BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IV

MBA 2011 BATCH

Second CAF Assignment.

 CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION

II. Critical Thinking Probe

Identify one of your important interpersonal

relationships. Consider how that relationship
might be different if you and your partner
adopted values and norms that were opposite
from the ones you already hold. For example, if
your communication is low context, how would
things be different if you shifted to a high-context
style? If you are tolerant of uncertainty, what
might happen if you avoided any surprises? Based
on your answers, consider the advantages and
disadvantages of the cultural values and norms
you hold. Think about the pros and cons of
cultures that have differing values and norms.
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more
people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be
based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some
other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in
the context of social, cultural and other influences. The context can vary
from family or kinship relations, friendship, marriage, relations with
associates, work, clubs, neighborhoods, and places of worship. They may be
regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and are the basis of social
groups and society as a whole.

An interpersonal relationship is a mutual felling of needs. When two people

are in need and each fills the others needs, there is powerful interpersonal
relationship. The intensity of interpersonal relationship depends upon the
kind of needs one rely on the other person. Interpersonal relations are about
interpersonal communication skills, assertiveness, interpersonal skills, social
skills, interpersonal communication.

In my case, the most important interpersonal relationship is what I share

with my family.
It is because the care, love, affection my family gives me, and through up
and down in life, it is my family who has been a support system for me.
With my parents, I can share any thing; hence they always stood with me as
a friend.
After family It’s my friends with whom I share a close interpersonal
relationship, because they are my in group, with whom I share common
interest, and who understands me better.

How relationship might be different if adopted values and norms were

opposite from the ones already adopted

It is widely observed that the nature of at least some interpersonal

relationships varies with cultures and subcultures, because each culture in
which people participate encourages and sometimes discourages certain
social behaviors. For example, in some cultures, for instance, among
modern, white, upper middle class males, articulating the need to have close
relationships is suppressed; these men are encouraged to be emotionally
independent of others. In this culture, in comparison with females, men are
inhibited from expressing the need to have close relationships.

Hence interpersonal relationship will be affected if values and change from

what I already hold, because this will change me as a person.
I am what my values are, but they only change then I am a completely
different person, hence my relationship with my family will be different, and
my lifestyle would be different.
In the case of High context and low context cultures:

The expressions "high context" and "low context" are labels denoting
inherent cultural differences between societies. High-context and low-
context communication refers to how much speakers rely on things other
than words to convey meaning.
The expressions "high context" and "low context" are labels denoting
inherent cultural differences between societies. High-context and low-
context communication refers to how much speakers rely on things other
than words to convey meaning. in communication, individuals face many
more sensory cues than they are able to fully process. In each culture,
members have been supplied with specific "filters" that allow them to focus
only on what society has deemed important. In general, cultures that favor
low-context communication will pay more attention to the literal meanings
of words than to the context surrounding them.
It is important to remember that every individual uses both high-context and
low context communication; it is not simply a matter of choosing one over
the other. Often, the types of relationships we have with others and our
circumstances will dictate the extent to which we rely more on literal or
implied meanings. When individuals from high-context and low-context
cultures collaborate, there are often difficulties that occur during the
exchange of information. These problems can be separated into differences
concerning "direction", "quantity" and "quality." For example, employees
from high-context cultures like China and France share very specific and
extensive information with their "in-group members" (good friends,
families, close coworkers, etc). In comparison, low-context cultures like the
United States and Germany prefer to limit communication to smaller, more
select groups of people, sharing only that information which is necessary.

High-Context Communication

"Most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the

person."
• Knowledge is situational, relational
• Less is verbally explicit or written or formally expressed
• More internalized understandings of what is communicated (ex: "in-
jokes")
• Often used in long term, well-established relationships
• Decisions and activities focus around personal face-to-face
communication, often around a central, authoritative figure
 • Strong awareness of who is accepted/belongs vs. "outsiders"

Association

• Relationships depend on trust, build up slowly, and are stable.

• How things get done depends on relationships with people and
attention to group process.
• One's identity is rooted in groups (family, culture, work).

Interaction

• High use of nonverbal elements; voice tone, facial expression,

gestures, and eye movement carry significant parts of conversation.
• Verbal message is indirect; one talks around the point and embellishes
it.
• Communication is seen as an art form-a way of engaging someone.
• Disagreement is personalized. One is sensitive to conflict expressed in
another's nonverbal communication. Conflict either must be solved
before work can progress or must be avoided.

Learning

• Multiple sources of information are used. Thinking is deductive,

proceeds from general to specific.
• Learning occurs by first observing others as they model or
demonstrate and then practicing.
• Groups are preferred for learning and problem solving.
• Accuracy is valued. How well something is learned is important.
High context cultures are more common in the eastern nations than in
western, and in countries with low racial diversity. Cultures where the group
is valued over the individual promote group reliance. High context cultures
have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time, such
as tribal and native societies. For instance, the French assume that the
listener knows everything. Therefore, they may think that Americans think
they are stupid because Americans will habitually explain everything to their
counterparts.
Former president Jimmy Carter understood the importance of high-context
communication with his colleagues from Israel and Egypt during the peace
talks at Camp David. When Prime Minister Begin was about to leave the
unsatisfactory negotiations, Carter presented him with pictures of the three
heads of state, with the names of each of Begin's grandchildren written on
the photographs. The prime minister repeated the names of his grandchildren
out loud as he looked at the pictures, reflecting on the importance of the
peace negotiations to his grandchildren's futures. Carter recognized that a
high-context reference to future generations would induce the prime minister
to return to the negotiations.

Low Context Communication

"The mass of information is vested in the explicit code.”

• Rule oriented
• More knowledge is public, external, and accessible.
• Shorter duration of communications
• Knowledge is transferable
• Task-centered. Decisions and activities focus around what needs to be
done and the division of responsibilities.

Association

• Relationships begin and end quickly. Many people can be inside one's
circle; circle's boundary is not clear.
• Things get done by following procedures and paying attention to the
goal.
• One's identity is rooted in oneself and one's accomplishments.
• Social structure is decentralized; responsibility goes further down (is
not concentrated at the top).

Interaction

• Message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means.

• Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly.
• Communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas,
and opinions.
• Disagreement is depersonalized. One withdraws from conflict with
another and gets on with the task. Focus is on rational solutions, not
personal ones.
Learning

• One source of information is used to develop knowledge.

• Thinking is inductive, proceeds from specific to general. Focus is on
detail.
• Learning occurs by following explicit directions and explanations of
others.
• An individual orientation is preferred for learning and problem
solving.
• Speed is valued. How efficiently something is learned is important.
An individual from a high context culture has to adapt, and/or be
accommodated when shifting to a low context culture. High context cultures
expect small close-knit groups, where professional and personal life is
interrelated. Therefore, a high context individual is more likely to ask
questions than attempt to work out a solution independently

Advantages of values and norms adopted-

• My values help me n connecting me with my family.

• It helps me in creating my individual identity.
• It helps me in keeping me grounded, i.e. helps me n identifying
myself with social norms.

Disadvantages of values and norms adopted-

• It does not allow me to develop any interpersonal relationship with

people who have different values.
• It becomes difficult for me to adjust in different situation, and in
dealing with other people.
Advantages of culture having different values and norms-

• They help in adjusting in different situation quickly.

• They help in adopting out of box thinking.

Disadvantages of culture having different values and norms-

• Emotional attachment with in group is weakened.

• Self identity is lost, because from childhood you are a different
person.