HUE UNIVERSITY INFORMATICS AND OPEN INSTITUTE ASSIGNMENT ON LANGUAGE AND CULTURE TOPIC 6: CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE Lecturer: Nguyễn Văn Tuấn Student: Nguyễn Thảo Linh Class: Nghệ An TP Vinh, tháng năm 2023 I Introduction In today's era of cultural integration, cross-cultural communication plays an increasingly important role Cross-cultural communication has an important impact on the workplace, especially in today's global business environment Cross-cultural communication creates problems for effective communication Issues of intercultural communication extend beyond the spoken and written languages of other cultures Barriers are due to differences in semantics, word meanings, differences in tone and perception In that, non-verbal communication has different meanings in different countries and we need to learn more about this In today's workplace, cross-cultural communication is essential It plays an important role in the functioning of an organization and also influences the end result Whether the team works effectively or not, communication plays an important role Although the interaction between cultures is not new and has existed for a long time, with the advent of globalization, the world has come closer together No wonder people have to travel to different parts of the world as part of their job and have to adapt to that new environment However, adapting is not always easy and a little bit of support from a colleague will greatly help the immigration officer's 'integration' process Here we will explore the importance of cross-cultural communication II Content Important factors Intercultural communication mainly deals with matters related to the speech and culture of people belonging to a different environment or land from them Obviously, someone who grew up in Vietnam will have a different culture than someone born and raised in the United States, France Even countries with many cultural similarities like Vietnam and China, Japan also have differences In the work environment, these cultures affect the behavior and values of the employees How they respond to superiors, to colleagues and to subordinates, are all determined by the culture they have been bred in Their attitude towards and their comprehension about their surroundings is also different Their pattern of communication is varied and their concept of formality and informality is different When a person has to work in a country that is not his own and is exposed to cultural changes, he experiences a 'culture shock' Culture shock is defined as a feeling of anxiety and disorientation when a person is forced to operate in an unfamiliar culture In such cases, programs that promote intercultural communication and encourage healthy communication between employees of different cultures are needed to facilitate adjustment This is extremely important because the environment impacts the performance of employees, locals or immigrants The only way you can get the best out of them is to create a positive environment for them to embrace and move on And we need time to slowly get used to the new culture Cultural integration in general and culture in particular as Vietnam is currently in the period of integration and development, so meeting and working with friends from different countries is inevitable At work, if you understand a lot about other people's culture, it will make people trust and appreciate you more A good relationship in the workplace will be established when between you and the subject there is an understanding of how to communicate When communicating with many different cultures, each of us will expand and cultivate new knowledge to better ourselves Every culture has its own unique characteristics, there will be things that you feel are appropriate and inappropriate For example, when you work in an environment with many foreigners, you may choose to learn their good cultural traits to see yourself lacking or incomplete in some aspect Communication and behavior in the workplace become more professional In addition, intercultural communication gives you the opportunity to promote the good image of Vietnamese people, helping them understand and sympathize with some of the problems in our country We can learn more good things from your culture, but also compare and consider the differences Knowing more about different cultures will help you avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts with foreigners Communicating in the workplace will help us maintain and build stronger, stronger relationships For businesses: Office communication culture plays a great role in the development of businesses, helping businesses become more united and flourishing It can be seen that the large corporations that are leading the market are those with good working environment and office culture For individuals: Good communication and behavior bring many opportunities for us on the career path A dynamic, creative and professional working environment will make everyone feel comfortable and respected Examples of office communication culture Some typical features in the office communication culture of Vietnamese people in general and office workers in particular are often seen: Vietnamese people attach great importance to keeping good relationships with people, but they are quite shy in front of crowds and interact with many strangers Before starting a conversation, people often find out information about the topic first to be able to address as well as better understand the other person's lifestyle, views, etc The language used in communication by Vietnamese people is very rich Smile is one of the communication habits of Vietnamese people, as well as questions about health, family, and food How to aid intercultural communication in the workplace Cultural differences will cause unfortunate misunderstandings in the work environment So misunderstandings due to cultural barriers can be avoided and the adjustment process for an immigration officer can be easier if the organization makes an effort to make him feel welcome Remember, he may have had a hard time learning the language or just adapting to such drastic changes 2.1 Maintaining a positive attitude Before interacting with employees of different cultures, we should prepare in advance in terms of knowledge as well as skills Employees of dominant cultures in the workplace need to identify their own attitudes towards other cultures and this attitude will affect their overall communication with people of other cultures such as how This thought process is often influenced by certain stereotypes and stereotypes, these prejudices and stereotypes must be set aside when interacting with immigration officers and their abilities should be evaluated on an individual level We must understand that there are certain differences between cultures and cannot say what is right or wrong, or impose our subjective thoughts on the other person 2.2 Understanding diversity Employees of indigenous cultures are educated about other cultures so that they can accept and understand the concept of diversity in the workplace The standards of self-righteous culture cannot be imposed on others Any person who carries his or her values, ethics and his culture wherever he goes Not only that, people from other cultures also make an effort to learn and quickly integrate into the host community 2.3 Discourage racism and discrimination First, after recruiting, the leadership must have an appropriate education mechanism for employees Ultimately, the best way to promote healthy intercultural communication is to prevent racism and discrimination by strongly advocating a policy of non-discrimination This will prevent any embarrassing situations that could lead to serious problems between colleagues While personal attitudes cannot be changed, communication in the workplace can only be positive if those rules are followed Taking the steps outlined above will certainly bring about the much-needed healthy intercultural communication in the workplace Remember that all of this will not only enhance the reputation of the organization and the country in the eyes of the immigration officer, but he will gladly accept it and dedicate himself to the job Undeniable The importance of communication in the workplace, given the fact that in an organization, people from different social and professional backgrounds work together for the same goals Effective communication between employees brings many benefits to the company For example, the culture of napping in Vietnam is a very special point for many foreigners 2.4 Creates job satisfaction If the work environment is friendly, where subordinates are encouraged to communicate their ideas to the manager on work-related issues and their feedback is given due consideration, it will promote employees perform better and make them feel valued in the organization Therefore, effective communication in the workplace helps to build loyalty and trust, which ultimately leads to more job satisfaction Job performance as well as employee loyalty is related to communication and management 2.5 Increases productivity Effective communication at work is the most important issue for the success and failure of an organization Every organization has a set of clearly defined goals, objectives and vision The manager should be able to clearly explain to his employees these goals and ensure that all his team members are working towards the same objective He also needs to communicate to his employees their job responsibilities and duties, ways and protocol of doing work as well as the results which are expected of them If the manager is clear in his communication, the subordinates will know exactly what the organization wants and thus, will be able to deliver the same to the best of their abilities Thus, the importance of communication skills can be judged from the fact that it leads to better deliverance of work, increasing workplace productivity 2.6 Formation of relationships Friendly communication, whether between employee and manager or between manager and employee, leads to the formation of better personal and professional relationships This makes employees feel truly cared for and valued, and they are more likely to be loyal to the company This creates a friendly environment and fosters better working relationships that benefit both employees and the company 2.7 Proper utilization of resources If an organization faces problems, crisis and conflicts due to miscommunication between the employees, it causes unnecessary delays in the daily work This leads to wastage of resources and lowers the overall work productivity So an environment of good communication is a must for any organization to better utilize its resources and increase productivity III Conclusion Communication at work is an extremely important soft skill, it contributes significantly to the success of the job If employees are satisfied working in an organization, there is no denying the fact that the future of that organization is absolutely secure All organizations today should create an environment in which work-related issues, plans, problems, opinions, thoughts and ideas are discussed and handled professionally, proficiency through active and effective communication Communication, like all human behavior, is unconsciously driven by deep cultural values and preferences for specific value groups that generate distinctive patterns of communication In today's multicultural work environment, it is increasingly important to understand the underlying values that influence our own communication styles and those of our employees, and to be able to resolve differences effectively Open and check for clarity and understanding in order to enhance our cooperation, our success and our relationship