Tiểu luận ngôn ngữ và văn hóa

HUE UNIVERSITY

INFORMATICS AND OPEN INSTITUTE

ASSIGNMENT ON

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

TOPIC:
“CROSS - CULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE” .

Lecturer:

NGUYỄN VĂN TUẤN

Student:

ĐẶNG THỊ CÚC

Class:

NGHỆ AN 6


I. Introduction
Our world is more interconnected than ever before, a fact that has given rise
to many changes in the ways that businesses and organizations operate. Workplaces
are more diverse, remote teams are scattered across the country or around the
world, and businesses that once sold products to a single demographic might now
sell to a global market. All of these factors have converged to make cross-cultural
communication a vital part of organizational success. It’s critical to gain an

understanding of how cultural elements influence communication between
individuals and groups in the workplace. Developing strong cross-cultural
communication skills is the first step in creating a successful work environment
that brings out the best in all of an organization’s team members.
Cross cultural communication is essential for promoting understanding and
respect for diverse cultures in the workplace. When colleagues from diverse
backgrounds work together, there is an opportunity to learn from each other and
leverage unique perspectives, leading to better teamwork, creativity, and
productivity. On the other hand, miscommunication due to cultural differences can
lead to conflicts and misunderstandings that can negatively impact collaboration.
Therefore, developing strategies that promote effective communication among
colleagues from different cultures is crucial. This includes active listening,
avoiding assumptions and stereotyping, learning about different cultures, and using
simple language everyone can understand. By prioritizing cross cultural
communication in the workplace, organizations can create a more inclusive
environment where everyone feels valued and respected
II. Content
1. Important factors
Intercultural communication mainly relates to issues pertaining to speech
and culture of those belonging to an environment or land different from their


own. It is obvious that a person who grows up in China is going to have a
different culture than someone born and brought up in the United States. Even
people from the United Kingdom find it difficult to adapt to the United States and
vice versa, though these are seemingly similar countries and even speak the same
language.
In the work environment, these cultures affect the behavior and values of
the employees. How they respond to superiors, to colleagues and to subordinates,
are all determined by the culture they have been bred in. Their attitude towards

and their comprehension about their surroundings is also different. Their pattern
of communication is varied and their concept of formality and informality is
different.
For instance, several organizations address their bosses on a first name basis in the
West. However, in other countries such as India, it is considered informal, so every
superior is addressed as either ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’. It is when a person has to work
in

a country other than his own and is exposed to these changes, that he

experiences a

‘culture shock’. Culture shock is defined as the anxiety and

disorientation experienced when a person is made to operate in an unknown
culture. In such cases, programs that advocate intercultural communication and
encourage healthy

communication among employees belonging to various

cultures, are required to help each other adjust easily. This is extremely important
because the environment impacts the efficiency of employees, local or immigrant.
The only way you can get

the best out of them is to give them a positive

environment that they can embrace and move on.
IMPORTANCE OF MULTI-Cultural Communication in the Workplace
A major factor that has pushed intercultural communication into a position of
great importance for companies is the rise of remote work. Companies can now

hire from anywhere in the world and attract talent regardless of geographical
location. The use of email finding tools makes it even easier to connect with people


in different countries. Our globalized economy also means that there have never
been more opportunities for people to work in different countries and cultures.
These factors naturally lead to people from diverse backgrounds working alongside
each other, and this brings the importance of intercultural communication into
focus.
Good

intercultural

communication

is

crucial

for

both

preventing

potential conflicts in the workplace and for resolving them. It is the ideal tool for
breaking down cultural barriers and for developing an awareness of different
cultural norms.
There are major benefits for organizations that have a diverse workforce.
When a company is home to people of differing backgrounds, it allows space for a

multitude of perspectives to be brought to the table. This openness to a diverse
range of viewpoints has been shown to make companies more innovative.
Effective cross-cultural communication fosters a sense of inclusion in the
workplace, which in turn helps to boost employee retention rates and to reduce
absenteeism. People who feel included and valued are much less likely to look for a
different job and they even take less time off sick. Good intercultural
communication is also vital at every level of the company structure, right up to Csuite. It has been shown that organizations that have gender-diverse top-level
management teams perform much better than organizations that are less diverse.
For a company to succeed on a global scale and for team leaders and managers to
bring out the best in the workforce, the importance of intercultural communication
needs to be understood and acted upon.
2. How to aid intercultural communication in the workplace
2.1 Keep an open mind and be flexible
A problem that many of us are prone to is thinking that the way we do things
is the right way, and that doing things in any other way is wrong. This can happen
on both an individual and organizational level. What we don’t often realize is that


these ways of doing things are often cultural in origin or even specific to our
personal background – there are actually multiple ways of doing things.
Instead of assuming that the way things are being done is the only way, stay open
to other ideas and perspectives. This broader approach can yield new insights, and
help us to understand that there are actually multiple ways of doing things, and
even that the previous ways didn’t take cultural differences into account.
Being open-minded goes hand-in-hand with being flexible. Don’t be rigidly set in
your ways, and if you find that taking into account other perspectives will change
the way your organization does things and makes decisions, go with it.
2.2 Promote an understanding of diversity
In any given workplace it’s almost certain that one culture will be the most
prevalent. This is most often due to the location of the office or the place of origin

of the company. Miscommunications and differences can arise when this more
dominant culture doesn’t have an understanding of the diversity of cultures within
an organization.
Everyone in a company should be encouraged to learn about different
cultures and understand how values and beliefs can differ between them. It can
involve reading about other cultures to understand different social norms, ways of
living and history.
This understanding can then be taken forward to your interactions with co-workers
and clients. Something as simple as knowing how to correctly greet people from
different cultural backgrounds can contribute greatly to better intercultural
communication. If you know when to bow and when to shake someone’s hand,
you’ll be displaying a real appreciation of other cultural norms.
Individuals and companies can also make great strides by being aware of and
honoring culturally significant dates. We are often very good at knowing what the
important dates in our own cultural calendars are, and we should extend this to
other cultures in the workplace too.


2.3 Encourage one-to-one interactions
Reading and self-educating about different cultures is important for you and
your team and is the best starting point, but even better than this is direct one-toone interaction. When co-workers communicate directly with each other it’s much
easier to explain the subtleties of each other’s culture. Being curious and asking
questions will make these conversations meaningful and interesting.
This kind of open communication and personal interaction is also an
invaluable way of making employees feel comfortable with each other. If someone
is new to an organization and has joined from a different cultural background, they
may feel apprehensive and unsure of how and when to communicate with others.
By encouraging individuals to engage with each other, it will help new starts to feel
more at home.
As with many behaviors within an organization, an example is set at the top and

then followed by others. Team leads, managers and C-suite staff should set
examples by making a concerted effort to have these kinds of exchanges with
others as often as is possible.
2.4 Facilitate induction courses
At the organizational level, initiatives like induction courses for new
employees are ideal opportunities to communicate the policies and culture of a
company at the outset. If your company culture has more formal interactions
between managers and staff, this can be communicated at this time.
For employees who are joining a new workplace and culture, this will be of great
benefit to them. Rather than having to feel their way through and potentially make
mistakes, they can be informed from the outset. It also provides a forum for new
starts to share some information about their own cultural background.
III. Conclusion
Good intercultural communications skills are a vital asset for every modern
company. The globalized economy, rise of remote work, and increasingly mobile


workforce has led to more diverse teams than ever. This diversity is incredibly
positive and leads to more innovative companies, more dedicated staff, and
maximizes profitability. It’s hard to overstate the importance of good
communication in enabling a business to succeed.