Intercultural Communication as a Competitive Advantage in the Workforce Paper

Intercultural Communication as a Competitive Advantage in the Workforce Paper

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace/MGMT 4361

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what intercultural communication meant? Or how intercultural communication could benefit you in the global workplace? Intercultural communication is defined by www.uslegal.com as "the term "intercultural communication" is often used to refer to the wide range of communication issues that inevitably arise within an organization composed of individuals from a variety of religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Each of these individuals brings a unique set of experiences and values to the workplace, many of which can be traced to the culture in which they grew up and now operate. Businesses that are able to facilitate effective communication both written and verbal between the members of these various cultural groups will be far better equipped to succeed than will those organizations that allow conflicts that arise from internal cultural differences to fester and harden. The failure to address and resolve culturally based conflicts and tensions will inevitably show up in the form of diminished performance and decreased productivity." (" intercultural communication," )

Body

Intercultural communication in the global workplace offers many challenges. For instance, one cultural norm may have a significantly different conception of time than another, or a different idea of what constitutes appropriate body language and personal space when engaged in conversation. But most researchers, employees, and business owners agree that the most important element in effective intercultural communication concerns language. Language issues are becoming a important source of conflict in the diverse work force throughout the world. No corporation can be competitive if co-workers avoid, don't listen to, perceive as incompetent, or are intolerant of employees who have problems with...