Intercultural Communication Culture

Question: Discuss about theIntercultural Communicationfor Culture. Answer: Introduction Culture refers to values, beliefs and shared norms. It is a phenomenon that separates a community or organization from another community, (Mao Hale, 2015, p. 132). In the international business environment, culture is a vital factor in dictating the success of every enterprise. Managers of multinational organizations must, therefore, ensure efficient flow of information between the organization and the diverse cultural community, by designing appropriate intercultural communication strategies. In the modern business environment, organization share information across different social groups with diverse cultural beliefs, values, and norms. Intercultural communication is, therefore, an important phenomenon in ensuring effective communication between the organization and its stakeholders. As explained by Martin Nakayama (2015, p. 15) global enterprises recruit employees from diverse cultural orientations. Therefore, they must create intercultural communication channels to enable staff to interact effectively. Language differences between cultures also form a vital consideration as the information may get lost in translation. Multinational organizations such as IBM and Microsoft use the Internet as their main channel of interaction. Any information posted on the web will possibly become accessible to another person from a different culture. Hofstede developed six cultural orientations which include Collectivism versus Individualism, Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance index and Masculinity versus Femininity, Indulgence versus Restraint and Normative versus Pragmatic. Power distance is the existence of inequalities in the authority distribution, accepted by subordinates, (Taras et al., 2010). Individualism and collectivism, refer to the tendency of individuals to keep together as a family. Countries in Central America like Guatemala and Panama have very low individuality index, (Devinney Hohberger, 2016, p. 3). Therefore a marketing strategy that emphasizes on the Benefits to the community may be understood easily. In masculine societies, men are expected to take active roles in executing duties, while in feminine societies, women perform most of the duties, (Taras et al., 2010). Sweden has the lowest masculinity score while Japan has the highest score. Hofstede's model highlighted Greece as having the highest UAI while Singapore as having the lowest UAI, (Devinney Hohberger, 2016, p. 13). Multinational companies can use these orientations to develop proper communication procedures. They can do this by conducting a thorough PESTEL analysis. Personal Reflection. I consider the knowledge of this subject very vital to every manager and entrepreneur. In starting any business, the primary motive of every entrepreneur is always to gain profitability and expand its operations into the global market. With globalization and advancement in technology, an understanding of this topic would allow the organization to obtain customer trust and correlate efficiently with the variable cultural beliefs and values in the operating environment. The following are some of the reasons why I found this topic interesting: Supports globalization: The text typically supports globalization. It does this through equipping managers with the right skills that would enable them to ensure proper exchange and flow of information between diverse cultures. Most organizations operate foreign branches, (Daly et al., 2015, p. 27). They, therefore, use Knowledge from this topic to formulate clear communication strategies Enables organizations to respect cultural diversity: Using Hofstede's Model, the six cultural orientations describe the nature of cultures among different communities. When an organization uses this model effectively, it will be able to appreciate cultural diversity, (Taras et al., 2010). This in return makes employees from diverse cultures be able to work with the organization without having to adjust to unfavorable organizational values. Helps companies in designing their mission statement: The study of intercultural communication enables organizations to create an achievable mission statement. For example in New Zealand, people believe in equality and tend to question power difference, (Devinney Hohberger, 2016, p. 12). Knowledge of this subject would, therefore, enable the organization to formulate proper and adequate mission statements. Application of Intercultural Communication After acquiring enough knowledge and skills, I intend to form a retail company, with the main office in Australia and become the CEO. The Retail Company will have branches in New Zealand and Japan. Japan and New Zealand have different cultural orientations making it necessary to use Hofstedes model to develop a clear operational strategy. I intend to compete with companies like Woolworths which are well-developed in the global market. Since I am an Australian, understanding the New Zealand and Japanese cultures would enable me to conduct the following activities efficiently: Designing Leadership and Chain of Command: Japan has high power index. The less powerful individuals are likely to accept the unequal distribution of power, (Mao Hale, 2015, p. 120). Therefore, in the Japan store, I will come up with a well-structured chain of command. One director can control a large store as employees would not be willing to question the managers qualifications. In New Zealand, most people tend to question unequal power distribution. Therefore, I would ensure that Power is distributed equally among employees. Every employee would have distinct roles to play. This will create confidence and satisfaction among employees. Formulation of rules and values of the company: I will use Hofstedes model as a guideline in formulating standards and regulations to guide my company. Japan has high uncertainty avoidance index, (Yoshida et al., 2013, p. 78). I would develop strict rules and regulations to govern recruitment, marketing and general conduct of employees. This is because most employees in Japan tend to adhere to strict regulations. According to Chavez (2013, p. 86), most people in New Zealand accept new ideas. The marketing mix can therefore be altered to match the market conditions. The New Zealand residents are also less resistant to change, (Mao Hale, 2015, p. 141). It is, therefore, easier to test a new product in New Zealand. Recruitment and promotion: The Japanese believe in men more than women in leadership and accept the power difference. I will, therefore, have no problem in ensuring equality in management and promotion in Japan. In New Zealand, they believe in Femininity orientation and tend to question power difference, (Crossman Noma, 2013, p. 546)). I will therefore comfortably employ women to Management positions in the Stores. I will also formulate strict guidelines to ensure gender equality in employment and promotion. References Chvez, K.R., 2013. Pushing Boundaries: Queer Intercultural Communication.Journal of International and Intercultural Communication,6(2), pp.83-95. Crossman, J. Noma, H., 2013. 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