Chapter 3 Intercultural Communication Mary Ellen & Dana Loewy

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
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Ch. 3, Slide 1
Chapter 3
Intercultural Communication
Business Communication:
Process and Product, 8e
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
• Mergers, acquisitions, and buyouts stir
growth beyond national boundaries.
• American companies in global markets
must adapt to other cultures.
• Increasingly even many home-grown
businesses are controlled by global
enterprises.
Ch. 3, Slide 2
Markets Go Global

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Major Trends Fuel Globalization
• Stagnating or declining domestic
markets
• Favorable trade agreements and
removal of trade barriers
• Robust middle classes in emerging
economics
• Advancements in transportation and
logistics
• Information and communication
technology breakthroughs
Ch. 3, Slide 3

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is learned.
• Cultures are inherently logical.
• Culture is the bases of self-identity and
community.
• Culture combines the visible and
invisible.
• Culture is dynamic.
Ch. 3, Slide 4

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Dimensions of Culture
• High and low context
• Individualism and collectivism
• Time orientation
• Power distance
• Communication style
Ch. 3, Slide 5

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
High and Low Context
• Low-context cultures
 Tend to be logical, linear and action oriented.
 Favor explicit messages that they consider to be objective,
professional, and efficient.
• High-context cultures
 Tend to be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and
contemplative.
 Leave much unsaid and transmit communication cues by
posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression.
Ch. 3, Slide 6

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Communication Style
Ch. 3, Slide 7
• Low-context cultures
 Emphasize words, directness, and openness; people tend
to be informal, impatient, and literal.
• High-context cultures
 Rely on nonverbal cues and the total picture to
communicate; meanings are embedded at many
sociocultural levels.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Characteristics of High and
Low-Context Cultures
Ch. 3, Slide 8
Japanese
Arab
Latin American
Spanish
English
Italian
French
N. American
Scandinavian
German
Swiss
High Context
Low Context
High Context Cultures
 Relational
 Collectivist
 Intuitive
 Contemplative
Low Context Cultures
 Logical
 Linear
 Individualistic
 Action-oriented

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
How We Form Judgments
Ch. 3, Slide 9
Stereotype
Oversimplified behavioral
pattern applied uncritically to
groups

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
How We Form Judgments
Ch. 3, Slide 10
Prejudice
Rigid attitude based on
erroneous beliefs or
preconceptions

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
How We Form Judgments
Ch. 3, Slide 11
Prototype
Mental representation based
on characteristics that are
flexible and open to new
definitions

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Techniques for Achieving
Cultural Competence
Ch. 3, Slide 12
• Descriptiveness: Giving descriptive
feedback instead of judgmental
feedback.
• Nonjudgmentalism: Being tolerant,
which helps prevent defensive
reactions.
• Supportiveness: Encouraging others
with head nods, eye contact, and facial
expressions.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Improving Conversations in
Intercultural Environments
Ch. 3, Slide 13
• Learn foreign phrases.
• Use simple English.
• Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
• Observe eye messages.
• Encourage accurate feedback.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Improving Intercultural Oral
Communication
Ch. 3, Slide 14
• Accept blame.
• Listen without interrupting.
• Smile when appropriate.
• Follow up in writing.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Improving Intercultural
Written Communication
Ch. 3, Slide 15
• Adjust your writing style and tone.
• Avoid humor to prevent misunderstandings.
• Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
• Observe title and rank.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Improving Intercultural
Written Communication
Ch. 3, Slide 16
• Avoid ambiguous expressions.
• Strive for clarity.
• Use correct grammar.
• Cite numbers carefully.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Anti-Bribery Laws
Ch. 3, Slide 17
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 –
prohibits payments to foreign officials for the
purpose of obtaining or retaining business;
applies only to U.S. companies.
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act – a tool in the
anticorruption battle; forbids off-the-book
bribes.
• Global treaty promoted by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) in 1999 – bans
bribery of foreign government officials.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Ethical Decision Making
Across Borders
Ch. 3, Slide 18
• Broaden your view.
• Avoid reflex judgments.
• Find alternatives.
• Refuse business if options violate
your basic values.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Ethical Decision Making
Across Borders
Ch. 3, Slide 19
• Embrace transparency.
• Don’t rationalize shady decisions.
• Resist legalistic strategies.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Applying the Five-Question
Test to Intercultural Dilemmas
Ch. 3, Slide 20
1. Is the action legal?
2. Would you do it if you were on the
opposite side?
3. Can you rule out a better alternative?
4. Would a trusted advisor agree?
5. Would family, friends, employer, or
co-workers approve?

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Benefits of Workplace Diversity
Ch. 3, Slide 21
• Diverse Staff Members
 Better able to read trends and respond to diverse customers
at home and abroad
 More likely to see opportunities that a homogeneous group
would miss
• Diverse Teams
 Better equipped to create products that markets require
 Develop more creative and effective problem-solving
techniques

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Benefits of Workplace Diversity
Ch. 3, Slide 22
• Diverse Consumers
 Want to deal with companies that respect their values and
reflect themselves.
 Demand specialized goods and services tailored to their
needs.
Companies that figure out the diversity
challenge have a competitive advantage.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Benefits of Workplace
Diversity to Businesses
Ch. 3, Slide 23
• Companies that cultivate diversity suffer
fewer discrimination lawsuits, fewer union
clashes, and less government scrutiny.
• Diversity is a critical bottom-line business
strategy to improve employee relationships
and to increase productivity.
• The government and corporations
increasingly contract only with suppliers who
can show “cultural readiness.”

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Improving Communication Among
Diverse Workplace Audiences
Ch. 3, Slide 24
• Seek training.
• Understand the value of differences.
• Don’t expect conformity.
• Make fewer assumptions.
• Build on similarities.