Intercultural Communication in Organization: How to Improve It?
Globalization and technology have brought people from diverse cultural backgrounds together in offices and organizations. As a result, workplaces today are more culturally diverse than ever before. But in the international business world where effective communication is the key to organizational success, cultural diversity and differences have widened the communication gaps.
Know Your Team Members
There’s no way to thrive in a diverse workplace other than to study different cultures. Without understanding the cultural, social backgrounds and differences, you’ll have a hard time getting your ideas across to an individual from a different culture.
Thanks to the internet and online communities, learning about various cultures and their differences has never been easier. Understanding cultural differences is the first step towards improving your skills.
Focus on Non-Verbal Communication
For having a great interaction with a group of culturally diverse people, non-verbal communication is as important as the verbal one. However, gestures and actions have different meanings in different cultures.
Whenever communicating with an individual or a group of people, it’s not necessary that your gestures will be perceived as you want them to be. Therefore, it’s advised to be aware and pay attention to non-verbal communication in the organisation.
Warm Work Environment
Creating a friendly environment at the workplace is one of the day-to-day management problems managers face, especially when there are individuals from diverse communities and social groups with each having a new identity.
Using intercultural management tools can ease the process of understanding and communicating with one another, which can make a warm environment at your workplace.
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The Importance of Cross-Cultural Communication
The best way to bridge the cultural gap between individuals from different cultures is by understanding and using intercultural communication tools. The new theories and research have further enabled the implementation of intercultural communication. In this article, we will discuss the importance of cross-cultural organizational communication and ways to create an environment where people from every culture can communicate and work with one another.
Importance of Intercultural Communication in Organizations
Here’s why cultural communication is important in any global business organization.
Better Productivity and Results
It’s no secret that communication has direct effects on the productivity and results of any team or organization. Through effective intercultural communication, it’s possible to smoothen the work relations and improve organizational performance.
How to Improve Intercultural Communication in an Organization?
In any business organization, it’s important to understand each culture, cultural differences, and social background of individuals and groups. Let’s look at some ways and tools to aid intercultural communication in an international business organization.
Use Clear Language and Ask Questions
Clarity is one of the foremost tools of effective intercultural and cross-cultural communication. Use clear, formal language and avoid idioms, slang, and jokes to ensure positive communication. This way you can ensure you’re not offending or confusing the listener as idioms and humor vary from culture to culture.
Encourage More Individual Interaction
Effective management of intercultural communication in organizations goes a long way towards improving their bottom line. Managers who want to facilitate intercultural communication in their organizations should encourage interaction between individuals from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. This way your employees can learn about one another’s cultures, their similarities, and differences.
Apart from individual interaction, letting groups or communities communicate will help them work as a team. One of the smart ways to do so is to conduct induction sessions of new recruits so employees can get acquainted with one another. Mastering cross-cultural communication management skills will enable managers to contribute towards organizational success.
Granted the importance of intercultural and cross-cultural communication in the international business world, Marc Prager Conseil conducts communication workshops and group training to help managers and employees to communicate and work with culturally diverse people. Get in touch with us to improve the intercultural communication skills of your employees.