International corprations have intercultural employees.
Under most circumstances, intercultural communication requires patience and understanding. It requires knowledge of the other person's culture and language, coupled with careful, thoughtful responses. Issues with intercultural communication can become amplified when the situation includes corporate managerial messages. In corporations, it's vital that managers and employees understand each other because that comprehension keeps the corporation running smoothly. More often than not, the key to acceptable intercultural corporate communication lies in careful research of the other person's culture.
Communication Style
One of the biggest problems comes from language barriers. Even when the manager speaks in the employee's language (or vice versa), usage can become an issue because the connotation of words is cultural, and often isn't learned from foreign language study. Nonverbal commutation, such as facial or hand gestures, also carry cultural meanings that are specific to a person's regional traditions. A manager might inadvertently use a gesture that's offensive to the employee.
Conflict
Various societies have different attitudes toward workplace conflict. Some cultures see conflict as necessary and positive, while others view it as a negative thing to be avoided. In the corporate world, managers are sometimes called on to reprimand, criticize or punish employees, all activities that could cause conflict. In the intercultural setting, managers should approach conflict in a way that's acceptable to the employees' customs.
Task Completion
Corporate work includes many job duties that requires task completion skills; however, how tasks are completed varies from society to society. Rewards, time management and teamwork all have different meanings to individual cultures. Corporate managers must decide which task completion standards are culturally debatable and which ones are steadfast company policy.
Decision-Making
Some cultures rely on a single decision maker and others use team conferences to come up with options and resolutions. The same is true for corporations and managerial styles. Mangers should find an appropriate mix of their personal decision making, corporate policy and the employees' preferred level of participation.
General Knowledge
What is common knowledge to one culture is an obscure reference to another. Differences in measurements, religion and cultural references can impede multicultural communication. Even the way people learn and understand information can vary widely from culture to culture. According to PBS, some Asian cultures use learning as a vehicle towards religious transcendence, while some African cultures learn best when they are surrounded by information of all different kinds, even using symbols and rhythm. Depending on the culture of both the corporate manager and the employee, various ways of training and teaching may be used to acclimate the employee and ensure that the corporate messages are understood.
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