OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Valerie Hoogstad

Offer a nicely wrapped gift when invited to a Japanese home. Never histories, geography, political systems,
touch the head of a Thai. Respecting other people's cultures is not languages, social andlegal organisations,
simply good manners - it's good business. Many Australian philosophies andreligions.
businesses have a culturally diverse workforce, where productivity
can depend on the ability to communicate across cultures. As Most people only know their own
Australian businesses become more international, the ability to culture andthey don't reflect on it until
communicate across cultures also becomes more important. This they seesomething different. It iseasy to
paper explains some of the traditions and dimensions of cultural generalise about cultures, but we should
differences across a number of countries, and how this affects be cautious andnotfall intothe trap of
communication. As well as considering the many barriers to cross-
cultural communication, practical ideas on how to overcome these assuming thatall Asia isthe same, or all
are offered. A case study from a business setting is used to Europe is the same, or even thatall
demonstrate barriers to cross cultural communication and their English speakers arethe same.
effects. Appropriate strategies for overcoming these barriers are Each culture has rules ofbehaviour
elaborated. thatitsmembers take for granted. We
need to be aware of these cultural
behaviours andcontemplate how others

~
thecorporate world becomes
increasingly internationalised,
Australia's business is
conducted across national
oundaries andcultural
worlds. This means thatmany people in
the corporate world spend considerable
time interacting with people from
different backgrounds.
Communication breakdowns in the
workplace with people from non-
English-speaking backgrounds (NESB)
can cause a clear loss in productivity. For
example, some managers complain that
Table 1: Comparison of Hofstede's indices in 20 countries.
Country POI UAI
after assigning a particular job, the might see us. These descriptions have
person acts asifs/heunderstands but been used about Australians:
does nothing: the answer is the person informal;
didnot understand, thought it was enjoy life toomuch;
impolite to say so anddid nothing for disrespectful ofauthority;
fear ofdoing it incorrectly. loud, rude;
lazy;
CULTURAL WORLDS over confident;
The idea ofa cultural world means that women arepushy;
people from different parts oftheworld disrespectful ofelders;
goabout their day to day business in ignorant ofothercultures; and
different ways. The sum total oftheir ways notfamily oriented.
istheir cultural world. These differences By reflecting on personal
occur because ofthings such asdifferent characteristics andseeing how they
might work when you aredealing either
at home or abroad with people from
othercultures, you can develop
IOV MAS LTO strategies to avoid the stumbling blocks.

Australia 36 51 90 61 31 RESPECTING
Canada 39 48 80 52 23
OTHER CULTURES
Great Britain 35 35 89 66 25
Germany 35 65 67 66 31 Respecting another culture andits
Greece 60 112 35 57 n/a customs isnot only good manners, it is
Hong Kong 68 29 25 57 96 also good business. It isnota good idea
India 77 40 48 56 61
14 46 n/a
to venture intotheinternational
Indonesia 78 48
Italy 50 75 76 70 nfa workplace with the idea that"business is
Japan 54 92 46 95 80 business" allover theworld. What works
Korea 60 85 18 39 75 in onecountry may notapply abroad.
Malaysia 104 36 26 50 n/a
14 44
For example, a group ofAustralians was
Netherlands 38 53 80
New Zealand 22 49 79 58 30 invited over toJapan to a conference. At
Philippines 94 44 32 64 19 the pre-conference dinner they were
Singapore 74 8 20 48 48 each required to stand up andtell a joke,
Taiwan 58 69 17 45 87
56
butoneAustralian thought this was
Thailand 64 64 20 34
Turkey 66 85 37 45 nfa stupid andrefused. He was regarded as
USA 40 46 91 62 29 having offended.
Anecessary stepto cultural sensitivity
Source: Modified from Hofstede (1991). Note: POI = powerdistance; UAI = uncertainty avoidance; IOV =
individualism; MAS = masculinity; LTO = long-term orientation. isto eliminate labels of"right and

Australian Journal of Career Development, Winter 1996 19

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 wrong". Cultures arejust "different", with
each having rules for behaviour. When
dealing with people from othercountries
it isuseful to reflect on how business is
done inAustralia, because only thencan
you perceive the differences andacton
them. For example, byunderstanding
thatmany cultures aremore formal in
their relationships than Australians, you
can ensure thatyour own approach, both
indress andmanner, isnotcasual.
DIMENSIONS OF
CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES
The dimensions ofcultural difference are
numerous, complex and subtle andever
changing, buttheindicators listed below
can beused todraw attention toaspects of
differences and to alert people to away of
thinking which may accommodate these
differences. Table 1, based onHofstede
(1991), compares different cultures.
Power distance
The extent to which members ofa
culture accept unequal distribution of
power in organisations.
Thai people much more readily accept
unequal distribution ofpower inan
organisation andthus onewill find
considerable social inequality.
uncertainty avoidance
The extent to which peoplefeel
threatened byambiguous situations.
Thai society isabout asstructured as
Australian society, whereas Singapore's
society has many structures in place that
remove the uncertainties so thatpeople
arenot threatened byambiguous
situations.
Individualism
This works on a continuum between
individualism andcollectivism. In
individualistic cultures people look
after their immediatefamily while in
collectivist cultures people belong to
groups.
Thai people look after oneanother in
exchange for loyalty, andtheir self-concept
is"we". However, Australians are more
individualistic and look after themselves
and their immediate family, andtheir self-
concept ismore likely to be"I".
Masculinity
This isstronger in societies where
dominant values relate to material
things, while feminity predominates
where dominant values relate tocaring
for others and quality oflife.
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Thai society isonewhere femininity ornate jewellery, designer clothing ete.).
dominates more than inAustralian Inothercultures, external manifestations
society. This relates to caring for others oforganisational power andstatus (ltke
andquality oflife rather than the office space) aremore uniformly
dominant value relating to success and distributed, andovert displays ofstatus
money. arediscouraged.
Long-term orientation Loyalty
This includes long-term orientation and In some cultures it isexpected that
short-term orientation tolife. individuals in companies will be loyal
Thai society ismore prone to have a foremost to themselves, while in others
long-term view oflife rather than loyalty to the organisation isprimary. In
Australians, who have a short-term others loyalty to the family or clan may
orientation to life. take precedence over all otherloyalties.
In thelatter case it isgrossly disloyal not
CROSS-CULTURAL to favour relatives andfriends in business
BUSINESS dealings.
STYLES
Hofstede (1991) revealed different Deference to authority
business styles across different cultures. Cultures differ in their deference to
These different business styles can be authority figures in an organisation.
matched to the information given in Some show respect for title andposition
Hofstede's table. in a hierarchy, while othercultures
ignore, challenge or treat people in
Confrontation versus consensus power asa liability.
Cultures will differ inwhether they
favour candour above consensus. In Formality or informality
some cultures, conflict andconfrontation Proper use ofnames andtitles isoften a
arenotonly acceptable, they are source ofconfusion in international
desirable. In others, people avoid business relations. Insome cultures it is
criticism at all costs in order to allow appropriate to use titles until use ofthe
everyone to "save face". first name issuggested. While some
cultures promote first name interaction
The group versus the individual between business associates from the
There isan emphasis onstrong first meeting, first names areseldom
individualism - a sense ofbeing unique, used at all in the business dealings of
anexpected need for personal fulfilment othercultures.
- thatpermeates some cultures. Other
cultures promote individuals who seek Negotiation styles
their identity andsense offulfilment Negotiation styles vary widely from
within the spectrum ofthegroup. country to country: some cultures are
conflict-Oriented, with each party trying to
Concept of time puthis or heropponent on thedefensive;
Cultures value and relate to time some cultures argue vehemently over
differently. One culture might view time every trivial point; some cultures use a
asa commodity to "save" or to "waste", wide range ofvisible emotions as part of
while another looks at time asa constant their negotiation style; and some cultures
flow thatcannot be contained or depend on consensus and meeting the
controlled. needs ofeveryone.
Decisionmaking CROSS-CULTURAL
Some groups believe thatonly COMMUNICATION
quantifiable data isreal information, and Australian management isnow beginning
will make decisions on "hard facts" or to realise thesignificance ofunderstanding
"pure numbers" only. Incontrast, insight causes relating to cross-cultural
andintuition isgiven enormous value in communication. This investigation has
many cultures when important business involved detailed case studies ofcross-
decisions arebeing made. cultural communication breakdowns
within industry intheSydney metropolitan
Manifestations of powerand status region. The following case study isan
Insome cultures power andstatus are example oftherich diversity ofissues that
obviously displayed in possessions (e.g. often arise from basic communication
large office, expensive automobile, problems.
Australian Journal of Career Development, Winter 1996
 ACASESTUDV
Aprivately owned manufacturing and
seroice business has oneproprietor. The
company's main product, which holds about
85% ofthe Australian market and
approximately 15% oftheworld market, is
electronically controlled equipment used to
operate high precision moving mechanical
parts. Production ofnewequipment
accountsforabout halfofthe company's
turnover, which isabout $200 million
dollarsperyear.
The cash box ofthe company isits sennce
division. Most ofthe customers cboose a
sennce plan, under which machinery isfixed
orreplaced within 24 hours. For this sennce,
the company charges aflatyearlyfee. Good
qualityproducts attract a relatively small
number ofsennce calls andactual
profitability inthis division isvery high.
Company structure
The ownerset upthe company about30
years ago andbuilt itupfrom afourperson
seniice operation toa 1000 staff
multinational organisation. The General
Manager isthe key person in the day today
operation. He runs the company by directing
seven main sector managers: sennce,
programming, design, sales, export,
administration andproduction.
MulticulturaIism
Aproblemforthe company istheir
multicultural workforce, with about 80% of
employees born overseas (i.e. 800 staff
sharing 46languages, andhundreds of
cultural differences).
Company rules
Labourers andlower management start
work at 7,30 am. The company does not
have parkingfacilitiesforworkers' cars, and
most ofthe staffarrivefrustratedfrom
lookingfor aparking space in the
surrounding area. The company isfitted
with bundy clocks, supennsed every morning
by the managers. Many restrictions are
placed onthe workers: they cannot talk to
each other, eatordrink onthejob, make
telephone calls etc.
Management style
Management often issues information and
memoranda written insuch a complicated
way thatfewAustralian-born andveryfew
NESB workers understand them. Suggestions
tomanagementforimprovements never
pass thefirst step inthe hierarchy ofthe
company because the attitude is"Keep quiet,
Australian Journal of Career Development, Winter 1996
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youarepaidforworking, notthinking".
Management enforces itsauthority
throughfear, particularly after the recession
hitthe Australian economy infullforce. The
company experienced quite afew
retrenchments, andworkers andlower
management (mostly unqualified staffwith
families andmortgages andonly a limited
knowledge ofEnglish,) justput their heads
down anddideverything they were asked to
do, regardless oftheir opinion and
experience. Many mistakes andwrong
decisions could have been avoided ifthey
hadhada chance tospeak up.
The whole company operates onthe basis
ofminimalisation ofthe information. You
have toknow only what isnecessaryforyour
job. Worst ofallisprobably the lack of
respectforthe chain ofcommand.
Cross-cultural miscommunication: Some
examples
The Production Manager was dressing down
anAsian workerforsome mistake. The
worker spokefairly good English, butonthis
occasion hewasjuststanding loose,
shoulders down, eyespointed tohisshoes
andnotsaying anything. lifter heleft, the
Manager said: "Didyousee that? He didnot
even answer myquestions. He could not
care less what I'msaying, andheignored me
totally. He didnotlook once into myeyes.
Obviously that was hisfault" (meaning a
production mistake).
When asked later, the Vietnamese worker
saidthatitwas nothis mistake andthat
somebody else didit. When asked why he
didn't say so, heexplained that hecould not
speak a word: hewas soscared heforgot all
his English. Hisposture waspurely apolite
way ofdealing with the boss.
Another superoisor hada different habit.
He always tried toexplain his ideas tothe
workers very slowly, loudly and, after every
sentence, adding: "Do youunderstand?"He
was happy tohear 'yes" butafter heleft, the
team would askforan explanation ofwhat
hewanted
Likewise the Personnel Department could
never work outwhy, oncertain days, nearly
the whole section was onsick leave. The
solution was quite simple. Usually insmall
sectionspeople were mostlyfrom the same
country, andona religious dayor dayof
other significance, such asChinese New Year
or Greek Easter, most ofthem called insick.
The management ofthe company
identified individuals with wholegroups and
vice versa. For example, when a Fijian
worker was chosen, the warning was: "Do
nottakea Fijian, wehadtwo ofthem before
andthey were very lazy. "
Current problems
The most important currentproblemsforthe
company are:
Management ofthe company isoperating
in anautocratic way, almost asa
patriarchal institution. Orders aresent
from the top tothe bottom andthere isno
placeforpersonal opinions orideas in
the system.
The wholeprocess isdriven by fear.
Labourers areafraid tosay ordo
anything infearoflosing theirjobs. Long-
seroing unqualified managers live with
similarfeelings. Technocrats ofthe
company areina differentposition. They
canfindanotherjob, buthave a
comfortable andeasy life with goodpay
andonly afewwant totake the challenge
andleave the company.
Pride andfeeling about belonging tothe
company donotexist. At onestage,
during a bigpromotion compaign, staff
(many with company cars) were asked to
display a company bumper sticker but
almost everyone refused
The companypolicy isnottopromote its
ownstaff. Ifsomebody starts with the
company ina certain position, they have
a very good chance ofretiring in that
position. Ifanybody leaves ajob, a
replacement isalways hiredfrom outside.
Numerical targets aresetforthe whole
company, each division, anddepartment
down toindividuals. These numbers are
checked weekly andprocessed tocharts
called the efficiency data list. There are
noqualityfactors included in the list.
Acompanyproblem arisesfrom the
organisational structure. Some divisions
ofthe company donotcommunicate at
all, some supply only limited information,
some live inan ivory tower andhave no
idea what ishappening nexttothem. The
owner supports this trend by directly
ordering work tobedone tolower
structures ofthe company without
informing their superiors.
Intrying toanalyse thesefactors indepth,
there isan element common toallofthem: a
lack ofcommunication inoneform or
another. Actually, more then 50% of
problems in this company start andendin
communication distortions in either a
horizontal or vertical direction.
21
 BARRIERS TO
CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
AND HOW TO
OVERCOME THEM
Ofthemany barriers tocross-cultural
communication, thefollowing cover some
ofthekey problem areas and some means
by which they can be overcome.

Language barriers
Perception isattheheart ofintercultural
communication. Even when people share
thesame culture they can misinterpret
what others are really saying. Itisobvious
that NESB people will have difficulty with
ourgeneral speaking style, and the
following hints may be helpful.

Conversational hints
Speak slowly and pronounce clearly.
Paraphrase your response and recap the
position frequently.
Avoid theuse ofnegative wording ofa
sentence when a positive form could be
used. For example, rather than saying,
"It isgrossly disloyal notto favour
friends inbusiness deals," say, "It is
regarded asloyal to favour friends in
business deals".
Don't take "yes" for ananswer. Ask
probing questions to prove how much
isbeing absorbed.
Don't raise your voice: shouting is
offensive to many and certainly doesn't
clarify themessage.
Don't repeat phrases. When not
understood there isno point repeating
thesame phrases. It ispreferable to try
and reword it.
Don't drop words. NESB people have
usually learnt "correct English", sodon't
drop keywords such as"a", "the", "but"
etc.
Don't use long, complicated sentences,
which can be confusing.
Intenneui techniques
In many countries (particularly Asia), the
formal job interview isnota part ofthe
selection process, and therefore some
NESB applicants don'tinteract
appropriately inthese situations. For
example, ifasked a question they may
answer with oneword rather than seeing
theopportunity to expand and discuss the
situation.
Humour
Many people from overseas feel
uncomfortable when jokes are told and
they are unable tolaugh atthepunchlines.
jokes are often culture-bound, and while
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theperson may want toshare inthe Remember that conversation isa
humour, they can't because they don't dialogue, nota monologue, and ensure
understand. Inaddition, never tell a joke that two way conversation istaking place
against theperson's own culture. Humour byparaphrasing and asking questions in
directed atyourself isacceptable and can order to test for understanding. Insome
gain empathy, butmaking a joke atthe situations it may be useful to communicate
expense ofanother's culture isoffensive. inwriting.
Slang Non-verbal communication
Most NESB people donotunderstand All people use gestures or body movement
slang (e.g. "Run that by meagain"; "Go for to convey specific messages, butthe
it"; "I had aball over theweekend'). meaning may vary between different
Australians are often unaware just how cultures. For example, ''waving goodbye"
much we use slang and idiomatic phrases. asAustralians domeans "no" insome
Working alongside people who constantly parts ofEurope, and inParis it means
use phrases that you don't understand can "come here".
make you feel scared to join inthe Body language, facial expressions,
conversation, which can lead to frustration gestures, table manners and giftgiving are
onboth sides. animportant part ofinternational
communication. For example:
Jargon andabbreviations looking someone straight intheeye is
jargon isvery colloquial and inevery considered byusas"honest" while
workplace. However, when itisused with many Asians seethis asdisplaying
people outside theworkplace itcan be very disrespect;
confusing (e.g. "The CEO says it's noton'). people from Latin and Pacific countries
have a different concept oftime thatis
High andlow context cultures more casual;
Inhigh context cultures like japan, much while theaverage Swiss person does
ofthemessage isnon-specific and the notsmile inbusiness, Australians often
listener isexpected to interpret from the smile, which may appear frivolous
context and non-verbal cues. Incontrast, rather than friendly;
inAustralia messages are expected tobe standing with hands on hips isseen by
explicit. many Asians as a threatening posture;
Australian Journal of Career Development, Winter 1996
 engaging ina conversation with hands
inpockets isseen by many Europeans
as rude;
Japanese people regard thebusiness
card astheir identity and inmeetings
these should beexchanged and studied
carefully;
Japanese people often nodtheir heads
toshow understanding, notagreement;
and
personal space also differs across
cultures: inAustralia theideal space
between business people isabout 70
cm, whereas for some this istooclose
and for others toodistant.
Knowledge ofthese non-verbal cues is
important to avoid getting false
impressions about your fellow workers or
your clients.
Preconceptions and stereotypes
Stereotypes can bedefined asasetof
beliefs about thepersonal attitudes ofa
group ofpeople (e.g. "Australians are ... ";
"old people are ... "; "unemployed people
are ... "). They serve to reduce thethreat
oftheunknown bymaking theworld
predictable. These stereotypes are often
elaborated bythemedia or byword of
mouth. The result isthat the
characteristics ofafew are attributed to a
Australian Journal of Career Development, Winter 1996
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whole group ofpeople. disapprove theactions ofanother group.
Stereotypes are stumbling blocks to Amidday siesta may beseen as "lazy", but
communication because they interfere thereality may bethat itisa practical idea
with anobjective viewpoint. The danger ina hotcountry. Each person's culture
here isobvious: prejudging a person with always seems right to them, and this bias
whom we want to communicate. Everyone prevents theopen-minded attention
stereotypes to some degree, butpeople required toseeanother point ofview.
should recognise thestereotypes they
hold and notletthem interfere with the CONCLUSION
way they deal with individuals.
This paper isaimed athelping people
become more aware and responsive to
Stress
The presence ofstress incross-cultural cultural differences. Initially, insight into
communication isdueto thenumber of one's own culture isnecessary before one
uncertainties present inthe can really understand thedifferences. By
communication and the personal risk becoming aware ofdifferences among
involved. This stress isfelt onboth sides. cultures, we can establish a common
The English speaker isstressed because ground when communicating with others
s/hecannot have a normal conversation who are different from ourselves and
where s/heexpects tobeunderstood, develop appropriate strategies to manage
while the NESB person feels strange and these differences.
vulnerable and fears s/hewill not
adequately cope with all themessages. In Valerie Hoogstad
employer/employee relationships thelevel Centre for Communication Studies
ofstress ishigher and friction and Australian Catholic University
misunderstanding may easily occur, North Sydney, NSW
resulting inanger, which will notsolve the
problem. REFERENCE
Hofstede, G. (1991) Hofstede's cultural
Tendency to evaluate dimensions: Culture and organisations in
There isa tendency to approve or software ofthe mind. London: McGraw Hill.
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