Cross Cultural Business Communication

Question: Discuss about the Cross Cultural Business Communication. Answer: Introduction Thanks to the improvement of technology which has facilitated the globalization of the corporations. However, this has opened the businesses into diverse cultures forcing them to adapt to cross-cultural business communication (Reynolds Valentine, 2011). It is non-disputable that the modern workplaces are rapidly growing big as the business environment widens to comprise different cultures in different geographical regions (Peterson, 2004). Adapting to this type of communication enables the international managers to understand how employees of diverse cultures perceive their environment, how they speak and how they communicate (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Therefore, it is the responsibility of every global business to understand business communication diversities of the host country if it is anticipating for success. This report aims to analyze the cross-cultural communication exhibited by the Indians. The report evaluates the critical aspects surrounding cross-cultural business commu nication in India. India Background Information Indian is commonly known as the host of Himalayas Mountains and sacred river Ganges. The immigration and invasion of India by of foreigners greatly influenced the country's economy and culture. Through the initiation of economic reforms Indian economy has continued to strengthen and expand geographically. The continued economic growth has attracted a lot Direct Foreign Investment inflows from countries such as China, America, and Australia. Additionally, the Indian milestone in education has resulted in the provision of experienced technicians, engineers, and scientists making the country an attractive hub for foreign business. Cross-Cultural Business Communication in India Effective business communication is the key to business success. Similarly, understating the Indians traditions and culture in communication forms the foundation of business success which is aiming to enter the Indian markets and industries. For example, in the event of business meetings India has got very different culture from other countries such as China and the United States. This is supported by Moore (2011) who argue that time is irrelevant for the average Indians whereby they dont consider the hour when an event will happen provided at long last it will happen. This makes India a polychromic culture country whereby people change priorities depending on their importance. This creates problems which are not intentional event though they are frustrating and makes things difficult for the international managers. However, these challenges will be easily eliminated if the manager can understand the methods and techniques of managing the team culture effectively. Critical Business Communication Cultures in India Communication style is one of the fundamental aspect that any international manager operating in India should be aware of. According to Maclachlan (2010), Indians prefers to have a broad picture of whom they are communicating with. That is, they prefer highly context communication which has been passed indirectly. In India emotional and body language communications are commonly used when someone's directly avoiding to say no. Now, analyzing the above statement it clearly illustrates that it may cause a huge challenge for a foreigner to overcome cross-cultural communication diversity if he or she is used to lowing context and more direct communication. Another important aspect to consider in Indian Communication is the level of English among the country citizens. The findings indicate the majority of the Indian graduates and the ones residing in the urban centers are well endowed with the high level of English(Patro, 2013). This puts it clear that English is the business language in India. However, understanding of the Indian English language is very challenging. Apart from the deep Indian accent which makes it difficult for the international experts to figure out what they are saying they also use different expressions and vocabulary. According to Maclachlan (2010) the majority of the foreigners are aware of these aspects and thus expect communication with the Indians to be the simple one. However, this has not been the case as many international companies have found it difficult to interpret the Indian English. As a result, many foreigners confuse the Indian English as a result of inappropriate education and language skills. This demands the international managers to be aware of the Indian English to help at minimizing the loss of time and misunderstandings. According to Kawar (2012), effective business communication is not only rooted in spoken words but also how people interact with one another in the workplace. The Indian business culture is majorly based on trust and relationship rather than how someone is geared towards the achievement of the specific business goals. Therefore, effective communication in work will be determined by the established relationship between the manager and the employees of the lower radar. Some of the working relationships that the manager should be aware of include, the boss should create a paternalistic role while at the same time exercising a managerial role(Communicaid Group Limited, 2014). Alternatively, the relationship between the manager and the company employees should be similar to that of the close relatives. As a foreigner manager, the understanding of this unique business culture will help in reducing delays which might hamper the operations of the business. Finally, the report addresses some of the business communication etiquettes that are highly valued and thus ingrained as part of business communication in India. First, the academic achievement titles such as Doctor or Professor are highly encouraged and in the case where they are not applicable it is appropriate to use titles such as Mr. Mrs. or Miss. Secondly, Indian men rarely shake hands with women and thus a man should wait for a female business associate to initiate the greeting. Third, being aggressive in the business negotiations can be termed as disrespect. Fourth, shaking the head from side to side is a reflection that you understand or you agree with the speaker. Fifth, in the case of the group meeting it is a sign of respect to greet the oldest members first. Sixth, Feet are perceived as unclean and thus someone is not allowed to point his or her feet at a person. Seventh, when greeting a business colleague the individual should hold his hands together below his chin, bow and then say Namaste.' However, in contemporary Indian culture shaking hands is also considered appropriate(Commisceo Global, 2012). Conclusion Understanding the cross-cultural business communication in India is only the first step of entering the countys markets and industries. Therefore, international corporations must have a deep understanding of the Indian cultural diversity to be able to cope with them effectively. This can be eased by learning the Indian cultures through India culture awareness program. This will help the international organizations develop a competent intercultural personnel. In return, the company will enjoy huge competitive advantage compared to other foreign companies. References Commisceo Global. (2012, October 3). Indian Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. Retrieved from Commisceo Global Consultancy Ltd: https://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/india-guide Communicaid Group Limited. (2014, December 8). Indian Culture Key concepts and values. Retrieved from Communicaid Group Limited: https://www.communicaid.com/country/india/ Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J. (2005).Cultures and organizations. London: McGraw-Hill. Kawar, T. I. (2012). Cross-cultural Differences in Management. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(6), 105-111. Maclachlan, m. (2010, March 2010). Challenges of Doing Business in India. Retrieved from https://www.communicaid.com: https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/challenges-of-doing-business-in-india/ Moore, B. (2011, December 25). Cross Cultural Communication: Challenges of Managing Time across Cultures. Retrieved from https://indiathink.com: https://indiathink.com/ Patro, P. (2013, December 30). Cross Cultural Communication in Indian Context. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/prasant26/mc-be-sec-b-group-7 Peterson, B. (2004). Cultural intelligence: A guide to working with people from other cultures. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Reynolds, S., Valentine, D. (2011). Guide to Cross-cultural Communication. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.