Communication Between Cultures

prison. Myanmar has a national law prohibiting the insulting, damaging, or destruc-

tion of any religion, and the Facebook posting was considered an insult.^18

Decision Making

A central part of any business venture is decision making. Every executive and man-

ager, regardless of culture, must continually weigh a range of variables and decide on

the best course of action. In a globalized organization, culture takes on added impor-

tance in decision making. In diverse contexts, such as personnel management, new

product development, market expansion, and sales campaigns, cultural norms have

significant impact. Global managers must weigh cultural variables for both domestic

and international markets while managing cultural differences among employees, cli-

ents, and any other stakeholders. Globalization has also increased awareness of the

role of culture in the decision-making process. Effective multinational corporation

managers must understandwhomakes decisions andhowthose decisions are made.

Table 10.4 compares decision-making styles in Northeast Asian and selected Western

cultures.

Broadly speaking, decision making for Northeast Asians is a collectivistic process

that attempts to reach an orchestrated consensus that sustains group harmony and

preserves the participants’face. There are, however, distinct differences among the

three cultures.“Leader-mediated compromise”is how Wenzhong, Grove, and Enping

TABLE 10.3 Attitudes Toward Work^17

STATUTORY MINIMUM ANNUAL DAYS LEAVE

NATION DAYS

• United States 0


• China  10


• South Korea ^15


• Russia  20


• Brazil  20


• France  24

TABLE 10.4 Cultural Variations in Decision Making

NORTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

(China,Japan, Korea)

WESTERN NATIONS

(Australia, Canada, United Kingdom,

United States)

• Deliberative • Delegated authority


• Consensus oriented • Individual oriented


• Shared responsibility • Individual responsibility


• Group cohesion and harmony • Positive results
  Source:E.R.McDaniel.

Intercultural Communication in Globalized Business 349

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