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Communicating Across Cultures

Here are the answers to the comprehension questions: 1a. High-context cultures leave much of the message unspecified and rely on context and nonverbal cues, while low-context cultures expect messages to be explicit and specific. 1b. Sequential cultures view time linearly and give full attention to one agenda item at a time, while synchronic cultures view time as constantly flowing and interrelated. 1c. Affective cultures readily show emotions, while neutral cultures carefully control and subdue emotions in business activities. 2. The author recommends that we develop an understanding of, and a deep respect for, cultural differences in order to be successful in cross-cultural communication.

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313 views3 pages

Communicating Across Cultures

Here are the answers to the comprehension questions: 1a. High-context cultures leave much of the message unspecified and rely on context and nonverbal cues, while low-context cultures expect messages to be explicit and specific. 1b. Sequential cultures view time linearly and give full attention to one agenda item at a time, while synchronic cultures view time as constantly flowing and interrelated. 1c. Affective cultures readily show emotions, while neutral cultures carefully control and subdue emotions in business activities. 2. The author recommends that we develop an understanding of, and a deep respect for, cultural differences in order to be successful in cross-cultural communication.

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Communicating Across Cultures

by Carol Kinsey Goman

Communicating across cultures is challenging. Each culture has set rules that its members take
for granted. Few of us are aware of our own cultural biases because cultural imprinting is begun
at a very early age. And while some of a culture's knowledge, rules, beliefs, values, phobias, and
anxieties are taught explicitly, most of the information is absorbed subconsciously.

The challenge for multinational communication has never been greater. Worldwide business
organizations have discovered that intercultural communication is a subject of importance—not
just because of increased globalization, but also because their domestic workforce is growing
more and more diverse, ethnically and culturally.

We are all individuals, and no two people belonging to the same culture are guaranteed to
respond in exactly the same way. However, generalizations are valid to the extent that they
provide clues on what you will most likely encounter when dealing with members of a particular
culture.

High-Context vs. Low-Context


All international communication is influenced by cultural differences. Even the choice of
communication medium can have cultural overtones. The determining factor may not be the
degree of industrialization, but rather whether the country falls into a high-context or low-
context culture.
High-context cultures (Mediterranean, Slav, Central European, Latin American, African, Arab,
Asian, American-Indian) leave much of the message unspecified, to be understood through
context, nonverbal cues, and between-the-lines interpretation of what is actually said. By
contrast, low-context cultures (most Germanic and English-speaking countries) expect messages
to be explicit and specific.

Sequential vs. Synchronic


Some cultures think of time sequentially, as a linear commodity to "spend," "save," or "waste."
Other cultures view time synchronically, as a constant flow to be experienced in the moment,
and as a force that cannot be contained or controlled.

In sequential cultures (like North American, English, German, Swedish, and Dutch),
businesspeople give full attention to one agenda item after another.
In synchronic cultures (including South America, southern Europe and Asia) the flow of time is
viewed as a sort of circle, with the past, present, and future all interrelated. This viewpoint
influences how organizations in those cultures approach deadlines, strategic thinking,
investments, developing talent from within, and the concept of "long-term" planning.
Orientation to the past, present, and future is another aspect of time in which cultures differ.
Americans believe that the individual can influence the future by personal effort, but since there
are too many variables in the distant future, we favor a short-term view. Synchronistic cultures’
context is to understand the present and prepare for the future. Any important relationship is a
durable bond that goes back and forward in time, and it is often viewed as grossly disloyal not to
favor friends and relatives in business dealings.

Affective vs. Neutral


In international business practices, reason and emotion both play a role. Which of these
dominates depends upon whether we are affective (readily showing emotions) or
emotionally neutral in our approach. Members of neutral cultures do not telegraph their
feelings, but keep them carefully controlled and subdued. In cultures with high affect, people
show their feelings plainly by laughing, smiling, grimacing, scowling, and sometimes crying,
shouting, or walking out of the room.
This doesn't mean that people in neutral cultures are cold or unfeeling, but in the course of
normal business activities, neutral cultures are more careful to monitor the amount of emotion
they display. Emotional reactions were found to be least acceptable in Japan, Indonesia, the
U.K., Norway, and the Netherlands and most accepted in Italy, France, the U.S., and Singapore.

Reason and emotion are part of all human communication. When expressing ourselves, we look
to others for confirmation of our ideas and feelings. If our approach is highly emotional, we are
seeking a direct emotional response: "I feel the same way." If our approach is highly neutral, we
want an indirect response: "I agree with your thoughts on this."

It's easy for people from neutral cultures to sympathize with the Dutch manager and his
frustration over trying to reason with "that excitable Italian." After all, an idea either works or it
doesn't work, and the way to test the validity of an idea is through trial and observation. That
just makes sense—doesn't it? Well, not necessarily to the Italian who felt the issue was deeply
personal and who viewed any "rational argument" as totally irrelevant!

When it comes to communication, what's proper and correct in one culture may be ineffective
or even offensive in another. In reality, no culture is right or wrong, better or worse—just
different. In today's global business community, there is no single best approach to
communicating with one another. The key to cross-cultural success is to develop an
understanding of, and a deep respect for, the differences.
Source:https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/business-
communication/communicating-across-cultures

Comprehension Questions

1. How does each of the items in the following contrasting pairs differ from the other?

a. High-context vs. low context

b. Sequential vs. synchronic

c. Affective vs. neutral

2. What does the author recommend that we do to be successful in cross-cultural


communication?

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