In my previous post I reviewed on the importance of effective communication in teamwork.Today I am going to write about some observation of team behavior regarding intercultural communication.
Culture is a shared pattern among a group of people.These people will behave similarly in the way they live and interpret each other.Culture is a symbol for a specific human society.People of different cultural background may behave differently.This may pose some problem to a team consists of members of different cultural backgrounds.Hence,effective intercultural communication is important in ensuring the success of a team.
On the other hand,lack of knowledge of another culture may lead to embarrassing or amusing mistakes in communication.At the worst,such mistakes may confuse or even offend the people we wish to communicate with,reducing the effectiveness of teamwork.As a Chinese student,I observed that many of my Chinese friends tend to speak Chinese in group discussion if the majority of the team can understand.It may be convenient for them communicate that way but others who cannot understand the language may feel abandoned.In that way,nobody else will know what they think about and the whole team may lose many valuable ideas and suggestions.
Another interesting thing about Chinese people is that they like to be modest.If you ask them whether they want something or not they will probably say they do not want.However,it does not mean they really do not want it,they are just used to behave like that.If you ask them again,they may be very pleased to accept.Hence,if team members want to nominate a Chinese to be the team leader,do ask him or her more times to ensure whether he or she really want to accept the offer or not.
As the world today has become a globalized one,it is usual to have people of different cultural backgrounds together in a team.Therefore,it is important for us to know each other's culture and conducting effective intercultural communication.This in turn helps us to achieve personal as well as team success.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Li Kai,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. Your definition has given me a clear outlook on what culture is about, and it is indeed important since we’ll be working in a team made of people with different culture.
It is interesting that you brought out the fact that students tend to speak in their mother tongue language when around people of similar culture. It is especially true as I am one of them myself. It is hard for us not to speak in our mother tongue as it comes as a natural thing to communicate in a language know to your intended audience. However, to your unintended audience, it may seems to them that you could probably be criticising them, and they may feel hurt.
Knowing the culture of others is really important. As I was ignorant when I was young, I have offended some of my friends from other culture. It a mistake on my part, and I gradually learned a few aspects of their culture which helped me greatly even till now. As we were all young, they were not able to understand that I am unfamiliar with their culture and hence the misunderstandings.
Your post have given me a lot to learn from, and reflect upon my own actions in the past. It is not easy to maintain a good relationship with people from other culture, and we need to put in effort to make sure that it does not get worst. This is why we need to learn about intercultural communication.
Regards,
Ryan
Hi Likai,
ReplyDeleteThat was an extremely insightful post. Your definition of culture is very clear and precise and it is nice to see you recap the content from your previous post so that readers feel connected as you refresh our memories.
I am impressed by the interesting scenario you depicted. I enjoyed reading your observations because you provided a different angle to intercultural communication since you are not local. I am sure many of us tend to speak our mother tongue when around our friends, however, after reading your post, I shall make a mental note to take into account all of the audience be it intended or unintended to prevent accidental segregation.
I feel that your observation about people coming from China tend to be pretty humble to be very true. Many a times they tend to be enthusiastic and would participate actively when solving questions, their brilliant minds often leaving us in awe, however they would get very shy and modest when we praise them for their valuable contribution. I find this trait extremely commendable and it is an important aspect in our moral upbringing and emotional quotient.
Miscommunications often occur when we are not sensitive about the cultures of others. Even a simple act of pointing at something may be an insult to others. Hence it is always better to have a basic understanding of the cultures of our fellow peers to avoid saying or doing the wrong things by accident. All in all, your post greatly inspired me and once again it is a job well done and I look forward to your next post.
Regards,
Jay
Hi Li Kai,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very interesting definition of Culture. In particular, the first few sentences of paragraph two sort of contradict each other. I would not say it’s wrong, but I feel that it can be clearer and more concise. However, it was still a good effort in trying to define Culture with your own understanding.
More importantly from the different scenarios you illustrated, I can see that you clearly understand the importance of intercultural communication. I will assume that you are referring to foreign Chinese students in your case as I feel that local Chinese students are totally not modest at all. Certainly, we need to be sensitive to our listeners when we are communicating in a group. This is because we wouldn’t want to confuse our listeners with terms and phrases that associate with our own culture. For example, foreign students might not understand certain remarks like “on!” and “steady!” that are exclusive only to Singaporeans. I agree that sometimes people tend to encode their message using languages apart from English. However, this often only happens in casual conversations between friends and family members.
On the whole, your post has made me realize that intercultural communication is one of the key aspects that is essential for one to be successful in the globalized world today. Therefore, let us work harder together and improve in our intercultural communication skills.
Regards,
Hao Tan
P.S. Try to leave a space after a full stop.
Hi Li kai,
ReplyDeleteYour post has been very interesting. I agree with you on the point that while working as a team with people from different cultures, effective intercultural communication is very essential for achieving their goal .
The example clearly brings out the significance of intercultural communication when we work as a group where most of the members belong to the same culture. It is a common phenomenon that when many people belonging to the same culture are present in a group, they tend to talk in their mother tongue and it becomes very difficult for other people in the group to follow .Hence it hampers the development of the team as a whole and delays the achievement of the goal.
As our world becomes more globalized ,Inter cultural and interpersonal communication is necessary in order to connect to people. It was enjoyable reading your post.looking forward to your next post.
Regards
Abbinayaa
Hi Li Kai,
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving your comments on my blog.
Your post had a very interesting link between team and inter cultural factors. It is very true that every person brings in with him a different culture, which indeed can pose many problems in a group. However I would like to re-butt your point by arguing that having people from different culture can actually help in a group work as every person has his own perspective about each problem hence helping to solve a problem in a holistic way.
Your example is very relevant and insightful. After reading your post i personally got to learn something new about the Chinese people. I personally have experienced this before and hence i can relate to it very much. However to a small extent I feel the above example is a little stereotypical specially in context with todays generation since today the young generation are more English oriented.
Overall I really enjoyed reading your post. And in full agreement with you i also feel that inter cultural communication is very important for a team to work effectively.
Hope to read more of your ideas.
Regards
Ayushi Sisodiya