International Cultural Communication in Business

International Cultural Communication in Business

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Abstract

In the international business environment, people from diverse cultures interact in compliance with specific principles of communication. Firms and individuals tend to adopt the most suitable approaches to organization of interactions in the best possible manner in the international business environment. Proper cross-cultural communication plays the critical role when it comes to ensuring that there is minimum level of communication challenges. The unique factors that are present in specific international markets impact on how communication takes place in the business environment. At the global level, the communication strategies used by different businesses must fulfill the specific needs of the local people.

International Cultural Communication in Business

International cultural communication is a field that focuses on the study of various communication techniques across diverse cultures and social groups. It is also called the cross-cultural communication but still, it concentrates on multiple communication processes and cultures within a specific social context involving people from diverse backgrounds (Tian & Borges, 2011). Significant changes have taken place in the international business environment, and that includes advancement in the economic relationships and political functions as well as technological advancement that has played a critical role in breaking the boundaries among various countries. At the global level, a significant number of firms consider proper communication a substantial part of smooth flow of operation, but sometimes there is a considerable amount of challenges which makes managing proper communication a difficult task (Asante, Miike & Yin, 2013). However, most firms are increasingly experiencing challenges with their communication because of various factors that finally affect the organizational behaviors, and that is the central point of discussion in this paper.

In many instances organizations operating at the transnational level have argued that language is one of the significant powers that impact their perception as an organization. The business organization can experience some troubles when they make specific mistakes within their channel of communication (Lauring, 2011). In any case, organizations’ leaders should ensure that they provide opportunities for training to their employees so that people working in different areas can have the appropriate understanding on the local language that facilitates business operations within those specific areas (Tian & Borges, 2011). For example, “compromise” has one meaning when used in an English-speaking country, but it has a different meaning when used within a Spanish environment (Sadri & Flammia, 2011). The understanding of such terms plays a critical role when it comes to proper understanding of different cultural issues. Again, in the cross-cultural environment, individuals learn various ways of minimizing the number of conflict situations that emerge as a result of communication mistakes. The employees within the international environment should also design their behaviors in a manner that does not show any types of disrespect to the local population so that they can have proper business relations with the local community.

Another critical factor that people need to consider when engaging in business is the fact that cultural environment at the global level requires individuals to have a more comprehensive knowledge of the languages used within specific regions so that they can have the firm stand when negotiating various business contracts (Lauring, 2011). The benefit of having proper language skills is to limit any misunderstanding that can arise when people interact so that business activities can run at their usual pace. Moreover, all the aspects of social organization have specific impacts on the business operation in numerous ways, for instance, how an enterprise is affected by class or gender affiliation of the staff is significant (Asante, Miike & Yin, 2013). The social factors influence how organizational management selects their employees. In many cultural settings, the individuals involved in the hiring process often immerse in nepotism as a way of meeting specific personal goals (Asante, Miike & Yin, 2013). In most cases, however, it is the qualification of people that influences their capacity to get jobs. Other social factors, such as the level of motivation among employees, impact organizational behavior at the international level. Within the global market, a business must adopt specific ways of motivating their employees using proper communication strategy (Okoro & Washington, 2012). Appropriate communication is the requirement within the international environment because it helps in fulfilling the unique needs of organizations. One of the best ways of acquiring benefit from the communication within the cultural context of a different market is to ensure that the business is in position of using communication methods that uphold the values of local communities.

The nonverbal communication strategies also impact the cross-cultural requirements of business at the international level. An organization operating at the international level should ensure that they understand the cultural peculiarities that affect the style in which the organization designs their methods of communication (Lauring, 2011). In fact, businesses should ensure that they have the proper understanding of various nonverbal communication signs that are unique to specific regions in the management of multiple operations.

On an international level, cross-cultural practices enable the business environment to make proper adjustments so that they can have smooth communication plans to enhance the success of their business activities (Liu, Volcic & Gallois, 2014). Also, proper communication within a cross-cultural setting should also be used as an opportunity to build up an organization’s image so that a firm will be able to perform well in the various cultural backgrounds. The specific environment and the technologies that business organizations use affect the culture of their communication in multiple ways. In fact, in some cases, the environmental and technological factors can create a significant level of communication barriers. For instance, the population density in many places will affect the way in which various resources are distributed in a specific market at the international level (Lauring, 2011). It is also critical to understand that within multiple regions in the international market people tend to have diverse views on the type of technologies that they use in different instances (Asante, Miike & Yin, 2013). In some markets in the world, the use of specific technologies as the means of communication might hinder the operations of business activities in multiple ways.

In conclusion, proper intercultural communication assists in eliminating various communication challenges that undermine the operation of various business functions. Business managers should ensure that they adopt adequate communication strategies that enable successful operation. The business environment at the international level is getting more competitive, and that implies that communication should be more comprehensive to help in ensuring that business activities correctly take place. Companies involved in global business should ensure that they adopt communication approaches that promote appropriate consumer behavior and improve the engagement of business partners.