Essay Instructions: TITLE: Factors That Impact Cross-Cultural Communication at the Workplace
SYNOPSIS: Cross Cultural organizations are an expanding reality. The prime target of this study and research is to provide suitable and acceptable answers to the following questions:
1. What is communication?
2. What does it look like?
3. What is the purpose of communication within organizations?
4. What factors can negatively impact effective communication within cross-cultural organizations.
1. Discuss some of the problems that negatively impact communications in cross-cultural settings and global organizations. During this study, extensive reference should be made to the following cross cultural theories:
? Anxiety Uncertainty Management theory developed by Dr. William B. Gudykunst.
? Hofstede?s Cultural dimensions
? Hall?s Context theory
? Schwartz value Inventory Theory
2. Analyze how the Anxiety Uncertainty Management theory relates to cross-cultural communications - with particular focus on concepts related to anxiety, uncertainty, mindfulness, and trust development.
3. Discuss, the importance and academic interest of this endeavor/study land the projected/expected benefits that global leadership practitioners can gain out of this study - particularly the deeper understanding of how different individual and cultural backgrounds within a cross-cultural setting can influence communication behavior between all stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
4. Make reference to at least one research study and one questionnaires that relates to cross-cultural communication and the factors that impact cross-cultural communications at the workplace/in global companies.
Methodology and Ethics: Research must be based on the study of work-culture (via Internet sources and academic/professional literature specified above) in the context of the cultural theories ? in particular the Anxiety Uncertainty Management theory developed by Dr. William B. Gudykunst. Other considerations for this study include:
? Hofstede?s Cultural dimensions
? Hall?s Context theory
? Schwartz value Inventory Theory
Data gathering and ethical issues to take in consideration:
1. Cross-cultural research is comparative, that is, it requires the collection of data from different cultures and the comparison of their data in context.
2. Based on a 2008 publication by David C. Thomas ?Cross-Cultural Management - Essential Concepts?, it is anticipated that three broad methodological areas of precaution must be seriously taken into consideration when running cross-cultural studies:
? Equivalence
? Sampling
? Data Collection
Literature that must be referenced in this research and study includes:
Berger, C. R., & Calabrese, R. J. (1975). Some explorations in initial interaction and beyond: Toward a developmental theory of interpersonal communication. Human Communication Theory, 1, 99-112.
Cornelius N. Grove, 2005, retrieved Feb/12/2011, Introduction to the GLOBE Research Project on Leadership Worldwide.
http://www.grovewell.com/pub-GLOBE-intro.html [Last accessed 01/01/2012]
Carol R. Ember and Melvin Ember, Cross-Cultural Research Methods, Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2001.
Govindarajan, V., & Gupta, A. (2001). Building an Effective Global Business Team. (cover story). MIT Sloan Management Review, 42(4), 63-71. Retrieved March 8, 2010 from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com.
Gudykunst, W., & Kim, Y. Y. (2002). Communicating With Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages. ISBN: 1241.
Harris, R., Moran, R., and Moran, S. (2004). Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for the Twenty-First Century, 6e. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
Hofstede, Geert H. (1980), Culture?s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J, Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62. Sage Publications. ISBN: 4012.
Hubbert, K., Gudykunst, W., & Guerrero, S. (1999). Intergroup Communication over Time. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23, 13-46.
Kraut, R. E., Fish, R. S., Root, R. W., & Chatfonte, B. L. (1990). Informal Communication in Organizations: Form, Function, and Technology. Psu.edu. Retrieved through Google Scholar.
Landes, L. (2001). Real-life, Real-time Communication: More Than a Function, It?s the Central Nervous System of Your Organization. bnet.com.
Langer, E. (1978). Rethinking the Role of Thought in Social Interaction. In J. Harvey, W. Ikes, & R. Kidd (Eds.) New Directions in Attribution Research (Vol. 2). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Langer, E. (1989). Mindfulness. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Rajagopal, & Rajagopal, A. (2006). Trust and cross-cultural dissimilarities in corporate environment. Team Performance Management, Vol. 12, Issue 7/8.
Stephen, W. G., Stephen, C. W., & Gudykunst, W. B. (1999). Anxiety in Intergroup Relations: A Comparison of Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory and Integrated Threat Theory. Int. J. Intercultural Rel. Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 613?628.
Slimbach, R. (2000). The Transcultural Journey. The Frontiers Journal.
Sources:
http://t-bird.edu/wwwfiles/sites/globe/pdf/process.pdf