BUS101 Business Communication: Intercultural Communication

The word “Intercultural Communication” is penned by American scientist Edward T. Hall, mentioned thee word in his book The Silent Language (Strauss, 2017). The term Intercultural communication refers to social characteristics, thoughts, and the upbringing of different groups of people. Intercultural communication refers to the study of communication of different social groups and how they impact on the communication of individuals.

It seeks to explain the role of culture in communication and social. Intercultural communication also seeks to explain different cultures aspects such as languages and customs and how they impact on the communication of the individuals. The knowledge of intercultural communication is not important as business enterprises cannot obtain any benefit unless it is utilized in the actual interactions with people. Hence the central idea of intercultural communication in business enterprises is to help people to find solutions (Neuliep, 2017).

We need intercultural communication because the people use different languages and symbols for interactions with each other. Our culture gives colors to our communications. Intercultural communication refers to the ability to contact with people belonging to different cultures, which is important in the present times due to the globalization of the business organizations. The globalization refers to having more and more contact with people who belong to different cultures. The ability to deal with the differences between different cultures creatively and by acknowledging the differences between different cultures is becoming a continued existence issue to increase in a global world for a global leader. The

 Sending and receiving messages across different languages and cultures is intercultural communication. The cultural differences do not merely arises by the people who speak different languages or live in different locations but also between different people who have been brought up in different cultures and arrives to live at a different geographical location. In the same cities or location, the people may or may not share same cultural heritage which can create differences among them. It also leads to the creation of different social groups.

The supporting reasons for intercultural communication are self-awareness, demographic essential, economic, technological, for peace, for ethical values. Intercultural communication raises awareness of different cultures and community and of different social and economic background. Globalization and immigration patterns throughout the world bring a significant change in many countries. People from different ethnicities, races, religions and nationalities need to know about different cultures so that they can communicate or work or live with them. For economic essentials, our global market are expanding and changing in order to compete or hold in the market. It is important for us to know how to conduct business with people from different cultures, because of this intercultural communication has a vital role. Present is a global village in which cross-cultural communication plays a significant role for people who live in remote parts of the world and they connect with each other through technological mediums. The principles of ethnic are culture bound and the conflict arises from various nations but the study of the intercultural communication helps us to address the ethical issues which are involved in intercultural interactions. The three issues occur during study of intercultural communication in relation to ethical values which are: developing self-reflexivity, learning about others and developing sense of social justice (Piller, 2011).

The American citizens are known for their frank attitude and open minded behavior. They do not make compromises while on the other hand Japanese people are known as formal and respecting hierarchy. The Japanese people are slow-decision makers and ponder on each decision before taking it. If an American is working for a Japanese company or American or Japanese company are making negotiations with American company, they have to consider these cultural differences and need to acknowledge them for successful business negotiations.

The business negotiator should possess in-depth understanding of the practices of American business. The intercultural communication competence s dependent upon the conversation context and there is no specific format for solving the issues raised from the cultural conflicts. In business negotiations, the individuals find it difficult to understand the sentiments and the body language of the people from different cultures (Gudykunst, 2005).

In my point of view the intercultural communication should be more interrelated with the psychology and the spirituality. We should not insult any culture because from the moment we are born we all carry a whole range of identities within us which are the product of our own characters and the interactions with the outside world. The future of intercultural communication stands on the practical knowledge not on any types of theorems or surveys.

In future the intercultural communication should be freed from any type of academic intellectualization. The intercultural communication is an important factor towards obtaining information and negotiation skills in different cultures. The development and the acquisition of cultural skills can assist an individual in enjoying a more comfortable life and professional success. Interpersonal skills regarding different cultures are important to progress in the career ladder. Some features or qualities are essential for successful intercultural communication. It not only requires knowledge and research but the person also needs to possess other qualities. Firstly, the person needs to have patience. Patience is a willingness to admit   ambiguity, misunderstanding and frustration. The second quality is tolerance and the person needs to possess a fair and impartial attitude. They should be capable of treating people equally and justly despite having different values. Objectivity is another factor which means ability to take judgment of both sides.  Empathy is a critical quality which refers to the ability to understand the perspective of another person and using it to understand the reaction of another person. It can be concluded that we tend to emphasize the differences among cultures, it is also very important to identify that there are several significant differences in different cultures. It is necessary to identify them and address them in the professional life so that no conflicts occur in the workplace (Novinger, 2013).

 There are differences between the cultures in different locations. The ethnic groups, organizations, schools and individuals all have different cultures. It is important to realize these differences and acknowledge them. It is also important that culture generalizations are not made and the people do not act accordingly. It will have negative impact on the entire negotiation procedure.

References

Strauss, R. (2017). Introducing Story-Strategic Methods: Twelve Steps toward Effective Engagement. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Neuliep, J.W. (2017). Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach. SAGE Publications.

Piller, I. (2011). Intercultural Communication: A Critical Introduction: A Critical Introduction. Edinburgh University Press.

Gudykunst, W.B. (2005). Theorizing About Intercultural Communication. SAGE.

Novinger, T. (2013). Intercultural Communication: A Practical Guide. University of Texas Press.