Consider the role of national culture on communication.
Ethics and Communication
“People aren’t happy when the unexpected happens, but they are
even unhappier if they find out you tried to hide it,” says Bruce
Patton, a partner at Boston-based Vantage Partners LLC (Michelman,
2004). To speak or not to speak? One of the most challenging areas
of effective business communication occurs in moments of crisis
management. But in an age of instant information, the burden on
business to speak out quickly and clearly in times of crisis has
never been greater.
The alternative to a clear message is seen as a communication
blocker, in addition to being guilty of the misdeed, disaster, or
infraction at hand. The Exxon Valdez disaster is a classic example
of ineffective crisis management and communication. When millions
of barrels of oil spilled into Prince William Sound, the company’s
poor response only added to the damage. Exxon Mobil Corporation
executives refused to acknowledge the extent of the problem and
declined to comment on the accident for almost a week. Exxon also
sent a succession of lower level spokespeople to deal with the
media (Holusha, 1989).
Instead, a more effective method of crisis communication is to
have the company’s highest ranking official become the spokesperson
who communicates the situation. This is the approach that James
Burke, the chairman of Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., took
when tampering was discovered with Tylenol bottles. He became the
face of the crisis, communicating with the public and explaining
what J & J would do. His forthrightness built trust and allayed
customer fears.
Ethical, forthright communication applies inside the company as
well as externally with the public. “When the truth is missing,
people feel demoralized, less confident, and ultimately are less
loyal,” write leadership experts Beverly Kaye and Sharon
Jordan-Evans. “Research overwhelmingly supports the notion that
engaged employees are ‘in the know.’ They want to be trusted with
the truth about the business, including its challenges and
downturns” (Kaye & Jordan-Evans, 2008).
Cross-Cultural Communication
Culture is a shared set of beliefs and experiences common to
people in a specific setting. The setting that creates a culture
can be geographic, religious, or professional. As you might guess,
the same individual can be a member of many cultures, all of which
may play a part in the interpretation of certain words.
The different and often “multicultural” identity of individuals
in the same organization can lead to some unexpected and
potentially large miscommunications. For example, during the Cold
War, Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev told the American delegation at
the United Nations, “We will bury you!” His words were interpreted
as a threat of nuclear annihilation. However, a more accurate
reading of Khruschev’s words would have been, “We will overtake
you!” meaning economic superiority. The words, as well as the fear
and suspicion that the West had of the Soviet Union at the time,
led to the more alarmist and sinister interpretation (Garner,
2007).
Miscommunications can arise between individuals of the same
culture as well. Many words in the English language mean different
things to different people. Words can be misunderstood if the
sender and receiver do not share common experiences. A sender’s
words cannot communicate the desired meaning if the receiver has
not had some experience with the objects or concepts the words
describe (Effective communication, 2004).
It is particularly important to keep this fact in mind when you
are communicating with individuals who may not speak English as a
first language. For example, when speaking with nonnative
English-speaking colleagues, avoid “isn’t it?” questions. This
sentence construction does not exist in many other languages and
can be confusing for nonnative English speakers. For example, to
the question, “You are coming, aren’t you?” they may answer, “Yes”
(I am coming) or “No” (I am coming), depending on how they
interpret the question (Lifland, 2006).
Cultures also vary in terms of the desired amount of situational
context related to interpreting situations. People in very high
context cultures put a high value on establishing relationships
prior to working with others and tend to take longer to negotiate
deals. Examples of high context cultures include China, Korea, and
Japan. Conversely, people in low context cultures “get down to
business” and tend to negotiate quickly. Examples of low context
cultures include Germany, Scandinavia, and the United States (Hall,
1976; Munter, 1993).
Finally, don’t forget the role of nonverbal communication. As we
learned in the nonverbal communication section, in the United
States, looking someone in the eye when talking is considered a
sign of trustworthiness. In China, by contrast, a lack of eye
contact conveys respect. A recruiting agency that places English
teachers warns prospective teachers that something that works well
in one culture can offend in another: “In Western countries, one
expects to maintain eye contact when we talk with people. This is a
norm we consider basic and essential. This is not the case among
the Chinese. On the contrary, because of the more authoritarian
nature of the Chinese society, steady eye contact is viewed as
inappropriate, especially when subordinates talk with their
superiors” (Chinese culture-differences and taboos, 2009).
Figure \(\PageIndex{15}\): Gestures Around the Globe
Adapted from information in Axtell, R. E. (1998). Gestures: The do’s and taboos of body language around
the world. New York: John Wiley.
It’s easy to see how meaning could become confused, depending on
how and when these signals are used. When in doubt, experts
recommend that you ask someone around you to help you interpret the
meaning of different gestures, that you be sensitive, and that you
remain observant when dealing with a culture different from your
own.
Key Takeaways
Ethical, forthright communication applies inside a company as
well as externally with the public. Trying to cover up or ignore
problems has been the downfall of many organizational members.
There are differences in word meanings and nonverbal communication.
For example, in North America, the nonverbal V means victory or
peace, but in Australia means something closer to “take this,”
which could still fit if your team wins a championship but probably
isn’t exactly what was meant.
Exercises
How can you assess if you are engaging in ethical
communications?
What experiences have you had with cross-cultural
communications? Please share at least one experience when this has
gone well and one when it has not gone well.
What advice would you give to someone who will be managing a
new division of a company in another culture in terms of
communication?
Kaye, B., & Jordan-Evans, S. (2008, September 11). Tell them
the truth. Fast Company. Retrieved
January 27, 2009, from
www.fastcompany.com/resources...mthetruth.html.
Lifland, S. (2006). Multicultural communication tips. American Management Association. Retrieved July 2,
2008, from www.amanet.org/movingahead/ed...D=24&display=1.
Michelman, P. (2004, December 13). Sharing news that might be bad. Harvard Business School Working
Knowledge Web site. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4538.html.
Munter, M. (1993). Cross-cultural communication for managers.
Business Horizons, 36, 69–78.