Intercultural Communication And Adaptability In A Globalized World
The world consists of diverse people who possess unique beliefs, values, religion, and worldviews. Culture is a term that defines the way of life of a particular group of individuals. The singular characteristics of persons in various countries compromise the interaction and communication of people. The differences need to be taken positively since learning about the uniqueness of different groups allows humans to understand and appreciate each other’s cultures. However, intercultural communication faces several barriers including racism, stereotypes, and ethnocentrism. As globalization continues to expand, these elements need to be understood well to overcome the interaction challenges that they evoke. Individuals need to practice intercultural adaptation to enable them to modify their behavior appropriately so that they can interact with people from other cultures effectively. As the world is becoming more interconnected, the need to learn and appreciate the characteristics of different cultures is growing with the necessity to practice effective intercultural communication and adaptability.
Characteristics of Culture
People from different regions exhibit varying cultural characteristics that describe their ways of living. I am Chinese who comes to Canada for further education. Canada has a different culture as opposed to China. I immediately noticed that the way people communicate, interact, and express their emotions was new to me. Culturally, Canadians are tactful, polite, and they love peace. The country is an egalitarian society, where every person is deemed equal despite their gender, beliefs, race, and age. Therefore, the hierarchy is not quite evident in the country. The Canadians observe order and respect personal space. Topics such as family, religion, salary, and weight are not readily welcomed, so it is important to avoid these discussions. It is not acceptable to use another person’s property without permission in the country. The citizens do show respect over other people’s belongings. Speaking out of turn, talking loudly, shouting, and cutting in line are regarded as disrespectful behaviors. Canadians are individualistic in regards to personal values; however, they understand the importance of developing and bettering the community. Citizens do engage in donating and volunteering practices to ensure everyone is living a comfortable life. These practices separate Canadian people from others who embrace different cultures. China holds unique cultural characteristics that separate them from other countries. As a person coming from China, I hold different cultural beliefs as opposed to those I experience in Canada.
The Chinese believe in values such as righteousness, wisdom, filial piety, and loyalty. A family is an important unit in China, and it is essential to honor parents and ancestors. Extended families can live under the same roof. Hierarchy in society is evident as grandparents and parents expect children to do as they are told. China is a collective society, where members strive to attain group affiliation. Chinese people are usually ready to disregard their feelings for the benefit of a group. Men are still regarded to be superior to females in the country; however, gender roles are slowly changing as modernization is being appreciated. Females can now fill positions that were believed to be masculine. In China, non-verbal communication is a significant part of the interaction. The Chinese also observe the importance of personal space. Touching is acceptable between friends and relatives. These cultural characteristics display how Chinese people live their lives. Interacting with people from different cultures provides new experiences that can either evoke positive or negative responses. I must agree that coping with Canadian culture was not easy because I did not know how I needed to behave or react in various scenarios. At one point, ethnocentrism affected me, where I felt that my culture was more superior as these new values and beliefs that I was experiencing. This scenario occurred because I had not understood Canadian culture fully. Since I have embraced Chinese culture completely, interacting with people from other cultures makes me feel like my beliefs and values are more comfortable compared to the others. However, as a Chinese individual, I comprehend the importance of observing wisdom while interacting and communicating. Therefore, I am inclined to show wisdom when I meet people of other cultures. I should be more accommodating and practice intercultural adaptation to ensure I act in a way that makes a person from another culture feel comfortable. This approach will enable me to gain the most out of every interaction.
Intercultural Communication in a Globalized World
Intercultural communication relates to the interaction between people hailing from different cultures. Various cultural dimensions affect intercultural communication. China embraces a collective form of interaction while Canadians express an individualistic form of relationships. Therefore, the individualism and collectivism dimensions affect intercultural communication because individuals from the two cultures will have varying viewpoints concerning how they are supposed to behave in their relationship. Since I am Chinese, I have always embraced the idea of being in a group and helping each other achieve a given goal; however, as I came to Canada, I realized that people were quite individualistic in their interactions. This situation affects how I communicate with fellow students and other citizens. The long-term and short-term orientations also affect intercultural communication. Long-term orientation relates to the commitment to long-term devotion, while short-term orientation relates to the need for a short-time turnaround. As a person coming from China, I tend to prefer long-term orientation because of the collective characteristic of my home country. However, in Canada, people are used to short-term orientation, which affects intercultural communication with people from my culture. Globalization has played a central role in facilitating intercultural communication all over the world. The interconnectedness of people has helped create cultural diversity. I have observed that Canada has several restaurants that are focused on selling foreign cuisine. For instance, there are several Chinese restaurants in the country which shows that it has embraced cultural diversity. Globally, several instances show the acceptance of cultural diversity. In the world right now, people can travel from one place to another effortlessly because of the advancements in technology. Therefore, people from different cultures can interact with each other without struggling. Generally, globalization has played a central role in facilitating intercultural communication.
Intercultural Adaptation
As the interconnectedness of people in the world continues to increase, the need to accommodate and understand people from different cultures gains great importance. Intercultural adaptability allows individuals to modify their behavior in a way that will facilitate successful intercultural communication. This scenario enables a person to adapt to the new culture. The DMIS (Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity) helps explain the different reactions that people embrace when they interact with people who are from different cultures. In terms of the spectrum of DMIS, I am positioned at the integration level because I have embraced the Canadian culture wholly and I appreciate the worldviews of the people. An excellent example of how I have been able to adapt to Canadian culture relates to how I accept the individualistic nature of this society. I appreciate that people do not foster the idea of being in a group. Through intercultural adaptability, I have managed to appreciate Canadian culture.
Conclusion
The differences between cultures affect the way people interact and communicate. However, as the globalization continues to expand, the need to have effective intercultural communication continues to grow. For this reason, individuals all over the world need to embrace intercultural adaptability. Different cultural dimensions affect intercultural communication. As a person from China, I found that the beliefs and values in Canada impacted the way I communicated with other students. Specifically, the dimensions of individualism and collectivism influenced my interactions and the way I perceived the values of the Canadian citizens. Globalization has enabled different nations in the world to appreciate cultural diversity, which has allowed many individuals to adapt to the ways of living in different nations. Therefore, persons need to learn and recognize different cultures as the world is becoming more interconnected to facilitate effective intercultural communication.
