A

REPORT

ON

MANAGING

INTERCULTURAL

COMMUNICATION

CHALLENGES AT WORKPLACES Intercultural communication refers to messages transmitted members of two or more different societies. Nowadays more and more intercultural employees work in the same workplaces. Intercultural in workplaces arises from the difference of these employees in culture, gender, age, education, and so on. Different approaches to areas such management, communication, time, meetings, conflict resolution and the sharing of information are all culturally relative. The differences can help organization enhance its creativity, generates its adaptability, occupy market share, and avoid involving in lawsuit. When cultures come together and differ in their approaches, misunderstandings can and do occur. It is these that can often lead to poor team performance or morale. In addition, intercultural may cause employees resistance to innovation in workplaces. Cultures have different ways of communicating; some are comfortable expressing opinions and discussing things openly and directly; others look for more subtle ways of expressing themselves. Some may have no issues raising delicate subjects in front of others. Many cultures would not even contemplate doing so in an open arena. Some cultures use a lot of non verbal communication such body language and eye contact to convey meaning; others rely almost completely on the spoken word. Some cultures are comfortable getting right down to business while others need a little time to make dialogue comfortable. Working blind for example not being in each others presence increases the chances of misunderstandings. Throw in the cultural complexities and managing this is twice as problematic. Team members who are quieter (whether due to cultural or personal leanings) will make less of a contribution on telephone conference calls. Language proficiency will also play a significant role in the ability of people to contribute. Imagine how challenging it is for someone to join a spirited conversation on the telephone if they are either uncomfortable interrupting or not fluent in the language being used. These are but a few of the many intercultural communication challenges. In order to solve these problems, organization should learn how to manage intercultural communication. Intercultural communication skills are important todays workplace environment. These skills can help avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and misinterpretations due to ineffective communication. You can forestall frustration, tension and decreased productivity. Improve intercultural communication skills by learning about other peoples cultures,

behaviours and communication styles unlock the potential for a creative and dynamic intercultural environment. The following paragraphs are good guidelines to manage intercultural communication to ensure communication is kept clear. Intercultural communication is important for success in the business world. The global market of the 21st century allows people from different cultures to work together with the help of technology. In order to avoid insensitive comments and misunderstandings, research and learn about specific cultures. It is necessary for managers to understand intercultural environment in workplaces. They should be able to understand how many kinds of cultures there are, what cultures is, what they should do. Being educated about cultural differences in clothing, food or languages helps improve intercultural communication. Managers should treat each employee with justice in order to reduce bad impact of diversity to employees. With different background, managers maybe have prejudices in treating matters of intercultural. Treat others with respect and address them appropriately. This is especially important for closing and opening conversation. If youre unsure of how to address someone, ask first. At the same time, avoid over generalizing and stereotyping. Each person is an individual, so try not to make assumptions about a person of another cultures based on what you have learned. Instead, aim for a better understanding and more effective communication. Cultural sensitivity is an important factor to manage intercultural communication. It is being aware of the cultural differences in value, beliefs, behaviours and learning. Be aware of your body and energy, nonverbal cues and gestures may communicate more than you think. At the same time, pay attention to and be aware of others nonverbal cues and gestures. For example, in American culture, children are encouraged to speak about their feelings and opinions. However, in our country and Middle Eastern cultures, children are not encouraged to be vocal in front of adults. In addition, managers or other employees need to understand if among them have practicing Muslims working together. They may require time during the work day to pray. Some cultures discourage eating meat that is not kosher. Workplace function must consider these differences to maintain a healthy environment. Communicating effectively involves a two-way stream of communication between speaker and listener. However, this becomes difficult when the parties speak different languages. Human develop languages to communicate ideas to one another. Still, language represents an imperfect form of communication. Sometimes, words ca not accurately conveys an idea, because the information might be highly complex. Also, a concept that exists in one

culture or language might not be a part of another.

Therefore, learn second languages from

other colleagues can help employees improve their communication and establish good relationship. In addition, it can increase productivity. Effective intercultural communication tries to bridge language gaps as best as possible so that everyone at the workplace finds themselves on the same page. Another way to manage intercultural communication is by avoiding using slang and idioms. Use specific and relevant words when speaking. Slang and idioms will not be understood by people of other cultures; try not to put others in a position that requires them to read between the lines. Think before you speak. Clarify or rephrase your dialogue when you catch yourself saying something that may be misinterpreted. Different cultures maintain markedly different approaches to time, and communicators who dont understand a cultures time orientation may experience difficulty building relationships in that culture. As for an Americans views time as a commodity, other cultures take a much more lax approach to the subject. Some Latin and Asia cultures, for example, expect parties to be as much as 30 minutes late when conducting business. Therefore, each employee tries to be punctual as other cultures practicing. In a conclusion, organization can employ diversity management as a tool to manage intercultural in workplaces. By this tool, organizations can make use of the advantages of diversity, and reduces its negative influences on productivity and employees. Intercultural communication can be difficult, but rewarding in the end. Communicating effectively with people from different cultures helps to open the mind to other ways of life.

REFERENCES Althea Thonpson. 2011. Important Factors in Intercultural Communication. Retrieved 09 April 2012 from website http://www.ehow.com/info_8298776_importan-factorsintercultural-communication.html David Stewart. What are the Barriers to Intercultural Communication. Retrieved 10 April 2012 from website http://www.ehow.com/info_8072130_barriers-intercultural-

communication.html John Marcheur. Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication. Retrieved 09 April 2012 from website http://www.ehow.com/list_7680343_barriers-effective-intercultural-

communication.html Neil Payne. 2005. Managing Intercultural Communication in the Virtual Team. Retrieved 10 April 2012 from website http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Payne Rachel Levy Sarfin. 2011. Why Is Intercultural Communication Important in the Workplaces. Retrieved workplace.html Sue Balk. Ways To Improve Intercultural Communication. Retrieved 09 April 2012 from websitehttp://www.ehow.com/list_7466416_ways-improve-interculturalcommunication.html Communicating Across Cultures: Managing diversity. Retrieved 10 April 2012 from website http://ccomm.bravehost.com/Reports4.html 10 April 2012 from website

http://www.ehow.com/info_8419030_intercultural-communication-important-