Behavioral differences between employees of different cultures can cause misunderstandings. Every culture has guidelines about what is considered appropriate behavior.
In some cultures, looking someone in the eye when they are talking to you is considered rude, while in other cultures refraining from doing so is considered disrespectful. Getting right to the point at a business meeting may be considered impolite by some, who expect to have "small talk" before the business discussion. Likewise, in some cultures, people talking to each other give each other space, while in other cultures, they stand close.
These differences can be barriers to effective communication if they are not recognized. What is considered an appropriate display of emotion can differ from culture to culture. In some countries, displaying anger, fear or frustration in the workplace is considered inappropriate in a business setting.
In Japan such sign represents money. A but it has a negative meaning in Nigeria. So, all cultures use body movements during communication but in different ways. Space is viewed differently by different cultures.
In some cultures, people maintain distance in other cultures, people want to be close. For example, North Americans maintain two feet distance while speaking.
But Arabians stand close while speaking. Some cultures regard time as an important factor everywhere but some other cultures view time in a more relaxed way. People from U. K, or Europe maintain time efficiently; whereas Arabians are late to show that they are busy.
Religion is an important socio-cultural factor and guides way of living and future thinking. Since verbal communication is important in every context, the understandings of the meaning of words are also important.
The language barrier occurs not only because of differences in language but also in the forms of a variety of dialects.
The examples are of Chinese and Russian language where different dialects are used in several parts of the country.
If one communicator is not aware of the exact meaning, it will create misunderstanding and lead to a conflict of ideas. Cultural norms and values: Each culture hold its own values, meaning and norms different from another.
This difference is caused because of truth, belief and judgment through which they acquired knowledge about society and culture. For example, in eastern countries like India, Pakistan, Srilanka the meaning of physical proximity is different from that in western countries. In western culture, people share physical proximity or closeness only with the persons whom they know. This is the reason we can find a calm and quiet environment in public transportation in western countries.
On contradictory, we can find a huge, crowded environment in Indian suburban and metro rail transports. Stereotypes: Stereotypes are any negative image or preconceived notions on a particular community and identity. These are created through mass media and their content agenda.
For example,the status of transgender is considered in the different level of standard in various cultures.
Same like the role and respect for women also varies from culture to culture. In social psychological viewpoint, positive stereotypes are also considered as the cultural barrier. It is representation of a particular group of people or culture in a positive way. This may be different from reality. The positive stereotypes create frames of reference in the mind of people in cultural context.
For example, it is considered as people in Italy are having a great interest in art. This might be true in some sense since Italy was gone through various art movements. The culture has a significant influence on the communication process. The cultural differences can create conflicts and misunderstanding between parties involved in the communication process Monippally, , p. The seven cultural variables include attitudes, social organization, thought patterns, roles, language, nonverbal communication, and time.
Attitudes play a significant role in the communication process. These major variables offer a simple frame of reference for examining culture and understanding its major characteristics. Cultural variables are differences in behavior, outlook and values between people from different societies. Body language, styles of humor and attitudes toward family, authority figures, religion, gender roles and time can all be very different in different cultures. Cultural richness includes diversity in anything that has to do with how people live: music, art, recreation, religion or beliefs, languages, dress, traditions, stories and folklore, ways of organization, ways of interacting with the environment, and attitudes toward other groups of people.
0コメント