How Does Culture Influence Business Communication?

When you’re working or studying abroad, sometimes it is difficult to communicate with your fellow mates. Understanding how to start a conversation with people all over the world is an important skill a person needs to have in today’s world.

Culture can be defined as ethics, behavior, race, age, ability, language, nationality, socioeconomic status, etc. This is unique to each human being in the world. Culture plays an important role in business communication as it represents the organization. Business communication means the act of giving or receiving information within the business organization. This exchange of information can occur between employees, managers, customers, etc. who work within or outside the organization. For example, when a customer enters a barbershop, the barber will likely greet him and ask him what haircut he prefers. So, this is a form of business communication between the barber and his customer.

Why is understanding culture important in business communication?

Culture is the lifeblood of a vibrant society. In many ways, we tell our stories, share memories, celebrate our good times, entertain ourselves, and imagine the future. Our unique character helps to define who we truly are. “By understanding the culture of his employees” the Manager of the organization can avoid all the offensive subjects, preconceptions about religion, or gender topics that differ from one person to another. Because all are different and have something unique to offer, this will help the employee to find mutual ground in the environment.

How does culture affect business communication?

Formal and Informal:

Business communication can be formal and informal which can be influenced by the culture. Informal business communication means face-to-face meetings, interaction, and telephone meetings. Formal business communication means pre-arranged business meetings. Most of the time informal business communication is preferred as it makes a good connection with the customer or employee.

Challenges:

Colleagues from different cultures can be less likely to let their voices be heard.
Integration across multicultural teams can be difficult to prejudge or people can have a negative point of view for different cultures in their minds which creates a communication barrier in the organization.

Employment laws, the cost of accommodating workplace requirements can be difficult.

Different understandings of professional etiquette can lead to cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings in business organizations.

Conflicting working styles across the teams because of lack of understanding and teamwork.

So, these are all the challenges faced in the organization which affects business communication.

Benefits of understanding culture in business communication:

Our culture influences the way we see the world. A variety of ideas along with a wide range of personal and professional experience of an international team can offer new ideas that inspire employees to view the workplace and the world differently.

You know a multicultural workforce can give an organization an important edge when expanding into new markets.  Understanding the local laws, regulations, and customs, as well as the competitive landscape, can help the organization thrive. Local connections, different language skills, and cultural understanding can boost international business development rapidly.

Cultural understanding along with local market knowledge of a manager can lead to an effective marketing strategy that will boost the profit and defeat its competitors. High quality and culturally sensitive translation of websites, and brochures are essential in organizations.

Market-specific knowledge and insight are invaluable when you don’t understand other cultures. What works on a billboard for a British company could fail or offend elsewhere. The danger of making a serious marketing blunder, which can cause irreparable damage to a brand or business abroad.

Companies tend to benefit from hiring professionals with a broad range of skills that are often not accessible when hiring locally. A person who has the potential of having a wide range of skills can offer a service that can help your business to have a competitive advantage of adaptability. Adaptability means faster and more effective planning, development, and execution. A company with cultural diversity can be quicker to spot a gap in the market.

Negative Consequences:

Communication Barrier: sometimes problems arise when the employee doesn’t know what to communicate with his fellow mates. Americans need small talk to build a good relationship, British people might use humor, whereas Chinese people may want to check with the boss before responding and when you don’t understand the culture communication barrier takes place.

Education, Age, and Gender: Keep in mind not to hurt someone’s feelings in these 3 different ways. Asking a woman her age or weight can be inappropriate in some places. Asking an illiterate or an old person his education and making fun of it is inappropriate. And making fun of judging someone for his/her gender is inappropriate.

Cultural stereotypes: When people assume wrongly about their native culture, it is unfair to believe that all people with particular characteristics are the same. Like Indian people can’t speak good English, Indians all speak Hindu, Chinese people are martial artists, Egypt is all covered in sand and there are no buildings. So, these are all the stereotypes’ people have created. 

Culture plays an important role in business communication. It is not always an easy road to creating a culturally diverse workplace. While different companies will experience their difficulties along the way, the manager should make sure that the employees are comfortable in the workplace they are assigned. He should see to it that there is no misunderstanding, the employee is mistreated because of his language difference or culture, this will help the organization to grow and achieve its goals.

Written by: Nylisha Lizie Cruz