Question

3) Answer the following questions about cultural communication.

a. How in different cultures can decision-making can be different?

b. What's the best way to communicate with someone when there's a language barrier?

c. What's the root of most communication challenges?

Answer 1

Decision making differs across cultures

Decision-making is a mental activity which is an integral part of planning and action taking in a variety of contexts and at a vast range of levels, including, but not limited to, budget planning, education planning, policy making, and climbing the career ladder. People all over the world engage in these activities. The underlying 'cross-cultural differences in decision-making can be a great contributing factor to efficiency in cross-cultural communications, negotiations, and conflict resolution.

There will always be variations on cultural stereotypes, but here are a few general examples of decision making style around the world.

• The USA is a culture of very flat management structures – until it comes to decision making. The culture is egalitarian in that individuals are free to challenge authority, but often surprisingly top-down in that the priority is usually speed and to get things moving along, a manager may make a snap decision. Once this has been made, it won’t be questioned. This obsession with speed can be the downfall of Americans doing business with other cultures, where decision making can take a long time and trying to rush the other side puts you in a position of weakness.
• German companies tend to have steeper hierarchies. In general, the boss in the workplace is deferred to and there is a degree of formality. Yet German managers usually include their co-workers and subordinates in the decision making process, where the input of technical experts is valued. Structure, process and productivity are all important drivers in German decision making. Because German culture is individualistic, managers are prepared to take responsibility for the choices they make.
• Scandinavian cultures are more likely to base decision making on social factors; what will benefit the group, as opposed to the individual. In Sweden, decisions are made by consensus and as such, may take a long time. Once a decision is made, it won’t change, generally because so much discussion has gone into making it in the first place. By the time a conclusion is reached, everybody is on board.
• Japan is not dissimilar in the end goal, although culturally, it differs greatly from Sweden. What the two have in common, though, is the desire to maintain harmony and the well being of the group, which matters more than individual choice.
• China, like Japan, is a collectivist culture. Confucianism teaches that individuals should maintain their place in the hierarchy to avoid chaos. Decision making is slow and deliberate; rushing things is the sign of a fool. Chinese management culture tends to be risk-averse, with a desire to get things right, hence the slow process. Decisions are influenced by the social structure and the concept of the good of the group. Age is associated with wisdom and experience and decisions are therefore usually made by the most senior members of a company, who tend to hold the power.