Chapter 4: Intercultural Communication
11. Group Work
Teamwork - Chapters 3 & 4
1. Groupwork
Each one of you, characterize yourself in writing, specifying the national origin and your own presuppositions of a cultural nature, your own specificities. Then each one, write down the cultural presuppositions regarding those present in the team, as you perceive them. Present these lists / inventory notes of your own traits and those of other members, discuss them, comment on each one of them. Become aware of how you perceive yourself and the gap between your own perception and the perception of others. Make an inventory of the differences in perception found. (translated and adapted apud Bosche, Le management interculturel, 1993)
Output: Present your findings in form of a presentation or a short video
Answer here
2. Groupwork
Watch carefully the video based on the presentation called The art of choosing (available here) and describe the differences found regarding the cultures involved. Anticipate problems that may arise if you do not know the differences and collaborate with people from these countries on projects that would involve decision-making. Imagine as many problematic scenarios as possible! What would be the consequences? How important is knowledge of other assumptions in intercultural communication?
Output: Present your findings in form of a presentation or a short video
Answer here
3. Groupwork
Based on the cultural dimensions provided by Edward T. Hall, make a comparison regarding the intercultural communication between your own culture and that of your teammates. Highlight some methods of improving intercultural communication based on the problems that may arise between you (wrong decoding of the verbal / nonverbal message, prejudices and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate according to your own "grid", anxiety about the "new", etc.).
You have the following table as a support:
Dominant characteristics associated with cultural communication styles
Characteristics | Explicit communication - "poor context" | Implicit communication - "rich context" |
Communication | - precision, logic, analysis, focus on goals, achievement goal orientation, words; | - ambiguity, feeling, synthesis, focus on relationships, orientation on compliance with protocol and objectives; |
Contract | - a finality in itself, should not evolve, short-term perspective; | - a beginning of the relationship, can evolve together with the relationship, long-term perspective; |
Power relationship | - egalitarian, focused on expertise and facts; | - hierarchical, focused on status and group relationships; |
Relationship with others | - individualism; | - communitarianism; |
The relationship with the rules | - universalism, legal resolution of conflicts; | - particularism, problem solving through compromise and mediation; |
The relationship with time | - strictly economic, time shortage, monochronism; | - time does not only mean money, abundance of time, polychronism; |
Trust relationship | - written, verbal; | - oral, nonverbal. |
Source: translated and adaptated apud Prime, Usunier, Marketing international : Développement des marchés et management multiculturel, 2004
Output: Present your findings in form of a presentation or a short video
Answer here
4. Homework
Enter the Hofstede dimensions presentation site (available here)and select your home country. Follow the detailed descriptions and notice the specific aspects of your own culture. Be aware that you may not fully identify with the features of national culture (described based on average values). How do you position yourself in relation to this? What are the areas where you notice differences? How integrated in your own culture do you feel?
Output: Present your findings in form of a presentation or a short video
Answer here