Effects of Culture in Business Communication
How does culture effect business communication in the workplace?
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Cultural awareness in communication is crucial in today’s workplace. Businesses must adjust and accommodate new attitudes, rules, and values that are merging in this intercultural society and workplace. Businesses need to be aware of stereotypes, prejudices, and generalizations and proactively educate employees in cultural awareness. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, stereotyping is defined as: a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. Sometimes stereotypes may contain truth, however if the stereotypes become rigid and are based on false beliefs, they can easily turn into a prejudice.
Generalizations occur when our brains take in new information and put it into categories in order to understand the new data. Generalization is simply a way that humans sort data and make sense of their world. They only become unhealthy and negatively affect businesses when they turn into prejudices. It is advantageous for businesses to learn about cultures and teach employees in order to maintain a healthy work environment.
There are a few concepts that will help businesses achieve intercultural sensitivity. First, employees must be taught and encouraged to avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of ones own race. Most people think that their culture is right and they judge others by their own values. However, ethnocentrism leads to many misunderstandings and must not be a nurtured attitude in a business. One way to protect against ethnocentrism is to encourage a climate of tolerance and understanding. In this growing multiethnic business world, employees must be taught to have empathy and to guard against close-mindedness. Businesses must teach employees to seek common ground in order to achieve desired goals and
Home » Information Technology » Intro to Business Communication » How does culture effect business communication in the workplace?
Cultural awareness in communication is crucial in today’s workplace. Businesses must adjust and accommodate new attitudes, rules, and values that are merging in this intercultural society and workplace. Businesses need to be aware of stereotypes, prejudices, and generalizations and proactively educate employees in cultural awareness. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, stereotyping is defined as: a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. Sometimes stereotypes may contain truth, however if the stereotypes become rigid and are based on false beliefs, they can easily turn into a prejudice.
Generalizations occur when our brains take in new information and put it into categories in order to understand the new data. Generalization is simply a way that humans sort data and make sense of their world. They only become unhealthy and negatively affect businesses when they turn into prejudices. It is advantageous for businesses to learn about cultures and teach employees in order to maintain a healthy work environment.
There are a few concepts that will help businesses achieve intercultural sensitivity. First, employees must be taught and encouraged to avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of ones own race. Most people think that their culture is right and they judge others by their own values. However, ethnocentrism leads to many misunderstandings and must not be a nurtured attitude in a business. One way to protect against ethnocentrism is to encourage a climate of tolerance and understanding. In this growing multiethnic business world, employees must be taught to have empathy and to guard against close-mindedness. Businesses must teach employees to seek common ground in order to achieve desired goals and