Cross-Cultural Communication for Managers

Abstract

M anagers must become proficient crosscultural communicators if they wish to succeed in today’s global environment. The purpose of this article is to synthesize multiple insights-from fields as diverse as anthropology, psychology, communication, linguistics, and organizational behavior-and apply them specifically to managerial communication. Let’s start with two definitions. Culttu-e consists of the values, attitudes, and behavior in a given group of most of the people most of the time. Though nearly all of the examples in this article are drawn from different countries, managers can apply precisely the same kind of analysis to the culture of any given region, industry, organization, or work group. Managerial communication is comrnunication in a management context to achieve a desired result (writing a memo, interviewing an applicant, running a meeting, preparing a presentation). To be effective in any given culture, however, managers should consider the following seven issues before they begin to communicate: 1. Setting communication objectives 2. Choosing a communication style 3. Assessing and enhancing credibility 4. Selecting and motivating audiences 5. Setting a message strategy 6. Overcoming language difficulties 7. Using appropriate nonverbal behaviors