Intercultural communication

Cultural diversity in perception

V-Sign

Americans: Victory

Australians: Fuck you

Perception is seeing, hearing, or feeling something and then identifying what it is within the interpretations learned from ones language and culture.

Cultural diversity in perception

Two steps

Beliefs:

Recognition / Identification Interpretation / Evaluation

Different cultures have different realities Who do we trust as sources of knowledge?

Values

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Dominant american cultural patterns

Individualism Equality Materialism Science and Techn Progress and Chan Activity and Work

Hofstedes value dimensions

Geert Hofstede surveyed over 100,000 workers in multinational organizations in 40 countries.

Individualism - collectivism

Individualism Peoples personal goals take priority over allegiance to groups. Collectivism Rigid social framework that distinguishes between in-groups and out-groups.

Uncertainty avoidance

Indicate the extent to which a culture feels threatened by uncertain and ambiguous situations. High uncertainty avoidance combat uncertainty and ambiguity by providing stability, not tolerating deviant ideas

Power distance

The extent to which a society accepts that power in relationships, institutions, and organizations is distributed unequally.

Masculinity - femininity

Male-oriented behaviors are assertiveness, ambition, achievement, the acquisition of money Femininity, on the other hand, stresses caring and nurturing behaviors.

Value orientations

Research by Clyde Kluckhohn, Florence Kluckhohn, and Frederick Strodtbeck Refer to character of human nature, relation of humankind to nature, orientation toward time, value placed on activity, and relationship of people to each other.

Human nature

Basically evil Doctrine of original sin (Puritanical) Mixture of good and evil Much of Europe Basically good Buddhist

Relationship of humankind to nature

People subject to nature India and parts of South America, fate cannot be overcome People in harmony with nature Asians and Native Americans People the master of nature The West in general: Genesis subdue the earth.

Time orientation

Past orientation Britain and Japan Present orientation The Philippines and Latin America Future orientation American

Activity orientation

Being Latin cultures: conversation as a source of great delight Being-in-becoming Spiritual life more than a material one; Hindu and Buddhist thought Doing Measurable by standards external to the actor

Relational orientation

Authoritarianism Individualism