It can be easier to communicate with someone from the same background, but what happens when those you are trying to communicate with are from a different culture? What if you are communicating in writing vs. in person? I am learning the various ways culture shifts our perceptions of ourselves and others and how to communicate with those cultural differences more effectively. “During the imprint stage, an individual’s learning of good and bad from their caregivers would be highly influenced by culture, as the caregivers are part of the culture. That is how culture persists over time. During the modeling period, culture is transmitted from other influential adults who are from another generation. And in the socialization period, ideas from the current culture are passed along.” (PSU 2021) These stages that we go through help shape us into who we are, but we can make changes and we are constantly learning how to grow in society. “if a value gets reinforced through behavior then it persists. If the behavior doesn’t match up with the value, then the cultural value shifts to something new.” (PSU 2021)
If we are exposed to new ideas and cultures we are more atp to usurp some of that understanding and become more open to those ideas which previously we had no experience. “Worldmindedness” – a global awareness of other cultures and people (in many ways, the opposite of hate and fear)- is a trait that can be taught, just like a language. (Moran & Abramson pg 13) Being accepting of others and their differences is also valuable in the workplace. “Senior managers are trying to ensure that those reporting to them understand the company’s strategic plan, and are effectively organizing their assigned resources to achieve their assigned productivity goals. All of these kinds of goals require that the receiver not only understand what the sender is trying to communicate, but also, from the sender’s point -of-view; that the receiver is moved to actions intended by the sender.”(Moran & Abramson pg 42)
Learning to avoid egocentrism and personal bias and being open to new experiences is a way to combat conflict. “At its basic level egocentrism is an inability to take on other people’s perspectives. If one isn’t able to take on another perspective, it is difficult to see what they want or need, but also to shape a message that they understand.”(PSU 2021) This helps when trying to communicate with those who may not have the same cultural orientation.“These errors can be exacerbated because of language and cultural differences, as they reduce the efficiency of communication.”(PSU 2021)
Being able to communicate your organization’s values effectively is an important skill. Learning about the various culture, language, history, and social influences is important especially if you are part of a global community. “Scholars have also noted that the strategic focus of human resource systems is more effective when aligned with the organization’s mission, purposes, values, and structure.” (Becker and Gerhart, 1996; Becker and Huselid, 2006; Huselid and Becker, 1997). Being able to communicate those goals will help you work cohesively and with less misunderstandings.
Resources
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (10th ed.). Oxford: Routledge. ISBN: 9781138223684 ives, 1980: 242–50
Becker, B. E. and M. A. Huselid: 2006, ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Where do we go from Here?’, Journal of Management 32(6), 898–925.
Huselid, M. A. and B. E. Becker: 1997, The Impact of High Performance Work Systems, Implementation Effectiveness, and Alignment with Strategy on Shareholder Wealth. Academy of Management Proceedings
Pennsylvania State University. (2021). OLEAD 410. Lessons 1 – 4
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to read my post. You have brought up some very interesting questions. I believe that there can be more challenges when trying to communicate in writing due to the lack of facial expressions observed then an in person conversation. The absence of availability of tone, influx in a voice as well as cadence of speech, can all be indications of whether the conversation is meant to be serious or jovial, sarcastic or empathetic. Depending on the correspondence topic and the familiarity with the person you are writing to can also play a significant role in how you would respond. As far as suggestions on how to help mitigate a conflict, I believe a phone call would help clear up a misunderstanding. Also, if the correspondence subject is not so serious in nature and if appropriate, I find it helps to pepper in a few colloquialisms or idioms, such as ‘TGIF’ or ‘hold your horses’. This may not be as helpful if the correspondence is with someone who is not as familiar or from a different culture, and I would say the best resolution would be a phone call if possible. When working in the service industry, frequently, there would still be conflict with the majority of those situations being face to face. Resolution was always to be as personable and emphatic as possible. Now that most of my work is done over the phone, I believe I have experienced a noticeable increase in stress detected in the majority of conversations lately.
Do you think it is more important to be able to communicate effectively in person or in writing? I always thought in person was a much better means of communication because you can hear the person’s tone and see the look on their face but over the past nearly two years I think the art of communication in writing has become much more important then ever before. How we use instant messenger or email for someone that is in the next room instead of going and being in the same space as them because of COVID. How do you think the best way to overcome the misunderstandings that happen from the lack of face to face time people get. Do you also think that being able to get away from looking a person in the eye has allowed people to lose a bit of humanity and start being a little more aggressive and rude to each other then we used to be when we would see everyone?