WORKING IN ANOTHER CULTURE

Unit 2, Application Activity 2: Intercultural Communication

Managerial Communications (CIS A280), Summer 2015
Objective: To gain personal intercultural communication skills for professional success.
The business world is increasingly global, even for local companies. Alaska has several of the most
ethnically diverse communities in the country (Chad Farrell, 2014). Working effectively with colleagues
and clients from around the world requires cultural awareness, flexibility, and productive communication
strategies.

YOUR CHALLENGE
Your firm has won a new contract in China, Russia, Brazil, or India (each team will represent a different
country). The senior project manager, Julie Trust, is flying there next week to negotiate the details and
has asked your communication unit to help her prepare. You will develop a presentation to guide Ms.
Trust through that meeting and advise her on written communication with the foreign client.

PRESENTATION
Part 1: Individual
Research business etiquette in your assigned country and use that information to write an outline for
the team presentation. Teams are welcome to divide research topics before doing the individual
assignments; if so, each outline should show how the individual topic fits into the larger presentation.
Bring both a hard copy and the electronic file of the outline to class.
Here are some questions to consider when researching:

What does the senior project manager need to bring with her? What should she do before the
meeting?
How will the meeting start? When?
What can she do to convince the client that she takes this responsibility seriously and is prepared
to work with them?
What strategies should she use when negotiating? How should she tackle disagreements?
What non-verbal behaviors should she learn to read? use? avoid?
Should she push for a formal agreement?
Should she take the clients to dinner after? How is that likely to go?

Part 2: Team
Design and deliver a 5-10 minute oral presentation for the senior project manager and her staff. All
team members must participate in the presentation. Please do not use PowerPoint or other visual aids
for this presentation, although you may write on the board.

EMAIL
Ms. Trusts assistant has asked you to review a draft email to the client confirming the meeting details. To
give culturally grounded feedback, evaluate the email for cultural dimension markers (see Cardon, 95103), decide which cultural dimensions are important for your client, and recommend changes based on
your analysis. You will receive the email and more specific instructions after the team presentations.

DRAFT EMAIL
Dear _____________,
I am writing to confirm our meeting on June 11 to discuss how to fulfill the new contract. I look forward to
working with you! Please let me know what time the meeting will begin and where I should meet you. Whats
the best contact number to use once Im there?
I will send you a draft agenda by 9:00 am (your time) on June 8, so that we both know what documentation to
bring and we can get straight to work. The topics should include the stages, timetable, implementation team,
and assessment mechanisms, but Im open to other suggestions.
Please tell me if theres anything you would like me to pick up from the States. I know some things are hard to
get there
Best regards,
Julie
Julie Trust
Senior Project Manager, International Projects
Alaska Industry Enterprises, Inc.
jtrust@alaskaiei.com | (907) 555-1234

1. Evaluate for Cultural Dimensions

Review the draft email as a team. Which of the eight cultural dimensions Cardon lists are most
prominent? Choose the three dimensions that you think are most important for understanding this
email. For each of those three dimensions, identify how it affects the email and give at least one specific
example.
Cultural dimensions: individualism-collectivism, egalitarianism-hierarchy, assertiveness, performance
orientation, future orientation, humane orientation, uncertainty avoidance, gender egalitarianism.
(Cardon, 95)
Teams will simultaneously report the three cultural dimensions they chose and explain their reasoning.

2. Recommend Edits
Consider the target audience for this email. Does the business culture have the same norms and values as
the one in which Julie is writing? Where does it land for the cultural dimensions you identified?
Develop three to five concrete recommendations to make this email more effective and culturally
sensitive. You do not need to rewrite the email, just give feedback to help that process. Explain the
cultural reason behind each recommendation.
Example (email to an American client): Address the email to Mr./Ms. LastName. Although
Americans use their first names a lot in business, its better to begin formally and take your cues
from their replies. Its almost always appropriate to invite an American to call you by your first
name.
Your team spokesperson will present some or all of your recommendations to the class.

CIS A280 Managerial Communication Working in Another Culture

Summer 2015