The Global Diversity Desk Reference: Managing an International Workforce

Chapter 3. Communicating Effectively Across Cultures

Sending and receiving information accurately and maintaining cooperative, productive relationships is a challenge for organizations and the human beings who work in them, even in the most homogeneous, mono-cultural settings. Struggles abound, whether bridging departments, genders, or generations. These challenges become exponentially greater when global business adds language and differences in national culture and civilization to the mix. Variations in communication styles, orientations to life, concepts about reality, social norms, economic systems, and rules of etiquette, as well as vocabulary, syntax, grammar, and nonverbal behavior frequently create barriers to understanding and sow the ...