? Japan—collectivism
At the negotiating table, differences in this dimension can clearly cause serious conflict. Americans too often expect their Japanese counterparts to make decisions right at the negotiating table, and the Japanese are constantly surprised to find individual members of the American team promoting their own positions, decisions, and ideas, sometimes openly contradicting one another. Case 10 P97
? From which perspective of cultural dimension theory can you analyze the intercultural communication here? ? Individualism – Collectivism
? In Japan, the managers will take good care of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development of the company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own interests for the interests of the company. Also the right to decide usually lies with the dominating male.
? But for the French, individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families.
Uncertainty avoidance不确定性规避: High uncertainty avoidance &Low uncertainty avoidance Case 2:
? E.g. the superior & subordinate
? A Chinese or an American superior can accept more suggestions than a Japanese.
? The Chinese or American workers tend to do the work by themselves.
? The Japanese workers will finish the task exactly according to the order from the superior.
Power distance权力距离: High PD Culture &Low PD Culture Case 9 P96
? From which perspective of cultural dimension theory can you analyze the intercultural communication here? ? Power distance – hierarchy
? The man’s grandfather happened to drop in and began to comment on how the company had been formed and had been built up by the traditional practices that the young executives had recently discarded.
? The young man said nothing and just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.
? While Phil was confused and just started to protest.
? In Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles and gender.
? As a respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered
the inexperienced young chairman.
? In Japan, the grandfather seemed to be an absolute authority for the young chairman.
? Challenging or disagreeing with elders’ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient t to authority.
? In Western countries, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters much in such situations.
? Young children are encouraged to challenge authority and voice their opinions.
Masculinity-femininity刚柔性/ 男性度和女性度 Time-orientation时间导向 2). Model by Kluckhohn
1) = Human nature orientation 人性取向 2) = Man-nature orientation 人天取向 3) = Time orientation 时间取向 4) = Activity orientation 行为取向 5) = Social orientation 人际取向 Case study
During the American Civil War, a very hungry young man fell down in front of a farm gate. The farmer gave him food but in return he asked
the young man to move a pile of wood in his yard – in fact it was not at all necessary to move the wood. When the young man left, the farmer moved the wood back to its original place. Seeing all this, the farmer’s son was confused.
1. Why did the farmer do that?
Save face and dignity of the young man Accept --- Earn
2. What values are reflected in this story? Individualistic value system 3). Edward T. Hall’s Model
? Human communication is dependent on the context in which it occurs.
? Communicative contexts include the physical, sociological, and psychological environments. ? High- and Low-context cultures High-context Culture: 高语境文化
? In high-context messages, meaning is not necessarily contained in words. Information is provided through gestures, the use of space, and even silence. Meaning is also conveyed through status (age, sex, education, family background, title, and affiliation). ? Indirect verbal communication pattern ? Read between the lines
? Change little over time
? Examples of high-context cultures include Chinese, Japanese, Middle Easterners, etc. Low-context Culture: 低语境文化
? In low-context messages, the majority of the information is vested in the explicit code.
? Direct verbal communication pattern ? Send clear and persuasive message
? Examples of low-context cultures include English, North American, German, etc. P115
Case 1 Friendship
? Steve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He was excited to get to know an American. He wanted to learn more about American culture. Yaser hoped that he and Steve would become good friends.
? At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to eat lunch with him. But after the semester was over, Steve seemed more distant. The two former classmates didn’t see each other bery much at school. One day Yaser decided