Barriers to Intercultural Communication: Examples & Strategies
Introduction
One of the most unique aspects about the South African culture is that it does not consist of only one culture, but rather many different cultures, which has led to South Africa being known as the “Rainbow Nation'. One’s culture is shaped by many forces namely religion, customs, beliefs, values, language, and other characteristics shared by groups of people. The hospitality industry is known for its culturally diverse workplaces and operations. A diverse workforce allows for a positive organizational culture which in turn promotes competitive advantage. Furthermore, the hospitality industry has experienced an increase in internationalization and globalization over the past decade allowing people to travel more, thereby increasing our exposure to culturally diverse societies. However, issues may occur when people from different cultural backgrounds misunderstand each other. This breakdown in intercultural communication may occur amongst co-workers as well as between hotel guests and employees. Intercultural communication involves sharing information (sending and receiving) among people of various cultures. In this essay, I will discuss the five barriers to intercultural communication namely ethnocentrism, stereotypes, prejudice, language, and nonverbal communication. Furthermore, this essay will highlight some examples of each barrier and the strategies necessary to overcome them within the hospitality industry.
Ethnocentrism
We are all born into a particular culture and have our own learned set of values, beliefs, religions etc. It is therefore inevitable that this learned culture is adopted as the norm and considered to be correct. When faced with people of different cultures who all think differently, we tend to view them as wrong or peculiar. The above-mentioned view contributes to ethnocentrism, which is the first barrier to intercultural communication I wish to discuss. The concept of ethnocentrism was first coined by William Sumner, who defined it as 'the technical name for the view of things in which one's own group is the center of everything, and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it.'
Ethnocentrism is therefore regarded as considering one’s own culture as being superior to others and in turn judging other cultures in relation to your own standards.
As stated before South Africa has a very diverse workforce. Muslim women observe HIJAB (covering the head and the body) because their Prophet has told them to do so. Secondly, it allows them to be evaluated according to their ability and skill rather than their looks. Muslim women employees may find other women employees to be extremely immoral and immodest as they do not cover their bodies from head to toe when at work in the public eye. This could be viewed as disrespectful and a breakdown in communication can occur. Greeting a guest in the appropriate manner is very important as it creates a positive first impression. Different cultures each have a unique way of greeting e.g. Taiwanese people greet by pressing their hands together in a prayer fashion and slightly bowing their heads, the Japanese greet by bowing and in the Western World greeting is done by a handshake. If you refuse to bow when greeting a Japanese guest, insisting on shaking hands instead, you are displaying ethnocentrism. Guests who are not greeted accordingly may feel that they are not valued. ... Thus, communication is unproductive and pointless. Employees can also experience ethnocentrism from guests. When visiting South Africa, guests may judge South Africa based upon their comparison with their native country and assume that South Africa is undeveloped due to the load shedding, etc. Perhaps if the guest stopped to think of South Africa’s history they may not have made the assumption that South Africa is inferior to their country.
Effective management of culturally different people is crucial as it contributes to the success of the hospitality industry. It is vital to initiate and reinforce an awareness of cultural diversity among hospitality employees through many training and inclusion programs as well as additional initiatives (e.g. celebrating international holidays, tasting the cuisine of different cultures, etc.). It is also important to train staff on how to handle a guest that displays ethnocentrism as guests should always be dealt with in a courteous way. By training staff and helping them to understand different cultures we are in investing in the long-term growth of our industry.
Stereotyping
Stereotyping is the second barrier to intercultural communication that I wish to discuss. A stereotype is defined as a “generalized belief about a particular group or class of people” . In other words, stereotyping are assumptions made about a group of people which are applied to individuals irrespective of their personal characteristics purely because they are associated with a certain group. It was once believed that only bigoted people used stereotypes, but the truth is that we all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. The negative effects stereotypes have on intercultural communication are boundless. Stereotyping acts as a barrier to communication in the workplace as it allows employees to make pre-conceived judgments about their colleagues/guests which are unsupported. This eventually leads to barriers such as dread, agitation, disinterest, suspicion, and fear.
Asian people are considered to be clever and hardworking because they excel at school and in their tertiary education studies. This unfair assumption works against employees who have the same qualification and/or skills, who are driven, hardworking, and have a strong work ethic. As a result of this assumption, Asian people may be the first choice when recruiting for the hospitality industry. Asian people may also be promoted ahead of equally competent co-workers. Cape Town has a very large Colored community and the stereotype that all Coloureds have no front teeth can negatively affect them in obtaining jobs in the hospitality industry. Most of the jobs in the hospitality industry are jobs where the personnel are in direct contact with guests. To many guests, no front teeth may not be aesthetically appealing and may be offensive to the guest. For this reason, the Human resource department may overlook a Coloureds application before even inviting them to be interviewed. Not only does stereotyping break down barriers between co-workers, but it can also be associated with guests which ultimately affects the type of service a guest receives. An excellent example of how stereotyping a guest changes the kind of service offered is the stereotype that all Jews are stingy. The Jewish guest will receive a lower standard of customer service as the waiter assumes that they will receive a lower gratuity from that guest.
To counter stereotyping in the hotel industry, employees need to be educated about people’s differences, their pasts, and their concerns. This can be achieved through diversity training. Diversity training includes workshops where role-playing can help employees review typical situations that lead to negative stereotyping. Furthermore, team-building exercises that encompass inclusivity and building bonds is necessary in order for employees to learn about different types of people. Sharing information and knowledge about different cultures is imperative in order to reach a common understanding and cultural inclusion. Knowledge sharing leads to a more creative workforce which drives innovation. Hospitality industries that are invested in training their staff in reducing stereotyping will be more successful in creating a more diverse workforce which in turn leads to increased productivity and increased employee loyalty.
Prejudice
Stereotypes give rise to the third barrier to intercultural communication I wish to discuss namely, prejudice. The word 'prejudice' has Latin roots' and means to judge before. Cañas & Sondak stated that prejudice is a “preconceived idea or negative attitude formed before the facts are known”. Prejudice is thus a negative or unfair opinion formed about someone before you have met that person and is not based on any interaction or experience with that person. When prejudice leads to incorrect conclusions about other people, it can break down intercultural communication and lead to feelings of hostility and resentment. When these pre-judged opinions are acted upon, discrimination may occur.
Many examples of prejudice exist in the hospitality industry. One example would be if the owner of a large hotel chain chooses not to employ people of a certain race because he believes them to be inferior to other races. This is discrimination based upon a kind of prejudice called racism. . Prejudice amongst co-workers may exist when an employee refuses to work alongside and assist another employee of a different religion e.g. a Christian employee not wanting to assist a Jewish co-worker with work. This is discrimination based upon a prejudice called anti-Semitism.
Prejudice can be extended to the guests as well. An example would be if guests of a certain race had to pay for their hotel meals immediately while other guests of different races could charge it to their rooms.
One of the most important strategies implemented to combat prejudice is offering diversity training to the employees. Diversity training helps co-workers value each other’s cultures rather than fear them. Diversity training can be in the form of instruction e.g. watching videos or interactive e.g. discussions. Another important strategy is to actively recruit culturally diverse employees so that the workplace is represented by all cultures and ethnic groups. This must not only be limited to employees but also applies to board members, directors, and managers. When power is shared by leaders of different cultures, prejudice in the organization is reduced. It is also vital that the organization implement policies that eliminate prejudice in the workplace and provides the platform necessary for disciplinary action against prejudice complaints. The organization must furthermore comply with the government's Employment Equity Act and the Labour Relations Act in order to prevent prejudice and unfair discrimination.
Language
International travel is a rapidly growing activity entailing cross-cultural communication between hosts and guests from different linguistic backgrounds. There is therefore a growing worldwide need for front-line staff (as hosts) in the hospitality industry who are able to communicate
Hotels can make their accommodations “hotel ready” by having a welcoming letter for Chinese travelers that explains the services that are available to them. Experts at the seminar also advised hotel operators to provide at least one Mandarin-speaking employee and to provide a listing of nearby Chinese restaurants with directions to each one.
So, learning a language does not mean only learning words. It also means that we need to learn the cultural contexts that are embedded in the language itself. Languages reflect our cultural experiences. For example, if you hear someone say that ginger is warm food, and melons are chilly food, in English, it may make little sense individuals from the United Kingdom and Japan typically keep tight control of their emotions, while Italians and French are more comfortable showing their feelings. Loud talking might embarrass an Englishman, for example, but an Italian may just be expressing excitement. Differences in culture and communication styles can even cause fear. As a result of this anxiety, people from different cultures may pull back and avoid trying to communicate at all, reports Kathy McKeiver, Coordinator of International Student Academic Advising at Northern Arizona University and chair of the Global Engageme Hotels rely on a lot of non-English-speaking staff members—most notably in housekeeping. Obviously, language barriers can cause a variety of problems in the workplace, especially in hospitality, where communication is key. The best strategies in overcoming these issues involve finding common ground and using it as everyone’s reference point, which works in both large- and small-scale ways. While two people may technically speak the same language, dialectal differences can make communication between them difficult. Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people.
Most of the people in the world do not speak English or, even if they use, it is their second or third language. If the speaker and receiver do not use the same language and words, there is no meaning to the communication. Not using the words that the other person understands makes the communication ineffective and prevents the message from being conveyed.
The accents and dialect (use of words) of people belonging to different places differs even if their language is the same. Though the languages are technically the same in people using different dialects and accents, the meanings, implications, and interpretations of words are different, which may lead to various kinds of conflicts. For example, if a Scottish farmer talks to a person from London, they do not understand most of the words the other says even though they both speak English. The words ham and bacon can be used interchangeably in Scotland but they are different in England.
Similarly, pidgin is the simplified language used between people who do not speak a common language. The implications of words and phrases can create misunderstandings. For example, the abbreviation “LOL” used in chat language used to mean Lots of Love before, which changed to Laugh Out Loud. If a person says LOL, the second person can interpret the meaning in any way they want or from their understanding. People use both abbreviations according to the context and need.
When communication breaks down in this manner, and you feel offended or baffled by what your colleague from the other culture just said, please try to check if you misinterpreted the meaning. Ask questions to make sure you understand one another. In the case mentioned above, the American manager could have repeated the offending phrase, explained it, and requested a clarification: “When you say ‘don’t care,’ do you really mean that they have no interest in this subject?” That could save a lot of disappointment and anger.
Use simple words to convey the message. To have an effective process of interpersonal communication, you have to simplify the language. Everyone hates to decipher spoken words, reserve the deciphering to the writing and when speaking, keep it simple and easy to understand.
When stereotyping leads to harassing and discriminatory situations, the work environment becomes tainted with negativity. Someone feeling attacked via the stereotype may feel unsafe or as if they don't belong. This separates teams and stalls creative efforts. People are more likely to have higher anxiety, get sick more often and not focus on work. This all leads to lower productivity. If left unchecked, stereotyping with impacts on the company culture can lead to discrimination lawsuits by existing or former employees who feel management doesn't care about their well-being and maybe even promote the negative and unwanted behavior.
Diversity training is how companies prevent stereotyping from becoming a problem. In diversity training, workshops and role-playing review common scenarios that could lead to negative stereotyping situations. As employees go through training, they often realize that their own actions, even innocently acted, are inappropriate. This is a significant part of helping to build a workforce that accepts and understands each other and appreciates differences in individuals. From workshops and role-playing, the next step involves team-building activities designed for inclusiveness and learning about people different from you. This might be a Friday potluck, where everyone brings food from their culture. It could be a scavenger hunt or another activity where individuals must work together and build bonds through teamwork.
When a company is successful in building a diverse workforce that functions as a cohesive team that appreciates individuality, the company reaps rewards. Productivity increases. Employee loyalty increases, and workers are more dedicated in their work performance. While stereotyping may reduce the threat of the unknown, it interferes with our perceptions and understanding of the world. When applied to individuals or groups, often stereotypes are problematic because they are oversimplified, overgeneralized half-truths or distortions about a group of people.
They do not allow us to see the person, they are the “guilty” qualities we associate before “innocence” instead of the other way around. Stereotypes inhibit communication because they provide barriers such as fear, uncomfortable feelings or awkwardness, they make us less interested and less likely to approach someone different, and they make us more skeptical and more suspicious of others. Stereotypes don’t allow us to see people; we see an image that someone or something else handed down to us, a negative picture or generalization that stops us from seeing the individual and all of the unique qualities that make up that individual.
To counter this problem, we need to educate ourselves and each other on our differences, our pasts, our current struggles, our fears, and our concerns. We need to look at people with curiosity and respect, not assumptions or inflexible and predetermined ideas. We need to learn to focus on communication rather than our fears and uncertainties about people.
