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Summary of the book "Introducing intercultural communication"
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Summary of chapters 1 to 13 of the book “Introducing intercultural communication”.
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Samenvatting: IntroductionIntercultural Communication
Intercultural communication - BA3 - Periode 1
,Chapter 1 Challenges of living in a global community
Culture = the particular way of life of a group of people, comprising the deposit of
knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, traditions, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial
relations, worldview, material objects and geographic territory.
Intercultural communication = communication between individuals form different
cultural or ethnic backgrounds or between people from subculture groups.
Introduction
Global village = Marshall McLuhan’s description of a world in which communication
technology brings news and information to the most remote parts of the world.
This chapter explores various contributions to cultural diversity, identifies the challenges
of living in a culturally diverse society, and highlights intercultural communication as an
integral part of life in a global community.
Contributors to cultural diversity
Globalisation = the process of increasing interconnectedness between societies such
that events in one place of the world are having ore and deeper effects on people and
societies far away.
Some scholars view increasing interconnectedness brought about by globalisation as a
threat to culture uniqueness, but other scholar argue that globalisation may accentuate
the distinctive characteristics of local culture.
Advances in communication technology and transport systems
Communication technology is a key contributor to cultural diversity.
With each technological advance, social relationship have been transformed and
expanded manyfold. In the past, social relationship were circumscribed by how far one
could walk. That is not the case anymore.
Fears about new technology often come alongside their benefits.
Information and communication technologies also transform the potential reach and
influence of economic and business transactions from a local to a global level. Our local
market is as culturally diverse as the global market.
However, one of the biggest economic and social challenges facing citizens of the global
community is how to unlock the barriers to the acceptance of cultural diversity.
International migration and global business
The most significant contributor to the culturally diverse society today is the ever-
increasing flow of people through international migration.
International migration increases diversity in the composition of populations in destination
countries, and contributes to social and economic development both in the countries of
origin and in the countries of destination.
In response to economic transformations, businesses are continually expanding into
world markets aspart of a wider process of globalisation. Multinational corporations are
increasingly moving their operations overseas to take advantage of lower labour costs.
Having a multicultural workforce allows organisations to make use of scarce resources
and thus increase their competitive advantage. As a result of such economic and cultural
shifts, people with diverse cultural backgrounds are working side by side in many
countries, creating a culturally diverse workplace.
,Cross-border movements of workers have vastly increased both the amount and the
importance of intercultural communication in workplaces.
Communication probleem can be exacerbated when people interact with those whose
communication behaviours are guided by a different set of beliefs and values.
Not just face-to-face communication, but also mediated modes of communication affect
and are affected by cultural differences between communicators.
Cultural home = an individuals sense of belonging to an ethnic, racial or geographic
community with shared traditions and practices.
Challenges from cultural diversity and multiculturalism
Central to the debate surrounding the benefits and threats of cultural diversity is the
question of whether the preservation of ethnic cultures creates a threat to the uniqueness
and dominance of the mainstream culture.
Multiculturalism = can be used to characterise a society with diverse cultures and can
refer to a society’s tolerance towards diversity and acceptance of equal societal
problems.
Understanding the cultural tension created by cultural diversity is a challenge we face in
the global community.
Cultural diversity and multiculturalism require us to reconsider our cultural identity.
Increasing mobility and technology make our ‘village’ more global and diverse. However,
this does not mean that the physical and psychological borders between countries and
people are removed.
While communication technology and modern transport systems have facilitated contact
between peoples, they may have also accentuated an awareness of differences between
peoples and psychological borders.
Necessity and benefits of intercultural communication
As citizens of the global community, we face the task of promoting intercultural
understanding, so as to reap the benefits of cultural diversity and reduce intercultural
tensions between cultural groups.
Widespread fears, anger and rage are endemic in Populist movements, and globalisation
is blamed as the cause for tension and problems.
Government, corporations and military power sources in many places seek
homogenisation, because uniformity will assist them to control the population.
The issue of respect, tolerance and social and cultural space for a diverse population is
much more than just a matter of recognising and celebrating cultural diversity.
Recognition is an essential first step, but unless it is translated into practice in everyday
lives, there will not be understanding.
Three perspectives of globalisation:
1. Globalists = viewing globalisation as an inevitable development that cannot be
resisted or significantly influenced by human intervention through traditional political
institutions, such as nation-states.
2. Traditionalists = believe that most economic and social activity is regional rather than
global, and they still see a significant role of nation-states.
3. Transformationalists = believe that globalisation represents a significant shift, but
they question the inevitability of its impacts.
, Building intercultural understanding
Understanding is the first step towards acceptance. The biggest benefit of accepting
cultural differences is that cultural diversity enriches each of us.
Throughout history. People have accumulated a rich stock of cultural traditions and
customs, but we are often not aware of the cultural rules governing our own behaviour
until we encounter behaviours different from our own.
Behaviours that are considered perfectly appropriate and acceptable in one culture may
appear harsh or offensive in another.
The key to appreciating cultural differences is to acquire intercultural knowledge and
develop intercultural skills. Intercultural knowledge opens doors to the treasure house of
human experience. It widens our visions to include an alternative perspective.
The more people from different cultures get to know each other, the more they can
appreciate the differences and perceive the deep commonalities among them.
The key to building a stock of intercultural knowledge, therefore, is to engage in
intercultural communication.
Promoting intercultural cooperation in the workplace
People of different ethnic backgrounds bring their cultural baggage to the workplace.
A workgroup consisting of members from different cultural backgrounds is more likely to
experience difficulties in communication or to experience miscommunication, conflict and
turnover if group members are not intercultural competent.
Ethnic diversity I the workplace creates challenges for management in today’s
businesses, but the constructive management of diversity issues has the potential to
bolster employee morale, create an inclusive climate in organisations and spark creative
innovation.
Communication is about unarticulated meanings and the thinking behind the words, not
just the words per se. To understand the significance of a message from someone, you
need to understand that person’s perception and the most important values in that
person’s view of the world.
You need to know what to expect when someone engages in a particular behaviour.
A culture profoundly influences how people think, communicate and behave, it also
effects the kinds of deals they make and the way they make them.
A good understanding of cultural differences is a key factor in promoting mutually
productive and successful international business exchanges.
Facilitating cross-cultural adjustment
Cross-cultural adjustment has to be understood as a manifestation of broader social
trends that are not confined to tje experience of immigrants, but rather as extending to
many other kinds of associations and networks, as well as into cultural life at large.
Intercultural encounters provide opportunities for understanding between people, as well
as the potential for misunderstanding.
Cross-cultural adjustment is not a process that is unique to immigrants; host national also
have to experience cultural adjustment when their society is joined by culturally different
others. The tension between immigrants and host nationals often genres on the extent to
which immigrants can maintain their heritage culture in the host country.
In countries receiving many immigrants, ethnically different populations can be perceived
as threats to collective identity and to the standard of living of the natives.
For migrant groups, however, multiculturalism offers the possibility of maintaining their
own culture and still integrating into the host society.
Thus, policies of multiculturalism that highlight the important of recognising cultural
diversity within a common framework, as well as equal opportunities, can lead to inter-
ethic distinction and threaten social cohesion.
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