Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Essay

3. Diagnosis

The previously presented situation can be analyzed from two different standpoints, also perceived as communication norms. On the one hand, there is the language barrier which can easily come between representatives of different nationalities. In this order of ideas, Anrai Brogan was an Irish of Gaelic descent, born and brought up in the old tradition. Even the native language he spoke bore little resemblance to the Irish language, as it was highly influenced by the Gaelic traits. The relevance of this feature to the miscommunication situation at Tetonica Plc. is given by the fact that the Gaelic Irish language does not have any equivalents for the words yes and no. "Irish Gaelic does not possess equivalents of "yes" or "no," which seems unhandy to persons accustomed to this conciseness. Consequently, when speaking Gaelic, people must construct circumlocutions such as "I think not" and "this is so" in place of these two words" (Novinger, 2001). Brogan did not understand the meaning of yes and no, but having noticed their popularity, he began to use them in a wrong manner, ergo the sustained confusions.

The second norm refers to nonverbal features, such as the mimic of the face and other gestures of the interlocutors. The importance of nonverbal elements is crucial for ensuring that one sends and receives the proper message. For instance, nonverbal features tend to be more truthful and genuine than the verbal ones, as well as they are more powerful expressions (Fort Hays State University). Had the CEO paid attention to the mimic and gestures of Brogan, he would have noticed that the Yes is mentioned with sadness and worry on his face, whereas the no was said in a proud and satisfied manner.

4. Strategies

There are several means in which the miscommunication at Tetonica Plc. could have been avoided. Some of them include:

Increased attention to nonverbal communication

Realizing the language barrier and keeping the translator

Previously documenting on the culture of the culturally diverse party could have lead to the recognition of his difficulties in distinguishing between yes and no

Recognizing the dialects and the diversity of a language even within an apparently homogenous community (Chapter Fifteen).

5. Conclusions

In this era of rapid technologic development and growing forces of globalization, economic agents are presented with the opportunity of benefiting from the comparative advantages of various global regions. Alongside with the gains however, the operations possible through globalization also raise new challenges. The most important of these challenges for the modern day manager is that of integrating the culturally diverse staff members.

As we have seen, the management at real estate company Tetonica Plc. failed to recognize and integrate cultural diversity, all which culminated with a miscommunication issue that lead to a breakage of the understanding between the parties. The problem was based on a language barrier, due to which Irish consultant Anrai Brogan was unable to perceive the difference between yes and no, and which led him to sending mixed messages. In the future, similar misunderstandings could be avoided through the early recognition of cultural differences.

References:

Geddie, T., April / May1999, Moving Communication across Cultures, Communication World, Vol. 16, No. 5, ABI/INFORM Global, p.37

Novinger, T., 2001, Intercultural Communication: A Practical Guide, University of Texas Press, ISBN 0292755716

Introduction to Nonverbal Communication, Fort Hays State University, http://www.fhsu.edu/~zhrepic/Teaching/GenEducation/nonverbcom/nonverbcom.htm last accessed on September…