Field Research Paper on Aspects of Diversity and Intercultural Communication

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Field Research Paper

2010-11-11

INTB-311

Diversity and Intercultural

Communication

Daniel Plouffe

1686200

The International Cultural Battle

Composed by Daniel Plouffe

In our world of expanding technology and shrinking geography, people of different

cultures have increasing frequency of contact and need for effective communication on a

daily basis. Whether through travel, immigration, or international business, having the

ability to communicate across many different cultures is an advantage in and of itself.

Speaking a different language is an obvious obstacle to intercultural communication, but a

greater and more difficult hurdle is to speak”€ a different culture. To understand and

comprehend and even apply these tiniest of differences is to truly communicate across

cultures. Even though we may learn the words, the grammar, and the recognizable

pronunciation of a language, we may still not know how to navigate around the greater

obstacles to communication that are presented by cultural difference. What is culture?

Culture involves learned and shared behaviours, norms, values, and material objects. It

also encompasses what people create to express values, attitudes, and norms. Culture is

largely undiscussed by the people who share it. (Beamer and Varner (2008) Culture”€¦ (p.

5))

It is important to understand what makes up the basic elements of culture so that we may

be able to compare and contrast different aspects of cultures in order to define and identify

them as unique. This knowledge, when used correctly, will be the key to knowing how and

why a culture communicates so that we, as a foreign culture, may be able to communicate

with them. This paper will illustrate intercultural communication in an international and

overseas workplace context. The scope of this research paper will explore and display

research in working internationally, specifically expatriates, and their experience with

culture shock, the importance of culture intelligence quotient (CQ) and its affect on job

performance, and expatriates recognition of dynamic cultural differences by using

Hofstedes model.

Companies have been becoming increasingly international in the scope of their operations.

Companies both large and small have internationalized activities in an attempt to improve

competitiveness and capture greater shares in more geographic markets worldwide. In

order for these companies to go international, relations between companies must be

established and secured before any attempt is made to access these foreign markets.

Expatriates are company workers hired to go abroad and make business deals and

investments. By using expatriates it allows a company to penetrate international markets

and expand their market shares. What is often over looked in this process is how an