Intercultural Communication: Case Study and Solutions

This case study explores the challenges of intercultural communication in a corporate setting. It discusses where the company went wrong, offers solutions to better understand cross-cultural problems, and explains intercultural theories. Advice is provided for improving communication and fostering cultural understanding.

Case Study

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Where did Hannah and the company go wrong?........................................................................1
How could you help Hannah and the company better understand this cross-cultural problem? 1
Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion..........................................3
What would be your advice to Hannah and the company?.........................................................4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Intercultural communication is the interaction in between the individual that belongs
from different cultural background. As it includes the process through which people that belong
from another cultures make their relative communication (Ferri, 2018). The primarily purpose of
intercultural communication is to enhance the better understanding of about the various culture.
The below case study is based on the corporate attorney that is responsible for negotiating leases
for the outlet abroad. She is being optimistic as per the successful interaction with counterparts in
Japan.
MAIN BODY
Where did Hannah and the company go wrong?
As Hannah Muller is a corporate attorney in a Frankfurt department store chain in
Germany and have responsible to make the negotiation in lease for the abroad outlets. As she has
gain the continuous success in its negotiation in Europe and have looking forward to generate the
attractive agreements of leasing as from the shopping mall developer in Japan. Thus before
making the certain interaction in between the different cultural background as she is from Europe
and make interaction with the client in Japan thus it is needed that some mediator was there who
passes the relevant information as from one party to other (Kecskes, 2018). It is the basic need
while making a effective communication that either it is verbal or non-verbal but have make the
clear and transparent interaction that make easy for both the parties to get understand that
different aspect of each other. Thus the company went wrong as they didn't select any mediator
in between them by which not able to make understand each other values and attribute that make
it more harder to get signed the agreement.
How could you help Hannah and the company better understand this cross-cultural problem?
The cross-cultural problem is being raised and developed when there is an interaction that
happen in between those that belongs from different country or culture. These issues must get
analysed as per the timely basis as with this they are able to transform the better ideas that
improvises the level of communication by which future sustainability get maintained. It is a
problem that is raised as when different individual that belongs from different culture, belief,
have different language and have uses the various gestures, symbols to make successful
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communicate. There are some different way that help Hannah to make better understanding of
cross-cultural and are is as define below as:
 Ensure polite and clear communication: It is a type that reduces the level of crises,
confrontation and surprises as the employee that belongs from different diversity must
have accounting the material of communication (Klyukanov, 2020). It could be used
while using the simple words, by using visual methods and avoidance of phrases and
slang.
 Learning about diverse culture: It improvises the willingness of all the cultures that
foster the impact of interaction while working with diverse workforce. It is essential to be
patient and accept the effectiveness of inclusiveness of employees.
 Share knowledge: It has been enhanced if company make the diverse recruitment by
which creative outcome get collected by which the ability of an individual get developed.
It also increases the level of creativity among all the individual along with the knowledge
get enhance and collective contribution get developed that generate better productivity.
As there are some different cultural frameworks that has been selected by Hannah by
which different issues get resolved with better perfection and are as described below as:
Universalism and particularism:
Universalism Particularism
In this Hannah have tries to make the
correspondence rules that is based on the
appropriate condition.
In this the exception get find by Hannah and
try to make her own rule instead of using the
existing rule
While company try to make or develop certain interaction that it helps to made better
decision making as they get the adequate guideline. It is a condition in which the rule get make
by the higher authority that is based on situation by which the affordability of business get
increases.
Communitarian and individualism:
Communitarian Individualism
It is based on the group of people that is short
sighted and selfish which is being known by a
particular society.
It refer to an individual right in which all the
individual is responsible for their own success
or failure (Presbitero, 2018).
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It helps to make the validate interaction in which all the individual understand its
responsibility and make effective judgement that help to maintain each assess of all the goals. It
team work has been promoted than it has been used in which every individual performs its role
by which achievement of goals and objective become flexible.
Specific and diffuse:
Specific Diffuse
In this manager of company provide the
specific role to all the employee by which
better clarity get transformed that takes the
working standard more effective (Rubtsova,
2019).
In this the manager also criticize the employee
directly by which have make the certain
interaction that enact the unacceptable loss.
In this the employer must have provide the better opportunity to all by which the
employee performance get improvises and with this they have able to resolve the different issues
on timely basis. This is being used when company wants to accomplish some target and with this
employer make sure that all the employee perform its function with more liability.
Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion.
Intercultural communication consist of the communication in between an individual that
belong from different culture and also includes the wider range of communication and its
problem that is develop by an individual as from various culture, religious, social, ethnic etc.
There are different intercultural theories that are as described below as:
Cross-cultural communication: Culture reflect the way of thinking that depend on
attitude, values, belief and norms that are reinforced by all the team members. The understanding
of culture reflect the ultimate change in the communication style as in this the individual of some
culture learn about the other while making communication. Thus it refer to who have difference
in terms of nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, working age etc. It consist of
an attempt that is inserted to exchange and negotiate the values that shows how belongingness
will emphasised. It includes the assumption of similarities under which tendency to behave the
different behaviour get improvised. The non verbal misinterpretation that is based on the eye
contact, gesture, language get considered. In order to reduce these issues Hannah try to increases
the effort of listening skills by which real meaning of values get transmitted. In addition also try
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to seek feedback that reduce the risk of misunderstandings and ensure clear message get
transmitted.
Cultural identity theory: It serves the better identity of individual or group by which the
feeling of connectivity get enhanced. The culture identity refer to self identification that extent
the culture behaviourally, psychologically, sociologically by which dynamic and constant
evolvement get enhanced (Shayakhmetov, 2018). It is a theory that suggest that the relationship
development is more needed that construct and negotiate the identities of cultural context. In this
the speaker compare its position and make effective interaction by identifying the culture and in
this communication get done with the support of expressions or symbols. The identity get
changes as per the social, economic, contextual or political aspect that changes the identity of
culture thus participants select the better medium by their own easiness so as to develop the level
of trust and connectivity.
Identify management theory: It is a theory that state that individual must have perceive
their identities differently and which is more based on the time and space. The individual has the
self image that is being used while making the interaction with others as it is not fixed but get
influenced as per social norms. It is based on the development that changes the social context as
it is based on two concept one is that the ability to make communication consist of an ability to
manage the effective relation. In addition face work is dependent on individual face which is
being reflect by cultural and relational identities. It is the important aspect and reflect the better
relation that indicate the reactions and opinions. For example, if people of different culture make
interaction that they have greet each other and look out for the similar kind of interest that
reshape the thoughts and ideas.
What would be your advice to Hannah and the company?
It is advised that Hannah must have recruit the candidate that belongs from different
culture by which employee get learned to work with the people of different culture, religion,
belief with this it is easier for them to get worked in better surround (Yang, 2018). It is must that
employee get accept all the individual culture by which the business productivity get enlarged by
which ability and capability of the company also get enhanced.
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CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above case that intercultural communication is being
more vital and with this the ability of the business get developed in systematic manner. It is
essential for the company to promote the diverse culture by which flexible culture will promoted
that make it easier to work with perfection that aids to gain effective success and development.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ferri, G., 2018. Intercultural communication: Critical approaches and future challenges.
Springer.
Kecskes, I., 2018. How does intercultural communication differ from intracultural
communication?. In Intercultural communication in Asia: Education, language and values
(pp. 115-135). Springer, Cham.
Klyukanov, I., 2020. Principles of intercultural communication. Routledge.
Presbitero, A. and Attar, H., 2018. Intercultural communication effectiveness, cultural
intelligence and knowledge sharing: Extending anxiety-uncertainty management theory.
International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 67. pp.35-43.
Rubtsova, A., 2019, March. Socio-linguistic innovations in education: productive
implementation of intercultural communication. In IOP Conference Series: Materials
Science and Engineering (Vol. 497, No. 1, p. 012059). IOP Publishing.
Shayakhmetov, D. and Chaklikova, A., 2018. Development of the intermediator of intercultural
communication based on public argumentative speech. Opción: Revista de Ciencias
Humanas y Sociales, (85), pp.149-185.
Yang, P., 2018. Developing TESOL teacher intercultural identity: An intercultural
communication competence approach. TESOL Journal. 9(3). pp.525-541.
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