Assignment – 01
Challenges In Cross-cultural Communication And How To Overcome Them.

Introduction

Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and norms for behavior. Simply, culture is the integration of what a man does, what he wears, what he eats, what he believes and so on. Cultural background influences the way a man prioritizes what is important in life, helps define his attitude toward what is appropriate in any situation and establishes the rules of behavior.
In the age of globalization cross-cultural communication is inevitable. Most of the international organizations have a multicultural workforce whose diversity has been proved beneficiary for both parties. Workplace diversity refers
But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction.

Religious beliefs In many cultures, religion dominates life in a way that is often difficult for Americans to understand. For example, workers from some Muslim cultures may want to pray three times a day in accordance with their values and beliefs. There may also be religious holidays on which people of certain religions are forbidden to work or need to follow certain customs. These differences need to be respected, where possible, and not ignored.

Monochromic vs. Polychromic Monochromic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. Polychromic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychromic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time.
Polychromic cultures include the French and the Americans. The Germans tend to be monochromic.
Implications
* Interactions between types can be problematic. German businessman cannot understand why the person he is