Dialogue Guidelines: The Only U.S. Communicator on the Team

Global Business Challenge

TEXT BOOK ATTACHED BELOW Following the Dialogue Guidelines: Interact with the other students and the instructor on the case, “The Only U.S. Communicator on the Team” located at the back of the text, "Fundamentals of Organizational Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values" (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, 9th Ed.) on page 452. Begin with the case questions and go beyond the questions to look for and comment on the similarities to your own organization or to organizations with which you are familiar. Respond to, challenge, and critique the posts of two other students with the focus being to expand the understanding of the whole group. Each post should be between 200-300 words and include academic references. RESPOND TO POST 1 Global Business Challenge Martinez failed to anticipate, perhaps unfairly, the reactions to her taking charge over and questioning the output and efforts of male coworkers amidst the cultural differences found between Chinese and American societies. First, Martinez did not account for the gender stereotyping that runs throughout many Asian cultural and business institutions. In Asian society, women in the global workplace face significant leadership hurdles due to females being commonly cast into specific gender roles that align with subordinate or submissive behaviors instead of the power-projecting characteristics of the prototypical senior manager (Saleem et al., 2017, p. 299). More importantly, the American retail advertiser neglected to communicate effectively with her foreign counterparts because she did not approach the situation with an understanding of the impact of Chinese cultural collectivism, resulting in her being perplexed over Wang and Griffith’s hesitancy towards operating without management’s consent. Gut et al. (2017) pointed out that, as a result of overall Chinese society, China’s professionals tend to communicate and make decisions within the bounds of social interdependence as opposed to doing so in the individualistic manner that is commonplace among American businesspersons (p. 7). Due to the realities of the contemporary global business landscape, Zhou, as a senior leader and someone seemingly familiar with international cultural interactions, could have better prepared Martinez to approach Wang and Griffith with her proposals. According to Presbitero and Teng-Calleja (2019), a global business leader’s level of cultural intelligence is essential not only in guiding international organizations towards successful endeavors, but also in building and maintaining global teams that operate effectively despite substantial ethical, cultural, and social dissimilarities (p. 1392). References: Gut, A., Wilczewski, M., & Gorbaniuk, O. (2017). Cultural differences, stereotypes and communication needs in intercultural communication in a global multicultural environment: The employees' perspective. Intercultural Communication, (43), 1-13. http://eres.regent.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.regent.edu/scholarly-journals/cultural-differences-stereotypes-communication/docview/1963399084/se-2?accountid=13479 Presbitero, A., & Teng-Calleja, M. (2019). Ethical leadership, team leader’s cultural intelligence and ethical behavior of team members. Personnel Review, 48(5), 1381-1392. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2018-0016 Saleem, S., Rafiq, A., & Yusaf, S. (2017). Investigating the glass ceiling phenomenon: An empirical study of glass ceiling's effects on selection-promotion and female effectiveness. South Asian Journal of Business Studies, 6(3), 297-313. http://eres.regent.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.regent.edu/scholarly-journals/investigating-glass-ceiling-phenomenon/docview/1962023897/se-2?accountid=13479 RESPOND TO POST 2 Dialogue 3 - Cultural intelligence COLLAPSE Moving positions within a company presents challenges, but moving to a different country demands careful attention to sensitive cultural matters. Jeri seems to have jumped into the situation quickly without first evaluating the individuals, the group, and the circumstances. Proverbs 9:2 says, "It is not good for a man to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way" (Revised Standard Version). Neeley (2017) suggests establishing common ground between individuals from different cultures before working together. The new employee should have evaluated her effectiveness at her local level compared to the global level (Neeley, 2017). "Organizational identification" creates a connection to the company, creating cohesion between employees (Neeley, 2017). Jeri could have established a feeling of goodwill if she had tried to learn a little of the native language (Peterson, 2004, p. 91). Instead, Peterson (2004) recommends learning "international business English" which includes avoiding idiomatic statements, using problematic, flowery words, and speaking hurriedly (pp. 191-193). Peterson also recommends asking people in the group for confirmation of understanding what is being communicated. Feedback will ensure everyone is on the same page (2004, p. 192). In talking with my manager about her previous work experience, her last employer required all employees to take culture intelligence training. This training helped her understand the nuances of communicating with individuals in global offices such as Israel. Gertsen discovered this type of training provides awareness and creates a positive inclination toward the culture and the country's people (1990, pp. 352-353). The Shangai manager, Zhou, could provide impromptu training to help Jeri navigates the new territory. Earley and Mosakowski (2004) recommend managers of culturally diverse teams avoid making quick judgments about disputes between workers (p. 140). It is essential to know what is a misunderstanding and what is intentional resistance. References: Earley, P. C., & Mosakowski, E. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Harvard Business Review, 82(10), 139-158. Gertsen, M. C. (1990). Intercultural competence and expatriates. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1(3), 341-362. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585199000000054 Neeley, T. (2017, Aug 29). How to successfully work across countries, languages, and cultures. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/08/how-to-successfully-work-across-countries-languages-and-cultures Peterson, B. (2004). Cultural intelligence: A guide to working with people from other cultures. Intercultural Press.