L08: Cross-culture Literacy and Communication

 

 

 

Leaders need to understand culture diversity, called cross-cultural literacy. First of all they have to understand a definition of culture. Culture is a fuzzy set of attitudes, beliefs, behavioral conventions and basic assumptions and values that are shared by a group of people and that influence each member’s behavior and their interpretations of the meaning of other people’s behavior.

 

These five variables are important to all cultures that are context, information flow, time, language, power and equality, collectivism vs. individualism, and spirituality and tradition. These are the variables anthropologists use most often when making distinctions about culture.

 

Appreciating the value of emotional intelligence:

(a) Understanding Emotional Intelligence. Emotional intelligence (quotient) is emotional and social knowledge and ability to:

- Be aware of, understand, and express yourself.

- Be aware of, understand, and related to others.

- Deal with strong emotions and control your impulses.

            - Adapt to change and to solve problems of a personal or a social nature.

            (b) Connecting Emotional Intelligence to Leadership Styles. In Primal Leadership, the leadership styles fall into six broad categories: 1) visionary, 2) coaching, 3) affinitive, 4) democratic, 5) pacesetting, 6) commanding.

 

When we interaction in new social medium, we should be open and respectful, know the social customs, learn as much about the culture, history people, and even language as reasonable, obtain pointers and feedback, be patient, flexible, and value, keep a sense of humor, and keep language simple and avoid jargon.

 

Question

1. What is the Definition of Culture?

             Culture definition is the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next. Culture also refers to refined music, art, and literature; one who is well versed in these subjects is considered “cultured” .

 

2. Why is it important to recognize and understand the differences between people and their cultures?

            When you are culturally aware that opens another world for you and helps you understand why people do what they do. It also prevents stereotyping of people and leads to greater communication between people. Understanding of other cultures also prevents discrimination/insults of a culture/person. The world is an amazing place full of art, traditions, history, music, stories, and foods when a person experiences these things it adds to their life and outlook of how the world works. They realize that the world is much greater and bigger than just the small bit that they happen to live in and work.

 

3. How to Communicate Across Cultures? 

            Communication across cultures is important because as technology advancement induces the market and workforce become internationalized, it is necessary to understand and learn the skill of intercultural communication.

 

            For the communication process, proper manner must be learned, such as patience and humble attitude. Achieving intercultural proficiency is an important step for the written messages, while being familiar with local formats and the use of short sentences and short paragraphs can improve the quality of communication. At the same time, striving for clarity, using correct grammar, and citing numbers precisely are also significant in the written communication. In addition, communicating orally with intercultural people requires eye contact, posture, and gesture so that minimize the miscommunication. Lastly, a diverse workforce benefits consumers, work teams, and business organizations. As a result, this enhances communication skills among diverse workforce audiences and creates stronger relationship, which increases productivity.