978-0078036804 Chapter 2 Part 2

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Who am I? Cultural, Social and Foundational Values

Consider the cultural, social and foundational values listed below. Note how the two end columns might be seen as

contradicting each other. Think about where you are on each continuum and place an “X” in the appropriate box.

(Remember – these are just for the sake of comparison and discussion)

Do you prefer:

An “absolute” truth

A “gentle” truth

Change and flexibility

Tradition and rules

Collectivism

Individualism

Competition

Collaboration

Confrontation

Harmony

Emphasis on task and product

Emphasis on process & relationship

Informal tone

Formal tone

Intuitive problem solving

Analytical, linear problem solving

Negotiable roles

Defined roles

Open relationships

Stated relationships

Predictability

Spontaneity

Rigid time adherence

Flexible time adherence

Specific communication

Vague Communication

Verbal communication

Non-verbal communication

1) Go back through the chart and underline those X’s that you feel are YOU.

2) Now, circle those X’s that you think are CULTURAL.

3) Be prepared to discuss in your teams what these values might mean if you meet, or are working

with someone significantly different.

4) Which values are your “Hot Button” issues? How do you deal with them?

This chart can tell you quite a bit about yourself and how you might respond to others. If you would like to make this

exercise even MORE interesting, fold this sheet in half, and have a “significant other” evaluate you. Are there

differences? What might they tell you?

Do I prefer:

An “absolute” truth

A “gentle” truth

Change and flexibility

Tradition and rules

Collectivism

Individualism

Competition

Collaboration

Confrontation

Harmony

Emphasis on task and product

Emphasis on process & relationship

Informal tone

Formal tone

Intuitive problem solving

Analytical, linear problem solving

Negotiable roles

Defined roles

Open relationships

Stated relationships

Predictability

Spontaneity

Rigid time adherence

Flexible time adherence

Specific communication

Vague Communication

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Verbal communication

Non-verbal communication

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Written Application Exercises

1. Cultural Differences

Review the material in your text regarding one of the following cultural differences:

A. Masculine/Feminine

B. Avoidance of Uncertainty

C. Power Distribution

D. Individualist/Collectivist

E. High and Low Context (e.g., Indirect/Direct Expression)

Write an essay in which you

• explain the cultural difference you chose;

• provide advice for communicating with persons whose culture differs from yours in this

aspect;

• illustrate with one or two specific examples.

2. Examples of Indirect (Low Context) Messages

Write an essay that addresses the following:

• In your own words, explain the differences between a direct versus and indirect message.

• What are the potential disadvantages and potential advantages of indirect messages?

• Identify two indirect messages you’ve heard this week (e.g. in conversations or on TV).

• Why do you think the speaker of each used an indirect message? Were these messages

effective in communicating the intentions of the speaker?

• What were the consequences of each indirect message? Were they constructive,

manipulative, polite, or sarcastic? Explain.

• Revise the indirect messages into direct messages that more effectively express the

speaker’s meaning.

• Suggest your own guidelines for deciding when to use indirect messages and when to

choose direct messages.

3. Genderlects

Researchers have noted gender-related differences in communication styles, but please note that

gendered styles do not necessarily correspond to a person’s biological sex. Also note that one

style is not better than the other; each serves its own purpose.

Read the material about genderlects at ChangingMinds.Org. You might have to close out an ad

in order to see the material. http://changingminds.org/explanations/gender/genderlect.htm. Write

an essay in which you consider the following:

• Compare report talk (masculine style) versus rapport talk (feminine style).

• If you tend to use a masculine style of interaction, should you try to adjust your style

when you are talking with women in the home? How would you do this?

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▪ If you tend to use a feminine style of interaction, should you adapt your style to use a

more masculine style in the workplace, especially in meetings? How would you do this?

4. Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication

Describe a situation in which you experienced cultural misunderstanding. Which barriers to

intercultural communication were present? How did you manage the situation? Provide specific

recommendations about how you could improve your intercultural communication in future

interactions.

5. Theory X and Theory Y Organizations

Read about two management styles: Theory X and Theory Y at Net MBA Business

Management Center. http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/

In your own words, summarize the differences between Theory X and Theory Y. Based on your

own experience in organizations, provide an example of each style of management. If you had a

friend who practices the Theory X style of management, what advice would you give her or him?

Video Activities

1. Myths and Realities of Immigration

Objective: Demonstrate some facts about immigration to the U.S.

Procedure: Project the PBS “Myths and Realities” quiz on a screen so all students can see. The quiz

is available at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/quiz/q01.htm. Ask students to

write their answers, rather than saying them out loud. After each question, scroll to the answer on the

next slide. Ask a student to read the answer, or summarize the answer your own words. (Suggestion:

complete the quiz yourself, before you try this in class, so you can easily summarize the answers.)

Class Discussion: After completing the quiz, discuss what students learned, what surprised them,

and what they already knew. Encourage them to write additional “quiz” questions and research the

answers.

2. Social Class of Native Americans and Related Assumptions

Objective: These videos help sensitize students to the challenges faced by Native Americans and

provide an opportunity to discuss commonly held assumptions.

Procedure: Play the following clips:

“Hidden America: Children of the Plains”: Depicts a young man on Pine Ridge reservation who

has dreams of becoming U.S. President.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJapHc7B8Xs

“More Than That’”: This video was created by students on the Pine Ridge Reservation, to show

that they a re worth more than the assumptions commonly held about them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhribaNXr7A

Students may wish to view “Pine Ridge Movie 2011” on their own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gd5vp0tcCI

Class Discussion: After showing the clips, discuss commonly held assumptions about Native

Americans.

• How might social class affect the communication of Native Americans?

• How does social class affect the way we might communicate with them?

• What assumptions do the majority seem to hold about this group of U.S. citizens?

• What assumptions might Native Americans hold about the majority?

• How might faulty assumptions be bridged?

3. Cross-Cultural Communication between Members of Deaf Culture and Hearing Culture

Objective: You can use this video to help sensitize students to the challenges faced by members of

the deaf culture and to point out potential rewards of reaching out to communicate with someone

from a different co-culture.

Procedure: Play Clip 1 of “Deaf Jam,” available at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deaf-jam/.

The film depicts deaf teens signing about the challenges of deafness. Ask students to mentally

assume the role of the hearing-impaired teens as they view the clip.

Class Discussion: After the film, elicit students’ observations. Discuss how we might improve our

communication with members of the deaf culture.

4. Cultural Stereotypes in “The Cigar-Store Indian”

Objective: After watching and discussing this Seinfeld episode, students should understand a

number of concepts pertaining to cultural stereotypes.

Procedure: Show the Cigar-Store Indian Seinfeld clip, available at

http://www.tv.com/shows/seinfeld/episodes/. Open the Episode Guide; type Cigar Store. In this

Seinfeld episode, Jerry decides to buy Elaine a Cigar-Store Indian as a peace offering, and as a way

to impress Elaine’s friend Wynona. Show the portion in which Jerry arrives at Elaine’s and unveils

his gift, which ultimately insults Wynona, because she is a Native American. In an attempt to

apologize, Jerry offers to later take her out to dinner, but he is unsure of where the good Chinese

restaurant is in her neighborhood. He asks a mailman who is bent over taking mail out of a mailbox.

When he stands up, Jerry realizes that he is of Asian decent and is insulted that Jerry would assume

that he should know where the Chinese restaurant is.

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Class Discussion: After viewing this episode of Seinfeld, class discussion could focus on the

numerous stereotypes that we have for different cultures and the way those stereotypes affect how we

interact with particular groups.

• What are the various groups that are stereotyped throughout this episode of Seinfeld?

• In what ways do stereotypes affect the way that we communicate within organizations?

• What message does this send to people who promote political correctness in our society?

• Have we become too politically correct in the way we deal with individuals from other

cultures?

• What are the implications of such events occurring in an organizational context?

5. Discrimination in the Workplace

Objective: After viewing this clip from Philadelphia (1993, Columbia Tri Star Entertainment,

directed by Jonathan Demme), students should be able to identify a variety of discriminating factors

in organizational life and numerous ADA violations.

Procedure: Show the segment in which Andrew Becker (played by Tom Hanks) walks into Joe

Miller’s (played by Denzel Washington) law office. Andrew has been unlawfully terminated from his

law firm because he has AIDS. The clip ends 12 minutes later during a conversation in which the

partners of the law firm attempt to cover up their actions. These multiple scenes provide a number of

descriptive examples of ADA violations in addition to the basic stereotyping that occurs to a variety

of cultural groups.

Class Discussion: After viewing this clip, you can use the following questions to foster class

discussion.

• Which groups do you believe were stereotyped during this short clip?

• Has this law firm violated Mr. Becker’s rights? Why or why not?

• Which ADA regulation(s) has the law firm violated?

• Would you consider Mr. Becker’s illness to be a disability? Why or why not?

Additional Resources

Acuff, F. L. (1993). How to negotiate anything with anyone anywhere around the world. New

York: AMACOM [American Management Association].

Includes general information on negotiations and typical American styles. Differences

and common problems associated with global negotiations are covered. Seven of 14

chapters analyze specific world regions, and within each region the requisite

considerations for negotiating in specific countries are discussed.

Gudykunst, W. B. (2002). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural

communication. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Practical examples of communication among people of various backgrounds.

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Jamestown Area Labor Management Committee. Managing diversity.

A monthly publication with “information, ideas, and tips for people managing a diverse

workforce,” this newsletter defines the issues and helps managers and employees who

want to understand how to function more effectively in a diverse environment and help

themselves and others reach their potential.

Sabath, A. M. (2002). Business etiquette: 101 ways to conduct business with charm and savvy.

Career Press.

Offers concise solutions to common business etiquette dilemmas. Some international

readers, however, take issue with some of her overly generalized advice.

Samovar, L.S., Porter, R.E., & McDaniel, E.R. (2010) Communication between cultures.

Belmont, CA:Wadsworth.

Chapter 4 includes descriptions of various “social identities.”

Sanchez-Burks, J. et al. (2003, Aug). Conversing across cultures: East-West communication

styles in work and nonwork contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol.

85(2), 363-372.

Four experiments provide evidence that East-West differences in attention to indirect

meaning are more pronounced in work settings compared with nonwork settings.

Spack, Ruth. (2006) Guidelines: A cross-cultural reading/writing text. 3e. New York:

Cambridge.

Includes a variety of essays intended to spark discussion.

Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2009 ). 52 activities for improving cross-cultural

communication. Boston: Nicolas Brealey Publishing.

A variety of interesting activities for improving cross-cultural communication.

Thomas, R. R., Jr. Beyond race and gender: Unleashing the power of your total work force by

managing diversity. AMACOM

Written by one of the best-known proponents of managing diversity, this book addresses

current concerns about managing diversity.

Ting-Toomey, S. and Chung, L.C. (2011). Understanding intercultural communication. New

York: Oxford University Press.

Addresses intercultural challenges such as cross-cultural conflict, romantic relationships,

and raising bilingual children. Includes thought questions and ethical dilemmas.

William N. Yeomans, best-selling author of 1000 things you never learned in business school, provides

insights into the changing (i.e., reengineered) U.S. corporate cultures that everyone from CEO to newest

hire would do well to know. He offers advice for surviving and even thriving in this new world. With

quizzes, humor, and graphs, Yeomans suggests practical skills for tough and uncertain times, including

methods for dealing with stress, management fads, unexpected change, listening, talking with your boss,

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teamwork, and win-win strategies. Many of the topics of the text are found here. In addition, the author’s

website is at http://www.erols.com/wyeoman/index.htm

DVD

Challenges in Cross-Cultural Supervision. (2000) 50 Min. Insight Media.

Uses scenarios to illustrate advice for managing problems that can arise between manager and

employee of different cultural backgrounds.

Colors: Race. (2005) 30 min. Insight Media.

Explores effects of misconceptions, stereotyping, and discrimination on African Americans and

Muslims.

Communicating Between Cultures (2004) 23 min. Learning Seed Videos.

Shows a series of cross cultural situations, emphasizing that we are often unaware of our own

cultural customs; this can cause misunderstandings when we communicate across cultures.

Dialogue: Now You’re Talking. Set of 4 videos. CRM Learning.

This four-part set includes the following titles: Communicating in a Diverse World; Dialogue for

Cultural Understanding ; Dialogue Between Genders; and Dialogue Among Generations. Thse

videos teach skills of dialogue and illustrate with practical examples.

Disability Awareness. (1999) 19 min. Learning Seed Video.

This video frames disabilities as a common facet of life and shows students how to communicate

more effectively with persons with disabilities.

Deborah Tannen: He Said, She Said: Gender Language & Communication. 50 min. Educational Video

Group.

This video combines scholarly research and everyday examples to teach solutions for

communication misunderstandings due to masculine and feminine language styles.

Managing Diversity. 22 min. CRM Learning.

Uses scenarios to explore attitudes and techniques that lead to respect and tolerance in a diverse

workplace.

Responding to Diversity (and Respecting Differences) (2011) 27 min. Learning Seed Videos.

This video focuses on positive ways to discover what’s interesting, unique, and valuable about

those who are different than we are.

Web

1000 Ventures Corporate Training Site

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html

This page offers a plethora of activities, quotes, articles, and learning games focused on

cultural differences.

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American Deaf Culture

http://www.signmedia.com/info/adc.htm

This site describes American Deaf Culture and provides links to American Sign Language

tutorials and other educational materials.

Culturgrams

http://www.culturgrams.com

Designed as introductory guides for people interacting with individuals from other cultures, they

are available for more than a hundred different countries and regions. If you get a classroom set,

choose countries from each of the continents so you have a variety. Each Culturgram has specific

information on greetings, social customs, family, etc.

Dilbert Comic Archives

http://www.dilbert.com/strips/

For everyone’s favorite read on corporate culture, see an archive of Dilbert comics.

Disability Etiquette

http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/comucate.htm

The United States Dept of Labor has prepared this page to clarify appropriate etiquette for

interacting with people with (dis)abilities.

DMOZ Open Directory Project

http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Management/Education_and_Training/Cross-Cultural/

This site provides an inventory of classes in cross-cultural training.

Institute for Global Ethics

http://www.globalethics.org/employee-communication-planning.php

Open the dilemmas tab for access to dozens of fascinating real-life ethical dilemmas.

Kwintessential Language and Culture Specialists

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cross-cultural/cross-cultural-awareness.html

This site offers a multitude of free articles, cultural awareness texts, country profiles, and more.

Pew Hispanic Center

http://www.pewhispanic.org/topics/

The mission of the Pew Hispanic Center, sponsored by the Annenberg School of Communication,

is to improve understanding of the diverse Hispanic population of the United States.

U.S. Army, Fort Bliss, intercultural information pages

http://www.bliss.army.mil/services/eo/eor.htm

This site contains information, exercises, handouts, and case studies about a variety of

interpersonal and small-group communication processes. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a

variety of MS Word documents on various cultures.

U.S. Small Business Administration

http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business

This site provides resources to help women and minorities in developing their own businesses.

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Workplace Bullying Institute

http://www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/problem/being-bullied/

An online resource with the goal of understanding, correcting, and preventing abuse at

work.