Global Management, Essay Example

A High Context culture creates a pattern of communication style that is consistent with cultures that are indirect and formal communicators.  Whereas those from low context cultures  tend to be of direct and informal communication.  A culture with High Context is that where an individual has an internal meaning. Within the concept of the conversation the listener readily knows what is meant as both the speaker and listener share similar assumptions and knowledge.  An example of a high context culture is China. (Ian, 2011).  In a situation where the information and meaning are clearly an explicitly stated in a message, we have an example of a low context culture.  The information and meaning are not internalized by the individual and instead are derived from the context.  The United States being an example of a low context culture. (Ian, 2011).

Within a high context culture the individuals acquire meaning and knowledge by displaying obedience to authority.  In this sense children learn by observation, repetition and copying the acts of others.  Such cultures tend to be very stable and show a high resistance to change. They tend to be feudal and are very rooted in ancestral beliefs. China and Japan are prime examples of this type of culture.   They are very team oriented and tend to dislike individuals that show individualistic or creative traits.  In Countries like the USA, Canada and Germany conversation is held by people of a low context culture.  The conversations are normally brief, concise and to the point.  People often view high text countries as being deceptive and holding information back and as such this makes them question the other countries integrity.  This has resulted, in an historical context, in a great difficulty in communication and resulted in a great deal of misunderstanding.  The concept of misunderstanding in communication often results in difficult problems and as such it is important to understand cultural backgrounds. The adoption of English as a Foreign Language has helped within the context of globalization and people of different nations understanding one another.

Cultural noise relates to how an individual views his environment based upon his own culture and values.  This creates a number of different dimensions that include:

Stereotyping:   Here people view other groups as a single entity without making any allowance for individual traits.  This can have both positive and negative connotations. Where for example Chinese are viewed negatively because they cannot speak English but Canadians are very friendly which a positive stereotype is. This lack of objectivity can often result in a breakdown in communications because people selectively perceive only those items that help towards reinforcing their own prejudices. (Stewart, 2011)

Cultural Value dimensions:

In America the cultural value-set is based upon individualism, competition and being successful. This is why this appears openly aggressive and assertive as opposed to Asian culture which is much more group harmony related and based upon consensus decision making.  This provides a cultural barrier between American and Asian politics and often results in misinterpretation of communications and idea between the two.  Multi-national Companies who transplant executives from home HQ to foreign subsidiaries often have issues in integration.  This is why a large number of multi-nationals have reverted to recruitment of local talent that understand local languages and culture.

Communication Styles

These often vary between countries, particularly in the high and low context. Low context relies upon conveying the message by the direct meaning of words, whereas high context is far less explicit and requires other social cues in order to convey meaning.

Works Cited

Ian, A. (2011). High-context Cultures and Low-context Cultures. Retrieved 5 26, 2011, from Joy Luck Club: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/tan.html

Stewart, D. (2011, 5 14). Types of Cultural Noise in Communication. Retrieved 5 26, 2011, from ehow: http://www.ehow.com/info_8416942_types-cultural-noise-communication.html