Communication at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication at work - Essay Example These two cultures are distinct not only in terms of norms and values but also differ with respect to how people behave and interact with each other. In today’s increasingly globalised world people from different cultural backgrounds are required to work together and have consensus on critical issues. Effective communication becomes very important in the context of such working relationships. It is therefore of particular significance to examine the influence of culture on the communication styles adopted by individuals as well its impact on people’s personal relationships. This paper illuminates the ways through which salient cultural characteristics influence an individual or whole society’s communication styles. It categorises the differences in cultures with respect to individualistic and collectivistic approaches as well as high and low context of communication. It basically aims to illustrate that culture plays a very important role in determining the way people communicate and interact with each other. Culture plays an important role in determining the specific traits and characteristics of individuals belonging to a group that are distinct from other groups of people. People tend to identify themselves with respect to cultural groups and take pride in associating with them. Hofstede defines culture as, â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another† (51). People in a separate group share similar characteristics that are identifiable with the help of visible traits and qualities. Drake delineates that, â€Å"culture describes a group’s relatively homogenous evaluations of multiple, interrelated phenomena† (320). These homogenous cultural traits develop into certain social norms and values that have a significant impact on how people think, feel, observe