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Abstract

There has been, over the last few years, a lot of cross-cultural communication that multinational companies have to deal with. ‘Culture is communication and communication is culture’, opines Edward Hall, renowned anthropologist. This definition of culture clearly establishes the strong influence of culture on communication. The culture and values that shape the lives of individuals are essentially different in different countries and communities. Though there may be some generalization that may be applicable across a lot of cultures, the finer difference in values always exists. Culture governs our thought process and perception. Our dressing sense, cuisine, body language and our mannerisms are all shaped by culture. Before the invasion from the West and much before the multinationals spread their tentacles all over India, cross-cultural communication was restricted to a few top-level managers and senior officials who used their experience and exposure to handle culture-related communication barriers. However, a young executive employed in an MNC or a fresh graduate working in a BPO has to communicate with people across the globe on a daily basis, chiefly through telephone conversations and e-mailing. Most of them have no first-hand knowledge or information about the cultural background of their clients, thereby resulting in lack of preparedness to deal with them effectively. It often leads to misunderstanding. At times, the other person may not even be aware that he has offended the sensibilities of his client. What may be perfectly acceptable and natural in one culture may appear strange to a person belonging to another culture. If employees therefore are trained about the culture, behaviour and values of the people with whom they are likely to communicate, it will foster healthy and respectful relations, and difficulties arising out of cultural differences can be minimized. The present paper will try to investigate the shared values and behavioural patterns that are expected from people of diverse cultures to be termed as corporate culture. Most of the times, it becomes difficult to identify the variations in culture and ethnicity because of overlap between groups. These differences due to language or dialect create barriers that affect communication. The value system and beliefs of individuals also influence understanding, accepting or rejecting a message.

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