Com 623 - Importance of Intercultural Communication

Importance of Intercultural Communication

Simone S. Cherry

Global Communication

COM-623-1725

May 3, 2011

Ms. Melissa Connors

Abstract

The importance of intercultural communications has become imperative to interact with foreign companies. They are many factors that cause complications in the cultural difference. Some of them are attitudes, body language, trust, and commitment. When utilizing these techniques of getting to know how to work with clients with different cultural background it becomes an asset to enhance business dealings. Every company that ventures to do business with another organization starts out with the inspiration of becoming successful.

Importance of Intercultural Communication

The importance of intercultural communication has become detrimental to the business world. In fact, you might say it is equal to know the stats and the possibility of growth. Intercultural is not just knowing or understanding the culture of who lives on another continent, but people who have different nationalities that reside in America and abroad to other countries. They are many factors that cause cultural differences like attitudes of how he or she thinks of cultural differences and how he or she responds. Also, know what to say, how to dress, how to respond, can mean the difference between business transactions agreed upon, trusted or rejected. The businessman has to decipher whether to entrust the negotiator. They are many different cultures in America alone whereas intercultural communication is expected and needed. For instance; we have the Jewish, Spanish, African Americans, Africans, Irish and Italian cultures to name a few. The Jewish culture illustrates a particular order for doing business. The first thing to remember about this culture is honesty, and people are more important to their culture. Every aspect of their lives is based on the Torah and the Talmud. (The Talmud denounces fraud every mode of taking advantage of a man's ignorance, whether he is a Jew or Gentile; every fraudulent dealing, every gain obtained by betting or gambling or by raising the price of breadstuffs through speculation, is theft (B. B. 90b; Sanh. 25b). As stated in the Talmud, if the Jewish businessmen get a hint of dishonesty, and that the business dealing will hurt their people then the deal will become void. There are four key aspects of importance to intercultural communications: challenge, trust, honesty and commitment.

Challenges of Not Knowing Foreign Culture

The big challenge in dealing with other cultures, especially when a company works together is remembering how to respect the foreign business person, not to be insulting but prepared. Age also, is a factor because some countries will not engage with a young entrepreneur under the age of forty-five. It is believed that the experience is weighed on how old a person is. For instance; in the U.S. a president will have to be at least thirty five years old before being considered for the position. Family also, establishes challenges. In some countries, commingling business affairs with family and friends often create a bond between the businessman and family or friends. However, the true fiduciary bond coexists between the businessmen and the customer, it is legal and binding. Customers or consumers depend on the trustworthiness of the entrepreneur.

Trust

It is critical to create and establish trust within the intercultural sector. When contracting business, an inquiry has to be done to create an environment that is perceived as altruistic and not egocentric. It is known that companies make a mistake when they take this position. Their big challenge is when a corporate representative acquaints him or her-self as the only one who has the answer, and is in control to make the decision. This will cause the communication to become tainted and distorted. Trust expeditiously disseminates, and is no longer viable to complete the transaction. According to (Dean, Volume 2, Issue 3 / 2007) In March 2003, a coalition of military forces led by the U. S. entered Iraq and overthrew the authoritarian regime of Saddam Hussein. In the years prior to 2003, Hussein's regime in Iraq had become well-known for crushing internal political opposition and for oppressing, sometimes brutally, political opponents and also ethnic and religious minorities. Due to international pressure, the regime became isolated diplomatic and economic sanctions contributed to many of Iraqi's people. Saddam Hussein's example is of someone who was in business with other entities and became mistrusted.

Honesty

Now, after Saddam Hussein's demise, the U. S. began to demonstrate an intercultural relationship by beginning a magnanimous relationship with Iraq. (Johnstone & Mandryk, 2001) explains that when seeking to provide assistance to Christians and others in the postwar recovery, Pioneers-USA began exploring opportunities in Iraq to form partnerships and alliances with one or more indigenous Christian ministries or nonprofit community development organizations. In late 2003, Pioneers-USA commissioned a small team of its organizational leaders to travel to Iraq to assess the prospects for a transnational partnership in Iraq and, if possible, to identify and make initial contact with one or more Iraqi charitable organizations as potential transnational partners. Within a short time after arriving in Baghdad, the Pioneers-USA team located and made contact with Iraqi pastors and leaders serving among Baghdad's Christian evangelical community. These included contacts with the leaders of two charitable organizations in Baghdad that are affiliated with each other--an Iraqi association of Christian evangelical churches and a related nonprofit development organization known as the Center for Community Development (CDC). The key contact for Pioneers-USA was the director of these two Iraqi Christian charitable organizations, an ordained Iraqi pastor named Henan (not that pseudonym has been employed for the safety of the individuals and organizations in Iraq). Within a few months, Pioneers-USA and the CDC were able to initiate an intercultural relationship of trust and move toward a transnational partnership.

Commitment

Once committed,

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