COM360 Cross Cultural Communication Guide

Nathan Logan
COM/360
Communication Guide

Cross-Cultural Communication
When people communicate with others for business purposed it is important that communication is open, clear, and concise. When it involves people or groups of people from two different countries that are working together it is vital that the cultural background and ways of life are considered because it will allow each group to effectively communicate with each other. When it comes to business practices a lot of cultural beliefs is brought in to the work environment because these beliefs and ways of life are and values that are shown and expressed at all times.
When it comes to the Japanese people and People of the United States working together, there is an obvious cultural difference between the two. Japanese people are very traditional and often live by strict guidelines that begin from childhood. These traditions and ways of life are also evident in the business world just as the fast past ever changing ways of Americans are seen in their business practices. Some of the cross-cultural communication barriers that Japanese and American business people have is the Japanese approach to decision making. When the Japanese make a business decision they will take however long it takes to make sure that the decision that they come up with is well thought through. This seems like a very good business practice, but when compared to American business ways things are done at a lot faster pace. When Americans make decisions they quickly discuss and then start production and fix anything that needs to be fixed along the way, while the Japanese feel it is important to take the time to get it right the first time as much as possible. Also Japanese people do not respond well to criticism. When communicating with someone of Japanese culture they firmly believe in politeness and privacy. On the other side of this Americans are quick to criticize what they feel is not right and not always in a polite way. With the differences in values and beliefs between the Japanese and American people when there is an employee new to a company in the opposite country, it is important to understand which values should be taught to one another to make sure no one is offended or offended.
The Japanese people feel that their work is hard and well thought through and should it not hold up to the standards of the organization the discussion should be done in private and with kind words. It would be best to offer suggestions or other ways of thinking about a subject rather than just saying that it won’t work or it is not good enough. The Japanese are also very traditional and are used to doing things the same way not matter the situation. Japanese people should also be aware of this in situations where they have to work with Americans. The ethical dilemmas that may be visible when communicating with each other offending the Japanese people by challenging the ways they perform and the respect for those in position. Americans will challenge a Japanese boss for better pay and/or position and could be taken as offensive. Because of this Americans should be patient and courteous to Japanese workers. IT would be best to show patients and willingness to help and be part of the team. When considering the values of each country both should do their best to work with each other to get the job done, but it is obvious that Americans will need to try harder to be accepting the culture and traditions of the Japanese. The Japanese should also be understanding and accepting of the cultural ways and traditions of the American people as well.

References:
Intercultural Communication Competence in Business: Communication between Japanese and Americans. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr26/kobayashi-26.htm
Huang, L. (2010). Cross-cultural communication in business negotiations. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 2(2), 196-199. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/820912081?accountid=458
Tagreed, I. K. (2012). Cross-cultural differences in management. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(6) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/924460426?accountid=458

References: Intercultural Communication Competence in Business: Communication between Japanese and Americans. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr26/kobayashi-26.htm Huang, L. (2010). Cross-cultural communication in business negotiations. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 2(2), 196-199. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/820912081?accountid=458 Tagreed, I. K. (2012). Cross-cultural differences in management. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(6) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/924460426?accountid=458