CHAPTER 13

INTERCULTURAL
RELATIONS

culture

What is Inter cultural relations?

It is a relatively new formal field of social
science studies

It is learning how to see oneself and the world

through the eyes of another

It is closely related to anthropology and social

studies
It is a practical, multi-field discipline designed
to train its students to understand,
communicate, and accomplish specific goals
outside their own cultures.

Explicit behaviours
Habits & traditions
(food, housing, clothing, health)
Know-how
(communication codes, tools..)
Institutions
(collective organizations modes:
family, education
Norms
(Dos & don'ts)
Values
Mental state & cognitive processes
(perception, learning, knowledge, memory)

Conscious

Languages
(verbal & non-verbal)

Unconscious

Implicit

Explicit

The iceberg of culture

Intercultural Relationships in
Shrinking World.
Intercultural communication refers to the effective
communication between people/ workers/ clients of
different cultural background.
Technology has truly made the world a smaller
place. All cultures are now tied together by
information.
Business is often the first link between countries.
We must learn how to deal with other cultures.
Two trends of Intercultural Communication
Globalization
Multicultural workforce

Examples for Cultural differences

Arabic language is written from right to left and
almost all
other languages are written from left
to right.
In America, people shake hands ,and even hug
each other. But in India we just join hands to say
namaskar.
Raising your hand up means stop in America or
England. In some Asian countries this gesture is
used when asking for permission to speak.

Benefits of intercultural
communication
Improving verbal and nonverbal communication
Better adaptation to a new environment;
Learning how to understand, reduce and overcome
stress;
Better understanding of ones own culture and
finding ones place in a society;
Reduced feeling of anxiety in contacts with members
of other cultures;
Learning about customs and habitual behaviours of
members of other cultures.
Personal growth through increased tolerance;
Developing a positive attitude towards otherness;
Willingness to accept differences

Stereotypes
French: logical,
Cartesian,
elitist,
authoritarian,
proud
Chinese: quiet,
hardworking,
enigmatic,
smiling, cruel

Germans: rigid,
methodical,
obsessed with order
& privacy,
unemotional, territorial

Americans: superficial,
Frontier Spirit,
materialistic,
over-optimistic
Italians: loud,
macho,
impatient,
over-emotional,
talkative,
unorganized
British:
imperialistic,
Island
mentality,
principled,
class-

Cultural Diversity
Each person is representative of a mixture of
cultures and experiences
Diversity-Diversity is the group of people who
have different characteristics.
These characteristics can differ in socioeconomic
backgrounds, countries, races, religions and
achievement levels.
Multiculturalism-It is the difference between
cultures.
Diversity Involves:
Recognizing our unique differences
Attracting people of all backgrounds

Cultural ATTITUDES
Ethnocentrism
Judging other groups by comparing to there own
group like culture, language, behaviour.
Enculturation
Learning cultural values with in ones society leads to
ethnocentric attitudes
Ethnocentric attitudes
It is the behaviour that the company follow to
become global. They prefer there own people.
Cultural relativity
Gives the conclusion that all cultures are equally
valid.
Intercultural socialization
Becoming aware of another culture, habits,actions.

Elements of Diversity
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
Race
Physical Ability
Sexual
Orientation
Physical
characteristics

Income
Marital status
Education
Religious
Beliefs
Geographic
Location
Parental
Status
Personality
Type
Primary dimensions
Secondary dimensions

Elements of Diversity
Work
Background

Secondary
Dimensions
of Diversity

Income

Parental
Status

Education

Primary
Dimensions of
Diversity

Geographic
Location

Sexual
Orientation
Race

Ethnicity

Gender

Age

Physical
Qualities
Religious Beliefs

Marital
Status
Military
Experience

Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural Sensitivity is recognizing and knowing that both
cultural differences as well as similarities exist, and not
making value judgments of good or bad, better or worse,
right or wrong.
The recent growth of multinational corporations, points
the need to prepare the manager to deal with foreign
cultures and business practices

To increase cultural sensitivity one should not be arrogant, dont

be ugly, dont practise we are better than you attitude
In order to move forward, we need to understand how cultural
perceptions are formed and how they can develop to change the
way we think and behave to positively affect us all.

Subtle Differences

A gesture that is friendly in one culture may be interpreted as

vicious in another culture.

As communication always takes place within a frame

of reference, international business managers must
make sure they can communicate in one that is not
their own.

The Political frame of reference

We often see a close relationship between politics and
business, as Stock market fluctuate with every major
and minor crisis in our political lives.

Another politically related problem facing the

multinational corporation has been the risk of
nationalization, the taking over private companies.

The economic frame of reference

Economic development in many emerging countries are
influenced by high birth rates and high inflation.
The living standards of developed countries and emerging
nations vary greatly.
The cultural frame of reference
Everyone naturally views the world based upon the culture in
which they were raised and also we must be aware that others
will view the world based on their cultural beliefs. Effective
human relations means overcoming our biases and helping
others to overcome theirs.
Language is the foremost barrier to good internal relations.

Comparative Management

How to compare the cultures?

What makes a difference between different
cultures ?

Theories to analyze intercultural

relations
Kluckhohn-strodtbeck
Based on six cultural differences
Relationship environment : Are people are
dominating of, in harmony with or dominated by
the environment.
Time Orientation: Does the culture focus on
the past, present or future?
Nature of people : Does the culture view
people as good evil or mix of two?
Activity of orientation: Does the culture
emphasize being, doing or controlling?
Focus of responsibility: Is the focus of culture
is individualistic, hierarchical or group oriented?

Theories to analyze intercultural

relations
Concept of space
Does the culture conducts business in private, public
or mix of both?

HOFSTEDE MODEL
Greet Hofstede
How the workplace is effected by cultures.
Meaning of management is different around the world
Based of four dimensional assessments
Power distance
Degree of inequality of power distribution among
people in a national culture?

Theories to analyze intercultural

relations
Individualism / Collectivism The degree to which
people prefer to act as individuals or group in caring of
themselves
Masculinity / Femininity

The degree to which values like assertiveness, success

& competition are associated with gender.
Uncertainty avoidance

Degree to which people prefer structure or

unstructured situations and feel threatened by
ambiguities.
Most recently fifth dimension is added

Long term and short term orientation

Degree to which values like assertiveness,

performance, success & competition are associated
with gender.

Changing world communities

Japan

Once we recap with Theory Z

Americans believe in individualism where as Japanese
believe in the group effort.

Middle East
The Middle Eastern world is composed of countries that
are principally of the Moslem faith.

Europe
European nations formed European Union (EU) in 1992.
EU is a single market among members of the European
nations

Asia
Asia is the biggest economic market. Emerging
economic power house of the 21st century.

North America
A good environment exists with Mexico in the form of
assembling industries. NAFTA made many positive
relations with all the countries. Canada remains as a
major trading partner.

HIDDEN NORMS
Hidden norms means the way communication between the
people of different cultures.
Hidden norms play a significant role as the spoken
languages for establishing human relations.
Hidden norms or languages are:
Language of Time:
Language of time means the span of time period that we
assign to meet a person
Elasticity of Time
Language of Space:
Language of space is the sensitivity with which we deal with
our clients of different cultures.
Language of Touch:
Touch is one of the way in which we communicate with each
other

HIDDEN NORMS
and it differs from culture to culture.
Inner Circle.

Language of Context:
This way of communication is based on non-verbal context
which involves chitchatting compared with formal manner.

Language of friendship:
Language of friendship defines that hospitality and
friendship are different from business.

Language of Agreement:
A set of rules are assigned to achieve a task or complete any
production, these rules are accepted on which agreements
are reached.
As it as mutual agreement it can build a good international
human relations as this communication means is flexible .

Culture Shock
It is feeling of uncertainty, confusion or anxiety a person
experiences when he moves to different place for business
due to the different culture, customs and behavior .

Intercultural training
Cultural training helps to reduce cultural differences and
makes more cultural sensitive.
Cultural awareness
Multicultural communication
Country-specific training
Executive development
Language courses

REPATRIATION
The process of returning a person to their place of origin or
citizenship economically, socially and organizationally

Discussion Questions?
What is Cultural difference ?
Can differences in culture draw people
closer ?
Does cultural values dominate or affect
the attitude of the individual?
Does cultural sensitivity plays major
role in the existence of the individual?
Does the change in the world
communities has effected the human
relations.

THANK
YOU