Communicating in a New Business Culture

View the following video on cultural differences, to initiate thinking about communicating in a new culture.

View the following video on foreign customs, narrated by a professor at the University of Tasmania, University College. The video provides a fuller definition of the concept of culture and its applications to doing business internationally.

One of the concepts in the video deals with direct and indirect communication, understanding whether you should state a concept blatantly or lead into it more circuitously, based on cultural practices and values. In a formal study of communication, this concept is called high vs. low context. Higher-context cultures expect indirect communication, while lower-context cultures expect more direct communication:

Intercultural Communication: High- and Low-Context Cultures provides a brief overview of high and low context cultures
Context of Cultures: High and Low provides an overview, a Cultural Context Inventory to self-assess your communication style, and some interesting brief examples of cultural insights developed from participating in a new culture. The Cultural Context Inventory is also available as a downloadable PDF.
The Seven Dimensions of Culture: Understanding and Managing Cultural Differences provides characteristics to consider when researching cultural differences in communication

initial learning activity

Choose a culture unfamiliar to you, one that you’d like to learn more about. It may be the culture of someone you work with, or it may be a culture that you know your company will be doing business with. Research that culture, accessing at least 4-5 different resources, and generate a list of business “do’s and don’ts” based on your research. You may want to structure your research in any of the following ways, using:

the 7 dimensions of culture: universalism vs. particularism, individualism vs. communitarianism, specific vs. diffuse, neutral vs. emotional, achievement vs. ascription, sequential time vs. synchronous time, internal direction vs. outer direction
Dr. Rajendra Curry’s dimensions of values, customs, religion, etiquette, infrastructure, and social institutions
Hofstede’s dimensions of hierarchy vs. egalitarianism, individualism vs. collectivism, indulgence vs. restraint, gender inequality, long-term vs. short-term orientation, and uncertainty avoidance
or any other structure that makes sense to you, given the research you uncover

Submit:

list of do’s and don’ts
bibliography

in-depth learning activity

Complete the initial learning activity above.

Then work with the following scenario.

Your company, which sells specialty cookware (pots, pans, kitchen utensils), has gone international. You work in digital marketing. You are charged with working with your counterpart in ___ (the culture you researched) on a digital marketing project with the goal of highlighting the global reach of the product as a method of promoting sales. You have not met your counterpart, but know that you both are expected to deliver a marketing plan to management in two months.

Create the following, applying what you learned through your research into the culture new to you:

an overall communication strategy for working together – what are the top 5 things you need to keep in mind during this project? – and rationale for this overall strategy
a rationale for the medium of the introductory piece and the actual introductory piece
an agenda for your first meeting and rationale for your method of approach
concepts that you would include in a marketing plan, and a rationale for inclusion

Submit:

list of do’s and don’ts
bibliography
the four items listed above

Related college Learning Goals

Social Responsibility: Engage in ethical reasoning, and reflect on issues such as democratic citizenship, diversity, social justice and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally.

Communication: Express and receive ideas effectively, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.

For more information, see the College Learning Goals Policy.