Analysis of Cross-Cultural Communication in International Business

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of cross-cultural communication within the context of international business. It begins by defining culture and the importance of communication, emphasizing the role of intercultural competency in navigating global business environments. The report explores the advantages of cross-cultural communication, such as enhanced idea sharing, improved business relations, and increased creativity, while also addressing barriers like power distance, language differences, and stereotypes. It offers strategies to overcome these barriers, including the development of intercultural competency and awareness, and discusses the differences between low-context and high-context cultures, using Australia as an example. Furthermore, the report examines the impact of individual differences versus cultural adaptation, the inseparable link between culture and professional careers, and contrasts the communication styles of Kenya and Australia. It also discusses the dangers of stereotyping, provides examples, and highlights how cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and adverse business effects, including the concept of culture shock. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding and adapting to cultural nuances for successful international business operations.

Running head: CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION 1
Cross- Cultural communication in International Business
Name
Institution

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Introduction
Universally, culture is a blending of values, traditions, norms, and beliefs. Culture can be
described as the way an individual behaves when he or she is in amidst of other people. For one
to express his or her feelings or want to say what he or she wants to do, communication must be
employed. Hence connection becomes a vital part of the culture in every society. First and
foremost, before understanding communication in religion, it is essential first to comprehend the
word communication in general. Communication is the exchange of thoughts, opinions,
information, feelings as well as facts from one person to another.
The manner in which a business is conducted in every organization varies from one
culture to another. Good relations are achieved in business when sales, the personnel in technical
sectors as well as the managerial, receive training on how to avoid problems. Also, on how to
solve communication barriers and conflicts in all cultures. Generally, business objectives and
goals of a particular organization are easily achieved when solutions to old problems are found
by people from different cultures by individuals seeing issues in the viewpoint of other people.
Cross-Cultural communication in a business set up engages in understanding various
organizational communication policies and customs. Major factors like power distance, language
difference, non-verbal differences and low context, as well as high settings, influences cross-
cultural communication. Currently, different specialists of communication offering training to
employees hired on the global level, with this training they can face the difficulties of employed
worldwide. This communication exercise is crucial for those working and spending their lives in
overseas to have different approaches to handle problems under all circumstances (Samovar,
McDaniel, Porter & Roy,2015).
Advantages of Cross-Cultural Communication in Business
Cross-Cultural communication is currently very significant to businesses because of the
development of universal organizations, Internet, and technology. Considering intercultural
communication is substantial for a company that has various personnel or strategies on steering
business internationally. Such kind of discussion includes being considerate of how different

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persons from different cultures believe in and how they communicate (Vaara, Sarala, Stahl &
Björkman,2012).
An organization that enhances cross-cultural communication have some advantages in the
sharing of ideas as well as shared goals. This keeps all the members on toes and focuses on the
laid down objectives and goals. Individuals can make good business relations internationally
instead of depending on local ideas. Knowledge of the organization is ensured to all members,
and hence all of them focus on a similar goal. Also, the access to the full range of information
leads to an organization producing work of very high quality (Usunier & Roulin,2010).
Cross-cultural communication enables the members of the formal institution to benefit
with experience. This is because it involves various countries who could be having better ideas
and methods of handling different issues. Different countries have different skills that others who
are unaware of the capabilities can borrow from them (Kinloch & Metge,2014).
Maximization of efforts as well as avoiding duplication is achieved since the members
are from different countries with a difference in backgrounds and are working together will
minimize the risk of biases.
Cross-cultural communication promotes creativity in firms. Creativity is achieved by the
many ideas from the heterogeneous group compared to a homogeneous group. Different group
work by considering issues from a broader range of viewpoints (kumar, 2015).
Continuous improvement is ensured in the cross-cultural communication. In the
heterogeneous groups, debate and challenge of the ideas given by different groups lead to new
opportunities for development.
Another advantage is that clients also benefit from cross-cultural communication since
teamwork is created which helps in improving the flexibility of the organization. Appropriate
products are presented relevantly to the public hence the relevance of the products offered to the
clients (Trompenaars & Hampden,2011).
Measures to Overcome Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication

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A communicator should have the ability to participate in some set activities accordingly
thus competency. This competency would enable an organization to achieve its set objectives
considering the people affected by its day to day operations. Intercultural competency will help
the organization to have the ability to overcome the challenges facing cross-cultural
communication
Another measure is involving cramming a person's ability to appreciate and consider
other people’s culture. In the process of intercultural awareness leads to both cultural
consciousness as well as self-awareness
Adroitness development ensures the required skills and competence to engage in
successful transactions which leads to the overall results such as self-expression and etiquette
hence an achieved progress.
Individuals need to put efforts to appreciate other people backgrounds, how they feel and
their worldview. The qualities required for each person to have for them to understand everyone
is like knowledge, skills and dealing with anxiety. Having these values will enable all to
overcome the barriers to cross-cultural communication.
Low- Context and High-Context
Low contexts have an implication that the information in a message is defined ad tends
not to hide any information. People in this small context adhere to the rules set and the standards
keenly. These people in this kind of setting have a relationship which is short-term
In the high context, the unspoken message indirectly transferred in communication times. A
word may have a different meaning and is interpreted differently and the alteration of the word is
also different hence the word implies different meanings in the society. The words in high
contexts are linked to the body language which also may end up being different in another place
(Ochieng & Price,2010).
Australia has a low context culture viewed in their verbal communication. In
communication, Australians are more of right in personal feelings expression as well as opinions

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION 5
as they have a conversation. They believe that it is better and sincere to speak directly with no
any intention to hide anything.
Stereotyping is an extension of ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is a belief that one’s culture is better than others hence superior. Such
people tend to judge the beliefs and customs of other people regarding the standards of their
culture. Such people discriminate others. Therefore, there is no mutual understanding of others.
Stereotypes are an extension of ethnocentrism in that; people hold perceptions about individuals
regarding opinions made before.
Stereotypes unlike ethnocentrism do not occur immediately but are a product of
discrimination over an extended period. This information of ethnocentrism against an individual
or a group of people is stored, and it is used to judge or make sense of the happenings around us.
Stereotypes can either be positive or negative, and the information is used to describe those
people. For example, Africans are known to be in the class of apes just because they have a lot of
melanin hence black (Samovar, McDaniel, Porter & Roy,2015).
'Focus should be placed on using individual differences other than cultural adaptation’
Individual differences may be termed as the variety of different people on how they react
to similar situations. Thorough training and the development of those individual with their
differences will be relevant other than working on teaching the members of different cultures to
behave the same. Importance of personal differences among the workers in an organization may
include behavior, altered perception, different responses to directives, and different interaction
with the seniors as well as different embrace to change (Moran, Abramson & Moran,2014) An
organization focusing on individual differences other than cultural adaptation may have
advantages. People are empowered differently. Differently, a task difficult for others is just to
another. Individual differences enhance specialization where employees are given chances to do
what they are best empowered. It also encourages the division of labor hence saving time and
cost of production. Individual differences promote creativity and innovation. Cultural adaptation
will pose difficulties to the employees. Adapting a specific culture is time-consuming, and it is

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION 6
not a guarantee that the worker will thoroughly learn the new culture and it’s also stressing.
(Cordano, Welcomer, Scherer, Pradenas & Parada,2010).
Define culture and show how culture and professional career are inseparable
Culture is defined as the salient features and the know-how of a specific group of
individuals based on their habits, religion, arts, language, and music they engage themselves.
Culture can also be viewed regarding values in that those values are formed based on the manner
people should behave. (Giroux,2012). Culture is also explained by the use of products material
like clothing, and it gives people a framework of understanding and living in the world. Culture
also can be termed as the belief. Culture mediates relationships among men and between men
and their ecological systems based on how they should behave. Culture is inseparable with the
careers since culture is the fundamental determining factor of how individuals view and
comprehend reality consciously or not (Cummings, Hutchinson, Scott, Norton &
Estabrooks,2010)
Culture mediates relationships in amidst of both men and women as well as the
environment. In every career, cohesion and harmony among the staff and their seniors are
paramount for the achievement of objectives and goals. Culture helps individuals to appreciate
other people views, beliefs as well as their religion. Culture also provides a platform where
human beings can communicate. In every career setting, communication is widely used to pass
information from one person to another and how the data is given is tied to the culture. The
language used to move the information should be formal hence no career is inseparable to
cultural habits (Ferraro, & Briody, (2013).
Compare and contrast the communication styles of your home country and Australia
In the nation of Kenya, most people do not opt for direct communication. Information is
delivered sensitively to avoid harsh remarks to protect relationships. The style of communication
depends on the level of hierarchy between the receiver and the giver of information.
In Australia, people tend to be direct to the point, and failure to that is regarded as
hypocrisy. One should mean what he says and say what he means. People in this country are

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against bragging and are against people regarding themselves being better than others. Humor is
used in business.
There are significant differences between the communication styles between Kenya, and
Australia .in Kenya, humor is unheard in business situations unlike in Australia direct
communication in Kenya is not welcomed for there are relationships to preserve. In Australia, no
one is better than the other, but in Kenya, a person in a particular docket must be recognized.
Self-promotion in Kenya is practiced widely.
“No individual member of a group represents all of his or her group’s characteristics”
With this term that no individual of a particular group represents all the group's
characteristics means that for one to give a conclusion concerning people or things, he or she
should look into keenly on the various dimension other than a single one. This is because
different people have different individual differences and categorizing everyone out of data got
from a single person will be a mere assumption with no proof. For one to be able to get facts
about a particular group, a wide range of people from the group should be considered before
generalizing them. With this, one will have the ability to avoid stereotyping.
Give examples of how Australians stereotype people from your country, and how
people from your country stereotype Australians. Do you think these stereotypes are
accurate?
There is a belief in Australia that Kenyan women especially in Nyeri town butter their
husbands. This is because several cases have emerged of the same. The idea is a stereotype since
the Australians generalize it to all Nyeri women. The stereotype is not accurate since not all
women butter their husbands hence it is an assumption. Kenyans believe that Australians like
spending most of their times at the beach. This belief is almost accurate but not entirely accurate.
There are others who are extremely busy to attend to the beach.
Give an example of how cultural difference might lead to misunderstanding. How
could this have an adverse effect on business?

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Culture shock
Culture shock is a barrier in communication among people in international environment.
Culture shock can be described as situation an individual might happen to go through when the
person is shifted to another new environment. The new environment have new life, traditions,
beliefs as well as the way of life in general. An individual might experience disorientation due to
the subjection of a new culture. Cultural difference existing in the life of the individual suddenly
taken to a new environment might cause misunderstandings between the those living there and
the new person. Since the person is irritable and is not free to mingle with others, any correction
to him will not be taken positive. The person experiencing culture shock might think he or she is
being discriminated upon. In a business, the person will act according to his or her own culture
and might end up irritating his or her colleagues. For instance, in an environment where only low
context is used and the individual is from a high context communication, we find that the person
might end up causing misunderstanding as well as conflict. The person suddenly moved to a new
way of life is supposedly to face discomfort both physically and emotionally since the new
culture is completely different to what he or she has known all hi or her life. A series of
happenings to that person compile in bits rather than sudden. An individual is subjected to
symptoms like identity loss, inability to make profound decisions and solve problems,
vulnerability, unwillingness to mingle with other people, being irritable as well as lacking
personal confidence. Culture shock to a person happens because that individual has to adapt the
new culture which tend to be very difficult (Cordano, Welcomer, Scherer, Pradenas &
Parada,2010)
For an organization which have employed such people will have a negative effect to the
normal routine of the business. The set objectives of the company will not be met by these
employees for their dedication to their assigned duties is low. A person who is not ready to
interact with others will only do what he thinks and the business lacks the common drive.
Teamwork will not be effectively employed in the business and the business will cease being a
goal-oriented business.

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Conclusion
In our current world, intercultural communications are necessary for business context.
The success of a business is determined by the ability of the manager to foster effective
communication with all the people and also understanding the different cultures of those people
working together (Kraidy, 2017). Success in the global view is determined by the ability of
international managers showing respect to the customs and values of the world nations. Cross-
cultural awareness, as well as cultural sensitivity development by managers, will lead to the
success and growth of global business. Managers should ensure that there are a mutual
understanding and respect of other people’s different backgrounds to provide an effective cross-
cultural communication and growth and success of the business. Finally, a business ought to
employ means and measures to overcome the cross-cultural communication in order to achieve a
comprehensive culture in the organization that is mutually beneficial to the individuals, the
clients and the organization at large (Kittler, Rygl & Mackinnon,2011).
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