Facilitating Dialogue

Some examples of cross-cultural challenges that might arise in a workplace:

Some cultures have communication that is precise and more emotional—this is called “low context,” and countries where this is common include the US, Australia, and the UK.

 Some cultures have communication that is subtler, with meanings not explicitly stated—this is called “high context,” and countries where this is common include China, Japan, and India.

Other differences include:

 Individualism vs. collectivism refers to the emphasis on individual or collective success.

 Masculinity vs. femininity refers to the extent to which the culture emphasizes masculine, work-related goals rather than humanist goals.

Uncertainty avoidance refers to the need for rules and direction rather than ambiguity.

Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation refers to the level of goal-setting in a timeframe context.

 “Thinking before you speak” vs. “shooting from the hip” in sharing ideas.

 Being at ease with overlapping conversations and interruptions, vs. needing to have more orderly patterns of communication.

 Feeling comfortable raising one’s voice and expressing disagreement, vs. being uncomfortable showing emotion at work or disagreeing in a professional setting.

 Feedback considered a positive thing to pursue and receive, vs. feedback being seen as criticism and shameful to receive, especially in groups.

Introduction: Identify a cross-cultural challenge from your professional life. Analyze the social dimensions and cultural styles of communication that create this cross-cultural challenge. Include your personal and cultural bias and critical moments in the interaction that makes it challenging.

Define the focus of your cross-cultural challenge and include the intersections this challenge brings to communication and dialogue. Using Google Scholar, find research articles that attend to some aspect of the cross-cultural challenge you’ve identified.

Body:

For EACH article include these headings and address the questions:

Title/Author(s) of article. (Include correct APA citations in your references.)

Purpose of the Study. What is the author’s rationale for selecting this topic? Does she/he build a strong case?

 Social and Cultural Dimension. What is the impact? Is a change really needed, and how will it affect social and/or cultural dimensions?

Article Summary. How is this article organized? What are the main themes found in the review? Who are the main authors?

Sample Population(s). What group(s) is/are being studied?

Results/Conclusions. What did the author find through the study? Was the original question answered?

 Application to your challenge. How can you apply the research in this article to resolve your challenge? How does it relate to the suggestions provided through dialogue theory as we have been examining it this term?

Conclusion:

Using the two articles, craft a resolution plan for your challenge. Provide a rationale for how you devised the plan using a variety of the course materials and dialogue concepts to support your solutions. Explain why your idea will work to address the scenario.

Mechanics:

This assignment is to be submitted as an academic essay with appropriate references and citations. Don’t just answer the questions, develop an outline and structured paper that addresses all of the points in the instructions.

Writing should include logical organization of major points and structure. Sentences should be complete, clear, and concise. Add a title page, introduction, and conclusion. Analysis needs to be supported with the course materials. Adhere to American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines for all references and citations. The assignment should be (5-6 pages), typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1″ margins.