Intercultural Competence in Business

This report analyzes a case study on intercultural differences in a business setting and provides advice for dealing with such issues. It focuses on the challenges faced by a manager working in Saudi Arabia and offers insights into intercultural theories and communication strategies.

Intercultural
Competence in
Business MAR013-1
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Contents
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................3
Overview of the case study:.........................................................................................................3
Stefan & the cross cultural problem:..........................................................................................4
Intercultural theories:...................................................................................................................4
Advices to Stefan:........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Intercultural communities is used for describing communities a deep understanding that
is providing respect to all cultures. Intercultural communication is focussing on mutual exchange
of cultural norms and ideas for development of suitable relationships. It is one of the crucial tools
to ensure that people are able to to deal with the changing nature of dynamic environment along
with managing of intercultural differences (Kálcza-Jánosi, Williams and Szamosközi, 2017).
Present report is based on making a case study analysis of the Situation that are arsing within
individuals and organisations because of intercultural differences. For this there is need to
evaluate the basic mistakes that are arsing because of cross cultural issues and advices that can
be developed to deal with such issues in course of organisation functioning.
Overview of the case study:
Stefan Phillips is a manager working in large US airline but recently has been transferred
to Saudi Arabia for setting up of a new office, Stefan has been earlier working in extension
overseas geographical locations that include Brussels and Paris but presently he was not mentally
prepared for working in a complete different environment that is Arab world. After he was
shifted to the new location he was not able to cope up with the prevailing situation of complete
change in the environment and culture (Aman, 2017). After working for a time period of one
week he was feeling very different and confused. He felt that people and local employees in
Saudi Arabia are having a very different attitude towards work. Such as he has been working in a
culture where he felt that no problem is insolvable but suddenly there is no passive or solution
for the job related problems by the employees ins Saudi Arabia. They are just using the word
“Inshallah” in such situations. This completely different attitude of people towards workplace
lead to high amount of frustration for Stefan Phillips as he stated feeling that these instances are
going to affect his mental state in long term.
Stefan go wrong: as per the instances that are part of the present provided case study there has
been a different intercultural communication that is a difficulty in the communication taking
place across different social groups and cultures (Bhugun 2017). Stefan has been very early in
drawing conclusions by not understand the reason behind such difficulty that he was facing at the
workplace. There are many people who are part of different backgrounds are coming together for
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professional purpose in order to achieve a commonly laid objectives. Stefan has been earlier part
of complete different culture that belonged to united states and Brussels.
he failed too analyse that people at Saudi Arabia has been part of using a specific type of culture
at workplace (Badzińska, 2017). There has been focus on using a on different or simple
approach as they were not use to finding a solution for various problems that they are facing.
This is a complete opposite situation as compared to the way of dealing that is used by
employees in United sates.
Stefan failed to understand the reasons behind such type of behaviour of individual and he just
reached to conclusions (Fitzgerald, Marzalik and Kue, 2018). There is requirement to develop
understand of the reason behind the present behaviour of employees so that there can be finding
of solutions for issues that are arsing in the course of organisation functioning. Instead stefan just
moved to conclusions that there is high amount of differences in attitude of dealing with the
regular course of problems arsing at the workplace.
Stefan & the cross cultural problem:
Cross cultural problems are generally arising because of the differences in way which people are
thinking and perceiving their functions. It arises mainly because of the complete different way of
perceiving various functionality in organisations (Baraldi and Gavioli, 2017). The difference
raised because employees in Saudi Arabia had a complete different approach towards various
problems arising at workplace.
In us the overall working culture is based on individualism where each employee is self made
and having a approach tow work towards finding solutions for the problems at workplace
(Maynigo, 2017). As per hofstede centre that is specialising in intercultural communication and
comparison has revealed that In U.S people are working towards finding and development of
solutions as per the problems that they are facing at workplace, in this there is emphasis on
development of a positive attitude so that various theories and problem solving approach can be
applied to find respective solutions for the problems and issues.
Intercultural theories:
Cross cultural communication is a very important tool that is can be adopted by organisational
and individuals for the purpose of dealing with the differences that are part of cross culture.
There are issues related with working styles, nationality age, race gender that are affecting the
cultural formation of a particular working area. Cross cultural communication is very important

for enabling the level of co-operation and trust among individuals at workplace. It is related with
providing the right reason as per right message (Yang, 2020). In the present case study also
Stefan could have used cross cultural communication as tool for the purpose of dealing
differences between the cultural backgrounds in United states working and Saudi Arab
employees (Cross Cultural Communication, 2020).
There are sources of miscommunication that could have been identified at earlier stages. Some of
the laraybaran's sources of miscommunication that is present in cross cultural exchanges are
mentioned below:
Presence of similarities: It is related with the tendency of individual behaviour that is based on
universally accepted rule of behaviour (Rozkwitalska, Sułkowski and Magala, 2017). Stephan
could have identified the similarities that are part of working culture both in US and Saudi
Arabia so that there could be
Advice to stefan:
cross cultural differences raise because of the nature of external changes that are experienced
because of the changes in transformation of cross cultural societies.
Language differences: Problems may occur when there is ability to understand the difference in
languages that are being spoken at different geographical locations. Generally the language
differences might arise because of cultures, countries and different contexts.
Tendency to evaluate: Human posses a tendency to make a sense of behaviour and
communication by analysing it from their own cultural point (Cranston, Bates and Pimlott-
Wilson, 2021). Stefan made a biog mistake by analysing only his own cultural view point and
not considering the reason behind the behaviour of employees in a specific or certain way.
High anxiety: It is also cultural perspective that may lead to creation of anxious stage of
individual. In present case study Stefan was in similar situation where he has been working and
being anxious about the situation too early. There was only a time period of one week that based
of his working in the Arabia and he draw conclusions about the indifferent attitude of localities
towards problems at workplace. So there is need to work on development of listening skills so t
hat overall employee perception can be timely analysed.
Non verbal misinterpretation: It is the way a individual is expressing themselves as per
requirement of specific situation. In Saudi Arab, Stefan can work by evaluation of the way
simple gestures may be depicting a specific type of behaviour.
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Preconceptions and stereotypes: Stereotypes can arise that is based on specific set of
characteristics that a person is assuming with respect to a a particular group or member, it may
be true or false and can be based on self made perception of a individual. In the provide case
study there has been issue on part of Stefan where he has been using wrong notions and
expectations from employees at Saudi Arabia. He is believing that they will be having a similar
approach and way of thinking as people in United states or Brussels where he has been earlier
working (Stokke and Lybæk, 2018). But the situations at two geographical locations can never
be same. So there is need to develop a detailed overview of the changes in the culture and
thinking of people in Saudi Arabia. It must not be based on preconcerted opinion of another that
might lead to discrimination or biasses as a leader in the organisation.
Advices to Stefan:
There are some of the aspect that have to be dealt by Stefan to deal with the overall intercultural
differences that are arsing in the organisation:'
Homogenity versus diversity: Homogeneous culture is one where shared meanings are similar
and there is very little variation in beliefs. Culture is associated with dominant way of thinking
and acting. Diversity is present across all nations and is a critical factor of variation that is part of
shared meanings in the society. Stefan had to work to develop a overview of the diversity that is
taking place because of the difference in culture that is because of the perceived thinking and
values of people belonging to a particular location. The difference is because of the cultural
background of people in united states is different from Saudi Arabia. Diversity is part of all
nations and it is a critical factor of variation degree that have to be dealt in order to simplify the
complex procedures arsing because of difference in thinking and working.
Tradition: Traditions are externally facing part of culture, they are related with heritage, colour,
personality aspects of a culture (Presbitero and Attar, 2018). It is related with developing of a
overview of the way culture is affecting the present traditions of a particular geographical
location. In united states the traditions are based on developing a do it yourself mentality,
suborganisations are investing in having employees to bring value at individual level as their
ability to work as part of team.
Communication: Communication is a very important tool that is related with dealing with
overall differences that are arsing at workplace because of no proper use of direct or indirect
measures of communication. In present case it is recommend for Stefan to focus on development

of intercultural communication across social groups and different cultures. It could have been
used as a tool to understand the perception behind the attitude to problems that is carried by
employees in Saudi Arabia. Stefan can use culture and identify as a communication discipline to
analyse the way of belief, values thinking of people that is part of different cultural environment.
It is used as a dynamic way of looking at different outlooks and measurement of shift taking
place in the societal changes.
Dealing with barriers: There are certain barriers to cultural communication that have to be
overlooked in order to understand the key perceptions behind communication issues. Such as
ethnocentrism can be used as a implicit way of doing certain things and then looking at the
culture differences. Stefan could have worked on dealing with psychological barriers for the
purpose of managing the cross cultural teams. Apart from this there are some of geographical
barriers that are arsing because of the changes that are taking place across different geographical
locations that is United states and Saudi Arabia in the present case study of Stefan.
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CONCLUSION
Intercultural communication is very important for the purpose of dealing with differences
between culture and social groups that are arsing in workplace and because of the presence of
high amount of differences because of geographical locations. There is need to focus on use of
tools that can assist in facilitation of the process of cross cultural interaction that is part of
cultural agility and deal with the complex set of situations in organisations because of cross
cultural differences. Intercultural communication plays a very important role in analysing and
influencing the way it can help in developing a overview of way intercultural theories can be
assist in dealing with the Changes taking place in cultural environment.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Aman, R., 2017. Decolonising intercultural education: Colonial differences, the geopolitics of
knowledge, and inter-epistemic dialogue. Routledge.
Badzińska, E., 2017. Empirical Study on Intercultural Collaboration in Project Teams:
Preliminary Research Findings. Journal of Intercultural Management, 9(3), pp.29-44.
Baraldi, C. and Gavioli, L., 2017. Intercultural mediation and “(non) professional” interpreting in
Italian healthcare institutions. Nonprofessional Interpreting and Translation, Amsterdam &
Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins, pp.83-105.
Bhugun, D., 2017. Intercultural parenting in Australia: Managing cultural differences. The
Family Journal, 25(2), pp.187-195.
Cranston, S., Bates, E. and Pimlott-Wilson, H., 2021. International work placements: developing
intercultural skills?. The Palgrave Handbook of Youth Mobility and Educational
Migration, p.333.
Fitzgerald, E.A., Marzalik, P.R. and Kue, J., 2018. Assessing intercultural development pre-and
post education abroad. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(12), pp.747-750.
Kálcza-Jánosi, K., Williams, G.C. and Szamosközi, I., 2017. Intercultural differences of
motivation in patients with diabetes. A comparative study of motivation in patients with
diabetes from Transylvania and USA. Erdelyi Pszichologiai Szemle= Transylvanian
Journal of Psychology, 18(1).
Maynigo, T.P., 2017. Intercultural couples and families. Diversity in couple and family therapy:
Ethnicities, sexualities, and socioeconomics, pp.309-336.
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.
Rozkwitalska, M., Sułkowski, Ł. and Magala, S., 2017. Intercultural Interactions in the
Multicultural Workplace. New York: Springer.
Stokke, C. and Lybæk, L., 2018. Combining intercultural dialogue and critical
multiculturalism. Ethnicities, 18(1), pp.70-85.
Yang, P., 2020. Towards intercultural literacy of language teacher education in the 21st century.
In Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual
Classrooms (pp. 22-40). IGI Global.
Online
Cross Cultural Communication, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.communicationtheory.org/cross-cultural-communication/>
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