Intercultural communication in the global workplace Book

CHAPTER 1: Culture and Communication
The Importance of Learning about Cultures

Onstage and Backstage Elements of Culture

Transactional Cultures

Culture: The Operating Environment or Windows of the Mind
Understanding Culture

Culture is Coherent

Culture is Learned

Culture is the Shared View of a Group of People

Culture Ranks What Is Important

Culture Furnishes Attitudes

Culture Dictates How to Behave
Responses to Other Cultures

Diversity at Home

Diversity Abroad

Culture Shock
The Question of Change in Cultures
Typical Reactions to Unfamiliar Cultures
The Importance of Self-Knowledge
Communication and Culture

High-Context and Low-Context Cultures

Perception and Communication

A Schema Model for Intercultural Communication

Multilevel Messages

Pattern Recognition
CHAPTER 2: The Role of Language in Intercultural Business Communication
The Language Barrier and Its Consequences: Real and Perceived

The Relationship between Language and Culture

Language as a Reflection of the Environment

Language as a Reflection of Values

The Meaning of Words

Changes in Language

Acronyms

Implications of the Language Barrier
Selection of the Right Language

Linguistic Considerations

Business Considerations

Political Considerations

Appropriate Level of Fluency
The Company Language

Choosing a Company Language

Using Additional Foreign Language Expertise
The Role of the Interpreter

The Importance of Choosing a Good Interpreter
TheEffective Use of an Interpreter—Some Guidelines
Communication with Nonnative Speakers

Effective Face-to-Face Communication

Effective Written Communication

The Impact of Technology on Oral and Written Communication
Some Guidelines for Communicating with Businesspeople from DifferentCultures

Communication with a Multicultural Workforce
CHAPTER 3: Getting to Know Another Culture
Asking Questions

Theories about Understanding an Unfamiliar Culture

Where Can Information about Cultures Be Found?

Are Generalizations Productive or Perilous?
Category 1: Thinking and Knowing

Does Knowing Come from Concepts or Experience?

Does Learning Come from Asking Questions or Mastering Received Wisdom?

Does Knowledge Have Limits?

How Do People Reason?
Category 2: Doing and Achieving

Is Doing Important or Is Being Important?

Are Tasks Done Sequentially or Simultaneously?

Do Results or Relationships Take Priority?

Is Uncertainty Avoided or Tolerated?

Is Luck an Essential Factor or an Irrelevance?

Are Rules to Be Followed or Bent?
Category 3: The Big Picture

Do Humans Dominate Nature or Does Nature Dominate Humans?

Are Divine Powers or Humans at the Center of Events?

Major Global Belief Systems

How is Time Understood, Measured, and Kept?

Is Change Positive or Negative?

Is Death the End of Life or Part of Life?
CHAPTER 4: Individuals and Groups in Business Culture
Category 4: The Self

The Basic Unit of Society: The Individual or the Collective?

Obligation and Indebtedness: Burdens or Benefits?

Age: Is Seniority Valued or Discounted?

Gender: Are Women Equals or Subordinates?
Category 5: Social Organization

Group Membership: Temporary or Permanent?

Form: Important or Untrustworthy?

Personal Matters: Public or Private?

Social Organizational Patterns: Horizontal or Hierarchical?

Approach to Authority: Direct or Mediated?

CHAPTER 5: Organization of Messages to Other Cultures
Review of the Communication Model

Meaning and the Communication Model

Why: The Purpose and Factors of Communication

Who in Business Communication

Where: Channels of Communication

When: Time and Timing of Communication
Organizing Routine Messages

Direct Plan

Indirect Plan
Organizing Persuasive Messages and Argumentation

Argumentation and Logic

Persuasion Tactics
Organizing Unwelcome Messages

Communicating about Problems

Saying "No"
Organizing Problem-Solving Messages

Storytelling

Analogy

Syllogistic and Inductive Reasoning

Bargaining Discourse
The Role and Force of Words

The Relative Importance of Encoding Messages in Words

The Role of Words in Arabic Cultures

The Role of Words in Japanese Culture

The Role of Words in English-Speaking Cultures

The Effect of Language's Structure
Channels of Business Messages

Internal Channels for Written Messages

External Channels for Written Messages

Structured Behavioral Channels

Oral Channels
Communication Style

Formal or Informal: Hierarchical or Horizontal

Framed Messages
CHAPTER 6: Nonverbal Language in Intercultural Communication
Paralanguage

Vocal Qualifiers

Vocalization
Nonverbal Business Conventions in Face-to-Face Encounters

Eye Contact

Facial Expressions

Gestures

Timing in Spoken Exchanges

Touching

The Language of Space

Appearance

Silence
CHAPTER 7: Cultural Rules for Establishing Relationships
Respect for Authority and the Structuring of Messages

Signals of Respect

Positions of Authority

Dress as Symbol of Authority

Power Distance and Symbols of Power and Authority

Tone and Behavior of Power and Authority

Language as Symbol of Power and Authority

Family and Societal Structures as Indicators of Power
Assertiveness versus Peacekeeping

Standing Up for One's Rights

Preserving Harmony
Recognition of Performance

Monetary Recognition

Non-Monetary Awards
The Role of Social Contacts in Intercultural Business

Conventions for Extending Invitations

Mixing Social Engagements and Business

Appropriate Behavior for Hosts and Guests

Gift-Giving

Dealing with Controversy in Social Settings

Holiday Greetings
Ethical Considerations in Intercultural Engagements
CHAPTER 8: Business Information, Decisions, and Solutions
The Nature of Business Information

Culture’s Impact on What Constitutes Information

Assessment of Information

Possession of Information

Formal and Informal Information

Ambiguity versus "Hard" Data

Criteria for Business Information
Business Information Sources

Formal Information Sources

Informal Information Sources
Information and the Knowledge EconomyDecision-Making

Making Decisions Based on Ends

Making Decisions Based on Means
Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution

Defining Problems and Dealing with Them

Managing Conflicts

Communicating about Conflicts
CHAPTER 9: Intercultural Negotiation
Negotiation: A Specialized Communication Task
What Really Happened with Canwall in China?

How Knowledge of Culture Can Help
Factors in Negotiating

Expectations for Outcomes

Members of the Negotiating Team

Physical Context of the Negotiation

Communication and Style of Negotiating
Phases of Negotiation

Development of a Relationship

Information Exchange about the Topic Under Negotiation

Persuasion

Concession and Agreement
CHAPTER 10:
Legal and Governmental Considerations in Intercultural Business Communication
Communication and Legal Messages
Specific Legal Systems

Code Law

Anglo-American Common Law

Islamic Law
Dispute Settlement

Direct Confrontation and Arbitration

Communication with Agents

Trademarks and Intellectual Property
International Enterprise and the National Interests
Legal Issues in Labor and Management Communication
Labor Regulations

Employment Communication

Laws for Safety on the Job

Equal Opportunity
Legal Considerations in Marketing Communication
Investment Attitudes and the Communication of Financial Information
CHAPTER 11: The Influence of Business Structures and Corporate Culture on Intercultural Business Communication

Corporate Culture and Intercultural Communication
Stages in Internationalization
The Import-Export Stage

Reasons for Exporting

Communication in the Import-Export Environment
The Multinational Corporation

The National Subsidiary

The International Division
The Global Firm

The Structure of the Global Firm

Communication in the Global Organization
Implications of Cultural Aspects of Business Structures for Communication in the International Firm

Communication in the Organization Based on Credentials

Communication in the Organization Based on Context

Communication in the Organization Based on Family Orientation

Communication in the Organization Based on Political Principles

CHAPTER 12:
Intercultural Dynamics in the International Company
Cultural Issues in the Daimler Chrysler Merger

Preparation and Training

Attitudes Towards Management

Attitude Towards Compensation

Regulatory Issues

Reports on the Merger
Intercultural Business Communication as a Strategic Tool for Success

Process of Intercultural Business Communication

Dynamics of Culturally Diverse Groups

Self-Awareness

Mapping Differences

Bridging Differences and Identifying Synergies

Developing an Intercultural Business Communication Strategy

Assessing Results

Culture in the Context of Corporate Strategy
Summary
Appendix
Case 1: What Else Can Go Wrong?
Case 2: Hana, a Joint Venture Between Health Snacks and Toka Foods