value of world trade (Moran, Abramson, 2014). How would people from different countries learn about inner workings of another countries and social norms? How can we anticipate what is a socially acceptable behavior when dealing with people all over the world? How can we expect to make fair deals and negotiations when we do not know what is the expected level of it in the country?
Global communication may require challenging what you know and what you consider acceptable and proper. Furthermore, it will require changing the way you interact if you want to get the message across and have a working global relationship. Taking a class on Leadership in a Global Context has helped me to reexamine cross-cultural communication, dimensions involved and to recognize ways of managing those. It is important to focus not only on differences, but similarities as well. For example, understanding that we both share and altruistic point of view can make a communication much easier.
Understanding needs, values, expectations, goals, cultural and social norms, roles, attitudes, stereotypes, social organization and social dimensions, personality, influences, customs, beliefs, thought patterns, history, politics, language are all vital ingredients in the process. Egocentrism is a factor that will decrease effectiveness of the communication, however it should be accounted for during interactions. Active listening will increase the effectiveness of communication and a lot of times will help to negate challenges presented by intercultural differences. Nonverbal clues equate to 80-90% of communication and send an important message. (Moran, Abramson, 2014). Realization that countries vary on low-high context, preference of slow or fast messages, preferences of space and time may enable one to elude potential misunderstandings and frustrations. For example, understanding that Germany is interested in shutting down it’s nuclear plans and has a goal to completely depend on renewable energy can assist in preparation of presentation to discuss energy needs of countries. Business investors will realize that it is faulty to offer Germany plans to build new nuclear reactors, but instead is beneficial to present plans with renewable energy sources.
Understanding global communications presents us with a multidimensional model, but understanding every additional aspect of it brings us closer to the goal of improved communication.
References:
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http://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/abstract-global-traffic-design-communication-transport-networking-vector-id511473492?k=6&m=511473492&s=170667a&w=0&h=tbq3-AbxYwFZr4ks84TpXV-IVE-B2Vaup7gnoDARHrg=
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Darrin Layne Meenach says
When conducting research before a family trip to Costa Rico we learned that tipping is not expected or desired in restaurants. As you stated, in the United States tips are expected and based on the level of service provided. Through the first couple of days we struggled not following the united States ways of tipping and asked a local we befriended for better understanding. We learned that local culture valued performing their work at a high level every time and tipping is a judgement on their performance of work.
Truly understanding the reasons behind the local cultures and traditions can positively impact any undesirable communications. You don’t necessarily have to speak rudely to exhibit rude behavior.
jmr6242 says
The list that you provide as evidence of the staggering list of requisite developments is extensive. That being the case, I would say that of the items such as norms, attitudes, customs, and other various influences, language is one of the most critical to your point. Learning about a culture is one thing; communicating effectively with people from that culture is entirely another.
It’s not a matter of complexity, per se; it’s a simple matter of being able to build a relationship off of some kind of common ground. Granted, while not all international dealings will be with cultures where other languages are spoke, there are nonetheless terminologies and sayings, nuances of thought as well as speech, that will be critical for the successful negotiator.
A couple examples:
In Chile, people often use the phrase, “pateando la perra” to express frustration or anger over a particular situation. In English, this Spanish phrase translates directly to “kicking the dog.” To an American negotiator who has taken a hypothetical course in business Spanish, he or she may understand the words, but I doubt many people would immediately catch on to such an odd phrase.
In Venezuela, certain parts of the country have a very particular brand of dialect; one of the most common words in these regions (mostly in and around the city of Maracaibo) used as a general sort of non-descriptive noun replacement is “vaina,” which in their parlance literally means “stuff.” The word itself, however, translates to scabbard (yes, for a sword). Again, the same linguistics paradigm applies. To add a wrinkle, in the parts of the country where “vaina” is not commonly used, it’s a swear word; where in Maracaibo and Merida it means “stuff,” in the rest of the country, it’s used in the same context, but would translate in spirit to a common curse word referencing body waste.
Just noticed that you mentioned language as an important factor in your post, so I took the opportunity to share a couple of things from countries I’ve lived in, as they’re not only applicable to the lesson, they’re also kind of funny.