Co-Cultural Communications Challenges

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Co-Cultural Communication Challenges

Respecting diversity is a sign of equality. But, to respect diversity, one must understand the terminology behind it. The typical stereotype of diversity is not just being different, but actually encompasses educational background, life differences, and cultures. In reality, diversity is simply a point or respect in which things differ. Instead, minority deals with ethnic, racial, religious, or other groups having a distinctive presence within a society. By clarifying the meaning of those two terms, then one can understand co-cultural communication. Culture is often the root of communication challenges. Culture can be defined as a system of shared of values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors. Also, culture is a group or community with which we share common experiences that shape the way we understand the world. In Texas we have a number of co-cultures (see Exhibit A). Co-cultures is defined as a group whose beliefs or behaviors distinguish it from the larger culture of which it is a part and with which it shares numerous similarities. Similarities include language, religion, economics, age, gender, and sexual orientation.

There are six fundamental patterns of co-cultural differences. These include different communication styles, different attitudes toward conflict, different approaches to completing tasks, different decision-making styles, different attitudes toward disclosure, and different approaches to knowing. Because America is the most diverse nation in the world, it is important to understand the different communication styles within the co-cultures in order to accept and respect what makes each of us unique.

The need to communicate is universal. Most misunderstandings among people result from different co-cultural experiences. Most of us desire to communicate effectively, but do not have a keen appreciation of the barriers to be faced. Because of these barriers, there is ample opportunity for something to go wrong in any communication. Effective communication is difficult under the best of conditions. Four specific problems related to language difficulties that typically arise in co-cultural communication include semantics, word connotations, tonal differences, and different perceptions.




Webster defines semantics as “the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs; connotative meaning; the language used (as in advertising or political propaganda) to achieve a desired effect on an audience especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings.” Simply put, almost every commonly used word has more than one meaning. Also, words have regional meanings or derive new meanings as a result of the development of new industries or fields. The meaning conveyed by the senders words depends upon the experience and attitude of the receiver. Therefore, one way to penetrate the semantic communication barrier is for the sender to strive to speak or write in terms of the receivers experience and attitude.

Combined with semantics, word connotation is a common communication barrier. Word connotation is a word’s association with social attitude, evaluation, emotional affect, etc. Words often have essentially the same denotation, but different connotations. The dictionary definition is known as a denotation. The attached meaning a receiver might associate with a word is known as a connotation. For example, the boss wants an employee to pick up a cheap calculator. Now, does the employee define that word as inexpensive or poorly made? When sending a message, analyze the words to determine what connotation a receiver might attach.

Also, tonal differences can be a barrier in the communication process. Tonal differences include accent and dialect, pronunciation, fluency, emotion, etc. In American English, nonstandard dialects exist within all racial, ethnic and regional groups. Each dialect is a product of distinct social, historical, cultural and educational factors. All are legitimate in that they represent the concepts, needs and intentions of their speakers.

Finally, an individual’s perceptions have an effect on the communication process. Perception is a three-phase process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information. Perceptual biases occur when people react to stimuli in the environment in very different ways. We each have shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication. Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact have these characteristics. Effective communication requires deciphering the basic values, motives, aspirations, and assumptions that operate across geographical lines. Given some dramatic differences across cultures in approaches to such areas as time, space, and privacy, the opportunities for miscommunication while we are in cross-cultural situations are plentiful.

In both todays markets place and at home, the challenge to be open minded and put aside prejudice and stereotypes are more of a challenge then ever. The crisis in the Middle East has brought prejudice back to the national forefront. Many Americans look at people with Middle-Eastern features and assume they are terrorist. Without any provocation or prompting an act of prejudice or stereotyping can happen. An American Airlines captain put a middle easterner off the aircraft soon after the September 11th tragedy. The gentleman had not done anything wrong. He had passed all the heighten security checks, and he had a paid in fully ticket. Because of the Captains prejudice or stereotyping the middle-eastern gentleman was delayed and humiliated. There are many other cases like this since the September 11th tragedy. We as Americans must look for ways to better understand the various cultures that make up or country, and rise above these acts of prejudice and stereotyping.

Learning how to live and work in a co-cultural society comes in many forms and facets. It can start as early as school age children. In many schools, co-cultural menus are starting to flourish. Some schools whose population is a particular ethnicity are attempting to provide more ”American” food. Lyons Township HS, North Campus, La Grange, IL, has tried fusion cooking to support the schools diversity program. The school adopts a culture each month then provides entr�e’s, main courses and soups from that culture. This gives the students a look at the co-cultures that make up their school, their neighborhoods and their towns.

At Yeshiva Ohr Torah School in Manhattan, the 400 plus students are all of the Jewish religion. The school in trying to teach both how co-cultures make up their city, along with keeping to their strict Kosher diets. The school does this by making kid favorites like pizza, but ensuring the ingredients are made within the kosher requirements. The milk for the cheese is made to kosher specifications. Only plain cheese and vegetables are used with kosher seasoning. Soy products are made to look and taste like pepperoni and sausage. All this is so the children of the strict Jewish discipline can adhere to their beliefs, but learn about others.

Learning about co-cultures is also something big business is doing today. Take Kmart for instance. They have created a position of the chief officer of diversity. Her name is Randy Allen and she reports directly to Kmarts Chairman and CEO Chuck Conway. Her responsibility will be to oversee the companys multi-cultural activities.

In addition to Randy, Kmart has hired Rose Reza as the senior vice president, multi-cultural merchandizing. Roses job will be to develop merchandizing assortment appropriate for the many communities so that the company will be able to connect with the many co-cultures that make up the Kmart customer base.

Finally, Sears has stepped out with its new flagship co-cultural store in Chicago. The 50,000 square-foot store is in the old State Street shopping district. It will carry the normal Sears products, along with gowns that are more African American inspired and more hard lines aimed at apartment dwellers. Since these are the co-cultures that make up the surrounding area, Sears feels like this will bring in more of the community to shop at their store. Sears is also in the process of spending $0 million to renovate six other Chicago stores to make them more community friendly and stock them with the surround co-culture in mind.

There are many issues at stake here. How can the co-cultures flourish with todays issues at hand? How can the children of tomorrow understand co-cultures and not have a prejudice or stereotype about someone because of the way they look or the food they eat. And how can they learn to deal with prejudice when they see it so they can learn why someone is prejudice and maybe have a better understanding. With the programs in place from the school in Manhattan to the business across America, society is learning that many co-cultures exist all around them. To survive today, the question is will America learn to live with these co-cultures.

Why does co-cultural diversity matter? Anytime a group or segment of our population is excluded or oppressed, all of us are denied. It has become a matter of increased importance for businesses to understand and take appropriate actions concerning co-cultural diversity. When all segments are respected and utilized, everyone benefits. The management of co-cultural diversity has been accepted and deemed very important in American businesses. Employers now recognize that a co-culturally diverse workforce is a benefit, that not only brings down the cost of absenteeism and employee turnover, but also can increase their bottom line. This importance has been recognized and now surpasses the legal/moral issue, into one of business necessity.

Each of us, in our own way, can make a difference. We have the power to create a respectful workplace, classroom or society as a whole. We first must identify our own attitudes, delete group labels and work toward the common goal of understanding and acceptance.

Sometimes the most difficult concept to understand and accept is that, everyone is equal to everyone else… yet, each of us is different.

What makes us different? How do we negotiate our similarities and differences? It must be recognized and understood that all people belong to a particular group’. Because of the uniqueness of the group, one is often proud to wear its label and belong. However, a person does not succeed-or-fail-merely because of belong that particular group. As long as we respect personal differences as being important and are truly responsive to the fact that being different is okay, we become part of the solution.

People come in all sizes and colors, speak many languages, eat different foods, wear different clothes, are smart in some things… and not so smart in others. But the same world is home to all of us.

Diversity isnt just a concept; it should be a way of life. It is a misnomer to assume that our government can legislate our perceptions. It may be illegal to discriminate, but only if one is caught. Prejudice cannot be banished by laws, or controlled with fear. No one is born intolerant it is learned and practiced. The only way to unravel the bundle of fear, or misconceptions, we have of each other is to talk. The thought process or conceptions about each group must be broken down and re-evaluated. None of us have a monopoly on how to live correctly. Instead, we need to be open-minded to the differences in each of us. It may be the road-less-traveled, but it is that road that we must all travel. For it is the diversity that makes us all equal.



Exhibit A

Texas U.S.

Population 000 0,851,80 81,41,06

Population, percent change, 10 to 000 .8% 1.1%

Persons under 18 years old, percent, 000 8.% 5.7%

Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 000 .% 1.4%

White persons, percent, 000 (a) 71.0% 75.1%

Black or African American persons, percent, 000 (a) 11.5% 1.%

American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 000 (a) 0.6% 0.%

Asian persons, percent, 000 (a) .7% .6%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 000 (a) 0.1% 0.1%

Persons reporting some other race, percent, 000 (a) 11.7% 5.5%

Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 000 .5% .4%

Female population, percent, 000 50.4% 50.%

Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 000 (b) .0% 1.5%

White persons, not of Hispanic/Latino origin, percent, 000 5.4% 6.1%



References

Pearson, J.C., & Nelson, P.E. (000). An Introduction to Human Communication Understanding and Sharing (8 ed.). New York McGraw-Hill Companies.

SBA Online Women’s Business Center (17, May). The Value of Cultural Diversity. Retrieved November 5, 001 from the World Wide Web http//www.onlinewbc.gov/diversity.html

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