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Cultural Sensitivity in International Communication
Any successful business relies on international cooperation on different levels in the modern globalized world. While incorporating workers from different backgrounds and cultures into a team is a general practice, communicating with international clients can have issues for both sides if certain cultural specifics are not considered. Intercultural communication is most effective when based on mutual professional trust that requires specific approaches on a case-to-case basis. While there is no definitive universal guidance on building such relationships, there are certain recommendations and strategies to facilitate cultural sensitivity and build effective and efficient cooperation that are discussed in this paper.
High levels of international co-dependence and cooperation characterize todays international business environment. More and more firms embrace these conditions by developing international joint ventures (Khalid & Ali, 2017). Being a product of two or more business entities, such alliances are usually characterized by pursuing a common goal. In these conditions, building mutual trust between firms is essential for effective cooperation. However, despite being the basis of inter-organizational relationships, trust is not always built easily if specific cultural differences cannot be overcome. Culturally similar partners often share a similar way of thinking and perceiving methods and goals, which makes building trust and effective cooperation easier (Khalid & Ali, 2017). While significantly different cultures are inherently more challenging to build trust-based cooperation with, enhancing partners cultural sensitivity can improve the chances for it. Certain strategies exist to facilitate higher cultural sensitivity in the team, such as intercultural awareness training programs, encouraging informal communication, and mutually minimizing culture-specific business behavior (Khalid & Ali, 2017). These measures ultimately aim to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and conflicts and develop mutual professional and personal respect.
It is vital for managers working with international clients and aiming at building trust-based business relationships to keep in mind that trust is developed meticulously through specific processes. Different inter-organizational relationships develop out of specific circumstances and require unique approaches for each case based on multiple factors, such as the partners reputation and possible prior alliance experiences (Khalid & Ali, 2017). Additionally, several structural prerequisites for successful cooperation are highly dependent on the levels of cultural sensitivity and mutual understanding. Establishing companies interdependence, balanced ownership, and adequate resource complementary between the partners are the key ways to reduce opportunism in business relationships (Khalid & Ali, 2017). Recognizing and respecting the partners agency and point of view requires determination and certain concessions, but potential future benefits usually outweigh any losses.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected economically, socially, and culturally, businesses follow globalization and seek ways to build international cooperation. Even in such conditions, certain cultural barriers may arise in professional communication requiring an attentive and responsible approach from all parties involved to establish professional connections despite possible cultural differences. While trust is the most fundamental aspect of interpersonal interactions, it is not inherent to business alliances such as now-popular joint international ventures relying instead on mutual concessions and dedications, cultural and structural. Those include facilitating cultural sensitivity among the partners and making the parties deeply interdependent, thus making the process and the effect of achieving the common goal not only mutually profitable but easier to agree upon. Therefore, managers should consider the social and structural antecedents of trust discussed in this paper and implement them into business communications with international clients.
Reference
Khalid, S., & Ali, T. (2017). An integrated perspective of social exchange theory and transaction cost approach on the antecedents of trust in international joint ventures. International Business Review, 26(3), 491501. Web.
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