CHAPTER 11
The Challenges of
Intercultural Communication:
Managing Differences
Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.
MAHATMA GANDHIDifferences were what made up the human race; similarities were what made up
drones and clones.
VICKTOR ALEXANDERThe highest result of education is tolerance.
HELEN KELLERIntercultural Communication in a Dynamic World
The Renaissance philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli advised,“Whosoever desires
constant success must change his conduct with the times.” Although written
500 years ago, this advice clearly remains relevant today. To succeed in our rapidly
evolving globalized world, you must learn to recognize and manage the differences
brought about by near continuous sociocultural change, much of which is the result
of intercultural dynamics. Growingdomesticdiversity,increasingmigration,
enhanced transportation systems, the advance of information systems, interdepen-
dent economies, political developments, and global conflicts are bringing
people from different cultures and religions into contact with each other with a
regularity and urgency never seen. Indeed, by both chance and design, encounter-
ing people of different cultures is now common. This increased contact with people
who often speak another language and hold values different from yours has created
a critical need to develop and employ competent intercultural communication
skills.
To help you become an effective intercultural communicator, this final chapter is
designed to assist you in overcoming some of the common problems encountered
when interacting with people of other cultures. We begin by discussing the challenges
of entering another culture, followed by an examination of selected obstacles that can380
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