Communications in Organization Diversity and Globalization

Question: Discuss about the Communications in Organization Diversity and Globalization. Answer: Introduction: Todays workforce is increasingly diverse and managers are expected to have a more precise understanding of intercultural communication in effective management strategies. While communicating with individuals that are not of similar culture, managers must thoroughly research about the culture of these people (Anderson, 2008). This greatly minimizes the chances of making sensitive remarks thus avoiding confusion or misunderstandings. Intercultural communication often refers to the various communication issues that without doubt come up within an organization composed of people from a variety of social, ethnic, educational, and religious backgrounds. Notably, each of these individuals tends to bring a special set of values and experiences to the workplace, many of which can be traced to the culture in which they grew up and now function (Banks, 2008). Organizations that can effectively facilitate communication, both verbal and written between members of different cultural groups, are be tter equipped to triumph than organizations that encourage conflicts from internal cultural distinctions to worsen and harden. The significance of effective intercultural communication can hardly be overstated; it shapes cultural identity. Most employees, business owners, and researchers agree that the most significant component in effective intercultural communication concerns language (Bennet, 2011). Language issues are a constant source of conflict together with inefficiency in todays diverse workforce throughout the globe. Business owners acknowledge that their organizations are more likely to be victorious if they can establish effective systems of intercultural communication. Methods, Methodology or Procedure. The study was carried out on a group of employees and supervisors of an international organization comprising of a diverse workforce. This sample was selected using the sample survey research design which incorporates choosing a representative number of units from the population so as to make generalizations to the population from which the sample was taken (Deardorff and Bowman, 2011). A letter was drafted to request for permission to interview the employees. The research instruments used included questionnaires and interviews. The implementation of intercultural communication, particularly how the senior management communicated with the subordinates was monitored and the findings recorded. Findings. From the study, it was observed that some of the employees did not fully comprehend what was expected of them with regards to assigned tasks. Furthermore, a few supervisors had no knowledge of a foreign language and could therefore not effectively communicate to the employees. As already stated, effective intercultural communication is important in ensuring that organizational objectives and goals are achieved. Presentations and persuasion Researchers have in the recent past shown that there are preferred cultural persuasive techniques, although little empirical study has looked at the strategies for adapting persuasive styles in intercultural business interactions (Feng, Byram and Fleming, 2009). In the study conducted, some employees cited that it was rather difficult to approach the senior managers whenever they had a concern or issue that required immediate attention. This was attributed to how these managers presented themselves and the attitude they had towards the employees. In presenting tasks and persuading the diverse workforce to complete them, supervisors who did not possess foreign language skills had the most difficult time communicating. Negotiations and interviews. As already indicated, the international company in question usually conducts interviews before hiring suitable employees. However, there are those among the candidates who are qualified for the job but are not fluent in English. Communicating with such individuals is quite difficult and in most cases, an interpreter is needed. Moreover whenever there are negotiations between two individuals from different backgrounds or ethnicities, conflicts can arise due to misunderstandings. Groups, meetings and discussions (formal and informal). One of the many areas where cultural differences tend to manifest is in intercultural meetings and discussions. Here, differences in etiquette, interpretations of professional behavior and corporate rules, and cultural values are at their most visible (Anderson, 2008). Most of the employees and supervisors interviewed during the study admitted to the fact that a few misunderstandings have come up due to differences such as time, hierarchy, and the purpose of the meetings. Each employee from the diverse workforce has their own cultural gestures, mannerism, ways of expression, and etiquettes. That is why it is important for supervisors to learn different intercultural communication techniques so as to avoid misunderstandings. It is also important to compromise when holding formal and informal discussions given that the employees have differing values, beliefs, principles, and backgrounds (Banks, 2008). Trust and/or conflict resolution issues. Both supervisors and employees interviewed in the study cited that there have been numerous instances when conflicts have come up. Trust is one of the most essential qualities of human relationships, particularly in todays intercultural workforce. Under settings of low trust, problem solving is usually degenerative and ineffective. It is important to understand the potential for conflicts to come about in todays multicultural work setting. Such conflicts may incorporate the normal disputes that people get themselves into, including those based on lack of understanding for other individuals, and ignorance (Bennet, 2011). According to the staff of the international company in the study, majority of the disputes arise as a result of values, misinterpretations and misinformation, emotions, and roles. Therefore, it is important for the senior managers to provide a thorough explanation of the dispute resolution process. An open line of communication should also be established so as to make the employees more comfortable in approaching them whenever they have a concern or opinion. Conclusions Looking at what has been discussed above, it is crucial that todays managers be proactively engaged in communication skills assessment while making the necessary adjustments, especially where a diverse workforce is concerned. Notably, when dealing with intercultural communication, it is important to formulate a strategy and come up with the most effective techniques of not only managing, but also communicating with ones business interactions. Even if they do not get it right all the time, employees and business owners will appreciate a leaders willingness to meet them on common ground. In turn, team members will be motivated to work cohesively and attain the highest potential. Recommendations With the study conducted of the international company staff members in mind, a few recommendations can be made as to how the organization can improve on its intercultural communication with its diverse workforce. For instance, supervisors and senior management should not assume that the way they communicate is applicable to all communities they interact with (Deardorff and Bowman, 2011). Moreover, members from other cultural backgrounds should be involved in regular communication in order to comprehend and learn each others culture. In turn, the members will grow closer. During conflicts or misunderstandings, it is important to empathize with others. This is done by putting him or herself in the position of those from other cultures while trying to think and communicate in their way (Feng, Byram and Fleming, 2009). Effective intercultural communication is achieved only when people treat each others cultures as the same and not to feel greater to anothers. Reference List Anderson, J. (2008) Driving change through diversity and globalization: Transformative leadership in the academy. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Banks, J.A. (2008) An introduction to multicultural education. 4th Edition. Seattle, WA: University of Washington. Bennet, M.J. ( 2011) Basic concepts of intercultural communication: Selected readings. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Deardorff, D. and Bowman, K. (2011) Beneath the tip of the iceberg: Improving English and understanding of U.S. cultural patterns. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Feng, A., Byram M. and Fleming, M., eds. (2009) Becoming interculturally competent through education and training. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.