Intercultural communication teamwork and leadership/Communicating across difference/International business relations
Read Chapters 18.5 and 18.6 in Business Communication for Success.
Chapter 18.5 takes a systems approach to international communication in global marketing, pointing out that different cultural values may encourage or discourage particular business patterns for home cultures or international entrepreneurs. For example, diverse economic systems reflect different degrees of government regulation, which may affect consumer trust in business products. Legal systems may emphasize rule of law, or cultural custom, tradition, and religion. Ethical norms for business organizations vary across nations, and what is legal and ethical can be quite distinct at times. It’s important to remember that all systems are created and maintained by people, and evolve over time. Chapter 18.6 discusses three common American management theories known as X, Y, and Z, all with roots in Maslow’s unfounded hierarchy of needs theory. Theory X views employees as motivated by low level needs and requiring direct, constant supervision. Theory Y views employees as motivated by self-actualization needs, and requiring little supervision. Theory Z captures more of Maslow’s relational management approach by emphasizing job rotation, skills development, belonging and company loyalty.
Recommended: Do Exercise 2 in Chapter 18.5, which asks you to reflect on the global economic crisis of 2008. You may also be interested to view the multi-award winning film “The Big Short,”(Trailer) which presents a critical perspective on the failure of business ethics in this crisis. You can access this film on Netflix or possibly at a public library. In Chapter 18.6, the three exercises that ask you to describe your own preferred management style, your best and worst bosses, and the management styles these bosses used. The videos that follow provide examples of intercultural business relations values from Chinese, Canadian and American perspectives. What similarities and differences do you notice between the political and economic contexts represented in these videos and those in your home country?
