ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME, KEY ACTION 2

CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Furthering International Relations Capacities and Intercultural Engagement to

Nurture Campus Diversity and to Support Internationalisation at Home
(FRIENDS)

Unit 17: Effective strategies for working in multicultural business environments

Part 2

Dr. Nedka Dimitrova

TRANSCRIPT

In their major study, Ting-Toomey and Dorjee claim that verbal expression is always
connected with nonverbal symbols, while a nonverbal message, by itself, is sufficient enough
to convey meaning. Adjusting to other participants’ verbal or non-verbal behavior requires
appropriate encoding and decoding of the messages transmitted during the process of
exchanging information to acquire mutual understanding and successful communication
outcomes.
The interaction between different mental and cognitive models functioning in a multicultural
context seems to be influenced to a considerable extent by one’s cultural norms and values,
however claiming the opposite statement, would be also relevant, since cultural patterns and
models of behavior are often interpreted as cognitive models characterizing a given cultural
society. Following this, it is worth mentioning that differentiating cognitive and cultural
models should be based on one’s concept of self and the group to which they belong.
Taken together, people need to extend their views and knowledge of cultural differences
with respect to developing their intercultural communication competence.
Let us consider negotiation in an intercultural environment. A key issue which may hinder
successful outcome arises from the way in which people from different cultures relate to
each other. Members of collectivist, high context societies will aim at maintaining consensus
and avoiding conflict in the process of negotiation. Being more open and self-expressive,
members of collectivist societies will demonstrate a more competitive and confrontational
approach to decision making. Therefore, knowledge of interpersonal orientation seems to be
of significant importance for achieving satisfactory results.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views
only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein. 1
Another aspect brought to light in this discussion concerns the power orientation and
knowledge about the actual decision-maker in the process of negotiation.
Power orientation can be interpreted in a close connection with the willingness to take risks
which can be restrained in more bureaucratic social systems according to Browaeys and
Price.
The scholars provide an illustrative example of negotiation between two contrasting
societies – China and the US.
Chinese will see negotiation as a stage for building trust and relationships, while Americans
will use it as a means to achieve their final goal. A cultural difference may also be observed
in terms of power orientation with clearly defined roles and responsibility for decision
making in the individualist American team. On the other hand, the more subtle distribution
of power in the collectivist Chinese group of negotiators may cause the failure of negotiation
if the other side is not aware of the stages and specifics of the consensus-building process.
Also, the long-term orientation of the Chinese society will result in an expectation for a long-
term business relationship and mutual trust. In contrast, the short-term oriented American
society, in which time is a primary asset may not perceive business relations in the same
way. Another significant difference can be found in the approach to gathering information in
the process of negotiation. Exchange of facts and figures is most important in the US, while
in China building trust could be more valued.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views
only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein. 2