Culture in Business Communication

Responding effectively to different cultures when preparing for business communication is a key business survival strategy in a global economy, and permeates nearly all aspects of business afterward. Culture affects all areas of business communications, including contract negotiations, production operations, product sourcing, marketing campaigns and human resources decisions.

Definition of Culture

Culture is a set of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and customs. Members of a community teach one another these learned cultural cues so that it becomes an ingrained, accepted part of their society. Common cultural elements include social structure, language, religion and communication. Beliefs about the role of business and how business activities should be carried out fall into this understanding of culture, since business partners interact within their own cultural context. Examples of cultural preferences in business might include the pacing of negotiations, level of formality between business partners and subtle versus direct conversation about money.

Smaller World

Modern technology, including the Internet, telephones, fax machines and cell phones, has facilitated more rapid communication between businesses around the world. While this greatly expands a business’s opportunity for growth and profitability, it does increase the chance that a communication misstep can result in an offended client or business partner. Such miscommunications can lead to the loss of partnerships and millions, if not billions, of dollars.

Culture in Business

Culture affects the way people think about business in their own society. An awareness of cultural attitudes toward business will help you communicate efficiently and effectively when working with people from other cultures. For example, Asian cultures, including Japan and China, promote teamwork and cooperation in business environments while Western businesses promote individual action and responsibility. Understanding these values will help you to create an effective communication strategy with partners from these regions.

Effects on Communication

Culture directly affects business communication, both verbal and nonverbal. Some cultures, including Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany, place high significance to the words actually spoken. Other cultures, including Japan and Arab cultures, still place significance on the spoken word, but also place great significance on the context of the conversation. Silence carries significance in all cultures, and this might be interpreted in different ways during cross-cultural business meetings.

Communication Breakdown

Ignoring culture in business communication can lead to problems and communication disruptions. Internal business communication can be disrupted or misinterpreted if workers don’t share the same understanding of goals, expectations and processes. Understanding a culture can help businesses anticipate potential challenges or barriers in the adoption of new policies or processes before efforts break down. For example, some business cultures may thrive in an exchange and dialogue-based communication system while other cultures (for example, Japanese and Arab cultures) rely more heavily on subtext. If new information or ideas are suddenly imposed on employees accustomed to a more collaborative work culture, there may be a lack of buy-in and the project will fail.

Training

Some businesses may choose to pursue professional training in business communication with an emphasis on cultural understanding. For example, the Global Business Communication training program offered by the University of Colorado includes training on cross-cultural awareness for international business settings. Participants dissect cultural case studies, learn communication skills and practice sustainable business communication skills.