Culture Clash
Culture Clash
Getting the message:
Who is responsible?'If the vice president set a new policy, I do not understand what it is," Susan Tyler told Kanya Chaisee as they left a staff meeting. Susan and Kanya worked for American Express in Bangkok and they had just attended a meeting where the vice president was to announce changes in policies concerning personal credit cards.
Susan was originally from Austin, Texas, and Kanya had spent her entire life in Thailand. Kanya told Susan, "I thought Mr. Ittiporn, the vice president, was very clear. Customers now have various choices concerning how they will pay their credit card balance."
The different reactions reflect a cultural difference in the relationship between the sender and the recipient of communications. In the United States, the person who wants to communicate a message has the responsibility for seeing that this goal is accomplished. The person is expected to be clear, well-organized, and should deliver the message in an interesting and enthusiastic manner. Institutions in the United States offer ways of developing these communication skills. Public speaking is a required course in many high schools and in most colleges. People learn to stand on their feet, to be the focus of an audience's attention, and to deliver their messages clearly.
In Thailand, the responsibility for successful communication is shared among senders and recipients. Even if the speaker is dull, unclear and unorganized, the recipients are expected to invest energy into understanding the message. This means that they must listen carefully, consider other presentations speakers have made for hints on how they indicate important points, and be sensitive to cues from non-verbal sources such as facial expressions and body language.
Given that she has learned to listen carefully and to interpret subtle cues, Kanya is quite confident that she was able to interpret Ittiporn's decisions about credit card policies.
This incident and analysis developed during discussions with Varaporn Jamklai, University of Hawaii Department of Communication. She is from Samutprakarn, Thailand.
There are parallel sets of advice for people who will be living and working in another culture. If they plan to work in the United States, Thais should consider taking a course in public speaking. Before accepting a job assignment in Thailand and many other Asian countries, Americans should practice skills such as paying attention to speakers and watching non-verbal cues. Adult education programs in community colleges sometimes offer courses in listening skills.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Special attention will be given to miscommunications caused by cultural differences. Each column will start with a short example of such confusion. Possible explanations will be offered to encourage thought about these issues.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu