Intercultural communication business practices of the country (Essay Sample)

Intercultural Communication Business in Japan Name Institution Instructor Date A shared set of outlooks and beliefs form culture. Therefore, culture is the perspective by which certain groups of people operate. Consequently, when other people from diverse cultures interact, they generally come with different expectations, perspectives and approaches which are likely to can make communication a big problem. When doing business globally or even when mixing with people of different nationals' origin and ethnicities into business, most people are likely to run into communication concerns that don't end as most might people might think. Accepting cultural differences and gaps can assist most business people to overcome them. In regards to the origin of paralanguage most individuals tend to make rulings about what is being talked, the person talking it and listening roles, and the reliability of the message. Conversely, judgments about persons based on the paralanguage can be just as untrustworthy as judgment on body type. A chain of command and the distribution of respect based on ranks vary widely throughout the globe (Holliday, 2010). In different countries, like Japan, business communication styles and practices focus heavily on a person's position and title in a business. An employee speaks respectfully and officially to a manager, and is doubtful to object against or defy a supervisor. In most countries that have less power distance, like the United States, the communication, between an employer and employee may be friendlier and, in some organization cultures, disagreement in limits is encouraged. "Hear One, Understand Ten" pronounced as (ichi ieba ju wo shiru) is a common Japanese phrase which summarizes up the Japanese approach to business communication. The main notion is that two employees working in the same organization should be in tune with each other to avoid wordy explanations. Ideally, a brief statement of "one" facilitate the other person to understand the other nine remaining. The impression is that a mutual background puts both people on the same wavelength. Additionally, there is also a great emphasizes on non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, posture and non-word sounds (hmmm, umm, ahh, etc.) (Bjerregaard, Lauring & Klitmøller, 2009). This is different from the American method, which highlights verbal precision. Such can cause most Americans to protest that they aren't open about distributing vital information and opinions." When an Americans want to say ten, he says all ten, and even can say eleven in most cases just to be sure. This surprises many Japanese as needlessly verbose, and when joined with the language barrier can make them feel speechless with words. Some cultures communicate more directly than others. Some cultures expect that when a person is asked any question, that individual should answer with a complete answer. In other cultures, a person may respond more scarcely, and response only to what they are asked exactly (Crossman, 2011). For instance, in an American workplace, a question concerning what time someone arrives from a trip might produce a response that the journey was scheduled to arrive at 1:00, however, due to delays, it probably won't arrive until 2:00, meaning that the person in expected might not arrive in the office until 3:00. In other cultures, like Japan, the answer might simply be that the person in question was scheduled to arrive at 1:00. Holliday (2010) affirms that Japanese communicates while conducting business with an utmost sense of smartness. Bowing is an essential part of Japanese society used as a form of communication when meeting, to demonstrate gratitude or to express compassion or as an apology. When doing business in Japan, Westerners are not being expected to bow. However, an outsider will most likely be met with a handshake with a slight nod of the head. Communication using business cards when contacting a business in Japan includes ritual behavior. The communication via business card is understood to represent the individual, and must, therefore, be held with respect. Japanese People throughout the globe use non-verbal cues to aid them express themselves. In cultures, individuals from diverse cultures tend to transform their use of such signs according to their cultures. Bjerregaard, Lauring & Klitmøller (2009) explain that most people from contact cultures that are, cultures which encourage contact and promote displays of availability, warmth and closeness tend to stand near to each other when interacting, seek full sensory experiences, and regularly touch. However, countries with low-contact cultures deject such behavior. France, Saudi Arabia and Italy are countries that are categorized to having contact cultures. People from such society enjoy the closeness of contact during conversations and interaction. In contrast, Japan has low or even lower-contact cultures. People from this country value privacy and consequently maintain more distance from one another when interacting. However, when different cultures interact with each other, this can course a problem. An American employee who is likely to address a Japanese chief executive officer too casually can cause a tense environment. Similarly, a person who originates from a culture that a high degree of power long distances may seem too aloof or subservient to their American co-workers. Managers must become aware of these differences and address them to create a successful outcome (Crossman, 2011). Crossman, (2011) add that silence is one of the important elements in the communication method; nevertheless silence is the absence of both verbal cues and paralinguistic. Bjerregaard, Lauring & Klitmøller, (2009) affirm that vocal hesitations and silence are very communicative, extremely influential messages that frequently speak volumes. Spoken pauses are normally short in duration, whereas silence denotes to extensive time frame without sound. Silence is difficult conduct. In some cultures, silence may show empathy and respect when another person is disclosing private information and communicating, however, in other cultures silence means the dark side of verbal communication. Persons in authority, in main cultures or in a big position of power may silence others. This case is common in most organizations or even in government institutions. Such form of non-verbal communication is generally insensible but plays an important role in human relationships. Chinmoku or Silence in particular, can be regarded as communication ability, not just a method of emptiness between vocal words. Different cultures understand silence in different ways, basing on their cultural values. In Japanese communication Chinmoku has a particular distinct feature, which originates from the primary values of Japanese culture which determine how silence functions and appears in communication in the Japanese society (Crossman, 2011). In common conversations, school settings and business meetings in Japan, silence is much more than daily activity and is applied for a longer duration compared to Western states. There are different reasons why silence is so ubiquitous in Japanese communication. The two reasons include the dominance of cluster awareness and r historical factors in Japanese life (Bjerregaard, Lauring & Klitmøller, 2009). It is evident that silence is very significant to J...