Intercultural communication

After comparing the management of cultural issues in companies to the management of a multicultural city thanks to the academic article “Managing Multicultural Teams” published in the Harvard Business Review in November 2006, I decided to analyze another academic paper, but, this time, on intercultural communication. A lot of material is available on that topic, as it a challenge face more and more nowadays with the globalization phenomenon. First papers about communication between different cultures have started to appear in the 60s and they have been growing and multiplying since them.

When two persons from different cultural background communicate, frustration and misunderstanding often happen, even with good intentions from both sides. What is the cause of that? The answer is that, cultural differences may cause obstacles to communication (by the word “communication”, I mean: exchange ideas and information, manage to make the kind of impression we want to make and live and work together...).

In this blog article, we will focus on the paper called “Stumbling blocks in intercultural communication” written by Laray M. Barna, published in 1994. This article is referencing several authors that were mastering the subject, such as Paul Ekman, pioneer in the study of non-verbal communication.

In his paper, Barna identified six obstacles to intercultural communication. As he’s pointing out: “Learning the language, which most visitors to foreign countries consider their only barrier to understanding, is actually only the beginning.”

Through this blog article we’ll analyze the six “stumbling blocks” (as Barna call them) and try to relate intercultural communication with the management of a multicultural city.

Stumbling block 1: Assumption of similarities

The first obstacle identified in this paper that will lead to frustration and misunderstanding is that “many people naively assume there are sufficient similarities among peoples of the world to make communication easy.” They presume that because their basic needs as Human Beings are the same (according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological and safety needs) their way of communicating should be identical. “Unfortunately they overlook the fact that the forms of adaptation to these common biological and social needs and the values, beliefs, and attitudes surrounding them are vastly different from culture to culture. The biological commonalities are not much help when it comes to communication [...]”.

Misunderstandings mostly come from nonverbal communication (nodding, smiling, etc.). Indeed, even if facial expressions were considered as universal, someone’s culture impacts on what, when and to what degree emotions are displayed.

Assuming that our interlocutor communicates similarly than us, is always easier than trying to deal with differences. Unfortunately, dealing with differences is necessary to avoid frustration and misunderstandings. “Since there seem to be no universals or “human nature” that can be used as a basis for automatic understanding, we must treat each encounter as an individual case, searching for whatever perceptions and communication means are held in common and proceed from there.”

On the other hand, when no similarities are expected, it often results in exclusionary attitudes. What is important, to face that obstacle, is to deal with cultural differences by making efforts toward mutual understanding. It can only happen if differences and similarities are both acknowledged. Without the assumption of differences, signs and symbols are likely to be misread and the scene could be judged ethnocentrically.

The key to face this obstacle is not gather information about customs in other countries, as we could easily think so; it is to study the history, political structure, art, literature, and language of other countries. Context is really important to understand current situations, customs, etc. It provides “a framework for on-site observations”. What’s important is to understand the assumptions and values of other culture by observing and interacting.

At the scale of a city, we could easily think that people who traveled a lot, studied abroad and immigrants dealing daily with locals for their jobs, would be more willing to understand different cultures. But, researches and tests showed that, surprisingly, they’re not! The reason could come from the fact that they regularly face the challenges and stress of dealing with cultures different from theirs. Their counterparts who remain in ethnic enclaves without attempting to adjust to their new homeland would then seem to suffer less than them. Would this means that not adjust to a culture is the key to face this challenge? Of course not! But it definitely means that dealing with differences is tiring and not easy psychologically. Thus, efforts from the other side are always welcome!

Stumbling block 2: Language differences

The second obstacle is obvious. It is the basis of communication: language. Whether it is because of the vocabulary, the syntax, the idioms, slang and dialects used, language differences, of course, make communication difficult. Considering this, even persons speaking the same language can experience communication troubles.

Besides words and grammar; context, connotation, tone and inflection are really important to consider when communicating.

As we saw in previous articles, language differences are quite a big obstacle to communication and access to information, that is why translations are important in key places of a city such as transports, tourist spots, restaurants, etc. so foreign visitors don’t feel lost.

Stumbling block 3: Nonverbal misinterpretations

“People from different cultures inhabit different sensory realities. They see, hear, feel, and smell only that which has some meaning or importance for them. They abstract whatever fits into their personal world of recognition and then interpret it through the frame of reference of their own culture.”

Among nonverbal communication, body movements (gestures, postures…) are usually easily identifiable and learn their meanings is possible. On the other hand, “it is more difficult to note correctly the unspoken codes of the other culture that are less obvious such as the handling of time and spatial relationships and subtle signs of respect or formality.”

Stumbling block 4: Preconceptions and stereotypes

No need to explain what stereotypes are. I think at this point, every reader of this blog must know what they are. What Barna highlight in his paper is that they exist to “reduce the threat of the unknown by making the world predictable.” They increase the feeling of security and are psychologically necessary for most people.

The question is: why stereotypes are considered as an obstacle to intercultural communication? According to the author, “they interfere with objective viewing of stimuli” and are not easy to overcome. They sustain the “tendency to perceive selectively only those pieces of new information that correspond to the image held.”

Stumbling block 5: Tendency to evaluate

The fifth stumbling block to intercultural communication is the tendency that people have to “approve or disapprove, the statements and actions of the other person [...] rather than to try to comprehend completely the thoughts and feelings expressed from the world view of the other.” The fact that each person’s own culture and way of life always seems right, proper, and thus best than others’, prevents open-minded attention that is needed when communicating with a person with a different cultural background.
What can be retained from this, is that empathy is needed in intercultural communication while judgments prevent from achieving a fair and total understanding. “Once comprehension is complete it can be determined whether or not there is a clash in values or ideology.”

Stumbling block 6: High anxiety

“Stress, is common in cross-cultural experiences due to the number of uncertainties present.” Stress is said to be an obstacle to intercultural communication as it disturbs the internal equilibrium of the individual system. Anxiety and tension require “some form of relief which too often comes in the form of defenses, such as the skewing of perceptions, withdrawal, or hostility.”
This stumbling block is linked to the others previously explained, like the assumption of similarities and stereotypes, for example. They are defense mechanisms for people to alleviate the stress of the unknown.
Manage stress, regains internal balance and have positive attitudes will help people carrying out the communication process successfully. “Accept cultural diversity with interest instead of anxiety and manage normal stress reactions by practicing positive coping mechanisms, such as conscious physical relaxation” would the key attitude to have here.

As we previously seen in this blog, communication is a key element in culture differences. It’s seems to be the first step of adaptation and acculturation. Learning how to communicate with native people from the country we currently live in, enable to avoid culture shock.
Acknowledging and understanding those 6 stumbling blocks to intercultural communication is the first step to face them. “For most people it takes insight, training and sometimes an alteration of long-standing habits or thinking patterns before progress can be made. The increasing need for global understanding, however, gives all of us the responsibility for giving it our best effort.”

References:

Barna, L. M. 1994. Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication.