CROSS CULTURE

MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT-2
SUBMITTED TO:SATISH CHANDER AILAWADI

CH SAI VARUN
SEC-C
191146
Assignment -2

1. How does culture influence each element in the process of

communication?
Nationality identity can greatly affect the effectiveness of
communication. Different nationality means different in cultures and in
most cases languages. People from different countries tend to have
different ways of understanding the world around them. It affects the way
people think and behave in different situations. People who have different
nationalities are likely to have different ways to exchange information
and perform various activities that are unique to their countries. This may
lead to misunderstanding when people from different countries trying to
communicate with each other’s. Regional differences create even more
cultural gaps between human. Thus, its effect on communication is even
significant than that of nationality. The differences in geography,
environment and culture are often too large that people tend to suffer
from severe cultural shocks when they travel from one region to another.
And that is the main force that affects the efficient communication
between people from different nations and/or region.
Ethnicity identity is another major force that may contribute to the
effectiveness of communication. Due to the different of the ability to
understand and gain information of people, there are gaps in how
different person understands the same piece of information. And that
created the two groups of people: the haves and the have-nots. As for
that, it is important to take the issue of ethnicity into account in order to
improve the effectiveness of communication between these two groups of
people.
Language is arguably the most important element of communication.
Language is mean, in which the content of the communication is
transferred and received. Language is also considered as a
communication tool that needs to be learned and used effectively in order
to achieve successful intercultural communication. And if language is a
tool then culture may be considered as the environment that has all the
effects on language. Because of that, culture is, in many circumstances,
what defines the meaning of language.
Community is the starting point of identity. Every community has its
unique traditions, values, and norms. Communities provide a wealth of
organized and deep-rooted information, which builds from countless
interactions of various socio-political, socio-economic, and socio-cultural
attributes that occur over time 
2. ‘A global manager should use non-discriminatory language.’ Discuss.
Business professionals need to avoid discriminatory language in the
workplace that uses prejudicial and derogatory words that will offend others.
Discriminatory writing can cause hurt, pain and miscommunication. The three
primary areas of concern in writing a business message are discriminatory
wording for gender, age and disabilities. There are several reasons why
managers, leaders, and/or employees should refrain from discriminatory
terminology. One of the most important reasons is that individuals might take
offense to derogatory statements, feel belittled and unmotivated to work for a
company that condones that type of behavior. Employees may detect
preferential treatment of one ethnicity, gender, etc. over the other. Derogatory
statements are unprofessional and unethical in the workplace. Discrimination is
an ongoing problem in today's corporate work force due to globalization as it in
turn brought all the cultures around the world under one roof. Derogatory
statements tend to lower company morale because employees feel undervalued
as a result of cultural bias. Corporate discrimination results in the following
hindrances to business operations:
Decreased productivity-Employees may either voluntarily leave the
organization due to discrimination and unfair business practices.
Legal issues-Employees may establish legal counsel in order to discover what
their rights are and if they will be eligible for monetary compensation.
Loss of credibility-the organization will endure a reputation of condoning
discriminatory practices, thus resulting in a loss of business or clientele. For
example, although Denny's is well known for their affordable breakfast menu,
the stigma of the restaurant demonstrating partiality with serving one ethnic
group instead of the other one, or refusing to serve a particular group of people
is still attached to the company's overall reputation.
3. What are the different ways we communicate nonverbally using our
body?
. Body movements: Our body sends non-word messages through hands,
fingers, eyes, head, face and so on. These non-word messages have a
different meaning in different cultures, such as:

 Handshake: Americans like to greet by the firm of handshake while

Chinese do not like much touching to greet. Rather they bow to greet
people.
 Eye contact: In U.S.A people maintain eye contact while speaking to
provide importance. Whereas, in Indonesia, looking directly at people
considered to be disrespectful.
  Fingers: Use of two fingers to show victory sign is a symbol of success
in U.S.A. The same symbol has a vulgar meaning in Australia. In Japan
such sign represents money. Even the use of “thumbs up” means “things
are well” in England and U.S.A but it has a negative meaning in Nigeria.
 Head movement: Up and down movement of the head means “Yes” and
a side to side movement of the head means “No” in U.S.A. whereas, up
and down movement of the head means “No” and side to side movement
of the head means “Yes” in Bulgaria.
 Smile: A smile is viewed as a positive sign in American culture but
considered as a sign of weakness in African cultures. So, all cultures use
body movements during communication but in different ways.

4. What are the characteristics of a successful global communicator?

Global communication is the ability to provide and access information
across different ethnicity through speaking, listening, reading and writing by
understanding employees or business operations across diverse cultures and
time zones, which calls for new skill sets and capabilities. Whether you're
working for a local, national or international company, you're working
across cultures, languages, regions or countries. You must be understanding
at quickly assessing needs, reading others and ensuring interactions are
successful to meet deliverables and accomplish your goals.
1. Mindfulness: Keep an open, motivated mind. Good intercultural
communication fundamentally requires intercultural awareness, an
understanding that different cultures have different standards and norms.
It also requires an understanding that individuals are shaped, but not
bounded, by their cultural background and that, sometimes, you must
meet people more than halfway. This requires leaving your comfort zone
and putting yourself out there in a networking situation. Take risks by
asking questions and practicing language skills.
2. Body Language: Be aware of differences between cultures regarding
body language. For example, eye contact in western countries is taken as
a sign of honesty and openness, while in some Asian cultures it may be
perceived as rude. Big, toothy American grins may come across as
confusing, threatening, or as a sign of inferiority. Westerners might
perceive a neutral or serious expression as unfriendly when the intention
is to be respectful. Cultures have different standards for appropriate
personal space. Certain gestures, such as nodding to indicate agreement,
are not universal.
3. Words and Repetition: If you don’t know what to say, copy the words
you hear. Rephrase what was said in a positive way to ensure you
understand the meaning. Ask others to re-cap your words to make sure
your meaning was clear.
 4. Questions: Most people are comfortable answering a leading question,
but always leave an “out” if the speaker is uncomfortable responding.
Remember that some questions that are “small talk” fodder to some
cultures will solicit in-depth responses from others, such as the seemingly
innocuous comment “how are you?” Don’t be afraid to apologize! If you
see you have caused offense by asking a question or assuming, be plain
that you did not mean to create discomfort.
5. Listen: Engage in conscious listening vs. hearing as a physical act. Work
to remember new words and names. Ask for clarification for terms you
don’t understand to show you are engaged in the communication.
6. Play Ball: The classic image of a conversation being thrown back and
forth is important in international communication as well. Work to keep a
balance between speaking and listening.
7. Communication Style: Analyse the style of communication that works
best for your comfort level and notice the style of those around you.
Certain cultures, for example, may be comfortable with interrupting and
consider it a style of active participation, while others find it rude or
dismissive. Excessive gesturing may seem animated or too intense,
depending on the audience. Consider also the pace of your speech: Is
your rate too fast or slow to suit your audience?
8. Essential Skills: Remember some basics when speaking with others in
non-native languages. Use simple words and re-phrase what you hear to
encourage understanding. In English, avoid using phrasal verbs—a verb
combined with an adverb or preposition—that are difficult to translate,
such as “I love to work out” or “Let’s hang out over here.”

5. Your text has a paragraph on different communication barriers where a

French man person expresses his opinion about an Englishman.
Human beings have strong opinions about each other, in general. Write
a similar paragraph about a person belonging to one group (state or
country) expressing his or her preconceived notions about someone
belonging to another group.
STEREOTYPES ABOUT SOUTH INDIANS:
1. They all Intelligent and scholars
Most of us consider our South India fellows as intelligent and bright. We
generally assume that all of them are either engineer or scientist. But, like
North, East and West India, we have illiteracy and poor education system in
South India also.
2. Do not understand Hindi: We assume that none of them can understand
Hindi or any other local language. This is not true. Most of our South India
fellows can understand and speak English, their respective regional language
and Hindi. They love Punjabi songs too.
 3. Idiots call them MADRASI: No matter they are from Kerala or Karnataka,
some of our idiot friends call them Madrasi.
4. Eating Dosa/Idly/Sambhar/Vada: But they also like Chicken Tikka, Pav
Bhaji, Mirchi Bhaji, Panipuri and even Litti chokha.
5. They carry Chandan/Tilak on their forehead from morning till evening:
We have a sound population of Christians and Muslims in South India who do
not carry Chandan. In fact, many Hindus also do not apply Chandan/Tilak now
a days.
6. They are black: Dude half of them are whiter/brighter than you.
7. They all are fisherman living near seashore: For many of them visiting
seashore is a pleasant experience like most of us.
8. They all speaks Madrasi: There is nothing like Madrasi in this whole
cosmos. They are blessed with Tamil which is older than Sanskrit, they have
Malayalam, Tulu, Kannada and Telugu with many other languages and dialect.

6. Imagine you are working for a leading compressor manufacturer in

India. You must travel to the US, Japan, and Australia to make
presentations for your company’s products. Discuss how your
presentation style will be different for each country and why. You may
refer to different websites for getting more information on the culture in
these three countries.

IN JAPAN:
1. Create a “story.” As you are designing your presentation, conceive of it
as a story. In your mind think, “Once upon a time there was...” and begin
laying out all the contextual information.
2. Start with the big, BIG picture. Never start with the point of the
presentation. That's confusing. The Japanese will be thinking, "Is she trying to
trick us?" "Does he think he can just spoon-feed us the conclusion?" Instead,
start with the background (way back), the full context, your methodology, the
theory behind your reasoning, the "why" behind everything. In other words, lay
the foundation for the conclusions you will give later -- much later.
3. Be formal. The type of presentation will shape many of its features, but
chances are a little more decorum would be usual in Japan. For example, you
might consider having another person set up for you and a high-level person
introduce you. Japanese also prefer that your materials be handled with care,
rather than plopping them in a lump for attendees to "Take one and pass
them on."
4. Lose the hype - keep the data. Slick presentations designed to "wow" or
"woo" do not generally impress a Japanese audience. Japanese want to have
everything necessary to conclude for themselves. If your conclusion is correct,
the data should prove it. Convincing facts, with lots of supporting data, and
zero pressure are your best bets.
5. Emphasize visuals. Japanese appreciate graphic illustrations to clarify,
amplify, and connect the contents. Slides that they design will often be packed
with information and visuals, making it hard to "see the forest for the trees." For
Japanese, however, this helps to show the relationship between different facets
of a project and provide a more complete picture.
6. Keep in mind that Japanese will rarely raise their hands. If you ask for
questions, those without questions will generally just look down. Those with
questions, on the other hand, will look directly at you. It's up to the
presenter to notice this and ask those persons, "Would you like to ask
something?" This is very important for getting feedback and supplying the
information they need before they can support what you're presenting.

FOR AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES

 editing content for easier audience viewing and viewer comprehension of
information on slides
– use of appropriate colors that work well with brands and also are most
effective visually on screen
– use of images for striking punchy visual effect to complement the textual
content
– mastering animation techniques to fit the style & effectiveness of the
presentation (timing, animation types, etc)
– developing an eye for design and experience, we use to implement faster and
more effectively, on each presentation job.

7. Why is it a challenge to develop trust in global teams?

Global enterprises are often described as being particularly prone to conflict
due to the challenges they face, e.g. increasingly complex demands for
coordination across the organization, strong and varying expectations from
stakeholders and constant organizational change, combined with linguistic
and cultural differences and geographical distance. Many global leaders find
that global collaboration raises demands for trust and that conflicts need to
be prevented and addressed under different conditions than is the case in a
local environment.
Trust is an essential factor in all types of collaboration, and conflict
management is an inevitable part of the leader’s role. In global collaboration
situations, however, there are some specific factors present which mean that
trust must be built up and conflict managed under different conditions and on
different terms from those you are used to.
TRUST – GLOBAL CHALLENGE 1: LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES
 First and foremost, it is important for both the global leader and the members
of the team to be open about each other’s differences. Consistent use of a
common company language can also have a positive effect on trust within
the team. Team members who do not have a strong command of the
company language will often tend to worry about how others see them,
precisely because they are aware that colleagues and managers may get the
impression that they are not as competent as those who find it easier to speak
the common language (which will often be English).
TRUST – GLOBAL CHALLENGE 2: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
There will often be lots of cultural differences in a global organization, and
these can have a negative effect on trust within the team unless an effort is
made to deal with the differences represented by employees from differing
cultural backgrounds. This is because the members of the team may find it
hard to interpret the cultural markers that they each bring into the
collaborative mix – particularly if they have no experience of global
collaboration. People from different cultures will typically tackle and judge
these aspects in different ways. This means that they need time to find
common ground and make room for the diverse views and approaches.
Employees who are not aware of their own culturally based preconceived
opinions, prejudices and expectations may tend to regard colleagues from
other cultures as less professional.
TRUST – GLOBAL CHALLENGE 3: GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE
Geographical distance can make it difficult for global team members to
identify with each other and reach an understanding of what they can each
contribute to the collective. And it is often difficult for the global leader to
follow up when their staff are working in different locations. One way of
building trust and improving efficiency is for the global leader to arrange
meetings where they are there in person. Particularly at the start of the
collaboration, it is a good and important investment for the leader to make. It
is also advisable for the global leader to be clear about the expectations of
the individual employees and their role in the team. Well-defined goals
should be set for each team member, to prevent mistrust arising from a lack
of clarity as to the individual’s contribution to the collective results.
8. What are the different challenges of managing virtual teams?
Virtual teams refer to a group of people who work across space, time, and
organizational boundaries with electronic communication being the main
form of interaction. Most project teams work virtually in one form or
another. This includes working from different time zones, geographical
locations, firm-wide boundaries or with other third parties. However, the
concept of virtual teams faces various challenges mainly due to lack of face
 to face interaction. Below is an insight into the virtual team challenges and
their management.
1. Poor communication
Most virtual teams cite communication as one of their greatest challenges. They
lack informal, everyday face to face communication, which often results in loss
of information or miscommunication. The team members often go for days
without contact which can lead to a feeling of isolation.
It is inherent that poor communication is the main factor hindering innovation,
effectiveness and decision making. Faced with the virtual team communication
challenges, therefore, team managers should enhance communication to
increase everyday interactions. This can be through creating smaller
interdependent tasks and developing partnerships which can give virtual teams
goals to achieve together. Or, use a video conferencing solution - ezTalks Cloud
Meeting, to get all team members connected to each other through HD video
and audio, no matter where they are.
2. Lack of social interaction
The second challenges of virtual teams are that virtual working can be draining,
as it is hard for team members to create working friendships. Team members do
not see how their work and projects fit as a whole, so they often become
demotivated and despondent.
Virtual team leaders should, therefore, strive to increase social interactions by
engaging members in written communication, such as Instant Messaging. As
well, regular communication on the progress of every member helps increase
the overall team effort.
3. Lack of trust
Virtual working often creates mistrust among team members, which is often one
of the biggest challenges of managing virtual teams. Members rarely work at
the same time, cannot see what others are doing and do not get immediate
responses. Trust is, therefore, a big problem which can be averted by creating
awareness of the contribution and achievements of every team member.
Supportive team managers who set clear goals and expectations also help in
building trust among team members.
4. Diverse multicultural teams
Virtual teams often constitute people from different ethnic groups, with
different cultures. As a result, the team members have conflicting customs,
work habits, and values. Overcoming cultural diversity automatically becomes a
challenge as everyone follows his or her way of working and leaders face the
challenge of finding common grounds to manage team members. To minimize
conflicts, the virtual teams should agree on some work ethics and team customs
to foster cultural understanding.
 5. Loss of morale and team spirit
A significant percentage of virtual team members have trouble keeping their
spirits high. Unlike face to face teams that create cohesiveness, virtual teams
feel more like some globally dispersed individuals who are working on the same
project.
Although faced with challenges with virtual teams, virtual teams can be more
cohesive, effective and engaging through shared leadership. The leaders should
create a clear direction for the team members, making sure everyone is
connected to a common goal and vision.
6. Physical distance
Lack of face to face interaction means cold relations among members, which
pose great risks for the competence of the virtual team. While the members
experience the inability to ask questions, there are difficulties with delegation. It
is therefore advisable that team leaders pay attention to every member, to create
a sense of commitment and ownership of the project.
7. Time zone differences
This is an obvious challenge of working in virtual teams, as members reside in
different locations. However, relying on collaboration tools to minimize the
time overlap between members and reduce the number of virtual meetings is an
effective strategy for addressing this challenge.

9. Imagine, you are forming a global team with team members from
(a) Venezuela, which has a high-power distance and is masculine,
and
(b) Finland, which has a low-power distance and is feminine.
What are the differences you will find in the approaches of
team members from the two countries in the five stages of
group development?
The five stages:

 Stage 1: Forming
 Stage 2: Storming
 Stage 3: Norming
 Stage 4: Performing
 Stage 5: Adjourning
INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of
interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with
whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist
societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family
only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them
in exchange for loyalty.
MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be
driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by
the winner/best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues
throughout organisational life.

INDULGENCE
Venezuela has the highest score possible (100) in this dimension. People in
societies classified by a high score in Indulgence generally exhibit a willingness
to realise their impulses and desires with regard to enjoying life and having fun.
They possess a positive attitude and have a tendency towards optimism. In
addition, they place a higher degree of importance on leisure time, act as they
please and spend money as they wish.