Cross-Cultural Communication

Lecture 1

Activity 1: Discussion on the E – SOFTPROD case

Description:

E – SOFTPROD - American company

- develops software for other companies (American & foreign companies; inside & outside the States)

- employs offshore teams of engineers in two development centres located in Bangalore and Mangalore (India)

Possible problems

A. areas where problems may occur

outside the company – existing/potential clients

inside the company – headquarters - branches

B. what problems?

- misunderstanding

- delay of work

- mistrust

What can the project manager do?

A. Potential clients: reassurance

- the company can successfully manage and monitor its remote teams

- the international team can meet deadlines as established to build trust

How?

- regular, formal communication with customers - daily/ weekly reports

B. within the company:

Communication

Face-to face communication (when the teams are forming)

- an India-based project manager - to US (customer's location)

- an US-based project manager - to India (discussions with the staff)

- to establish rapport that bridges time and space

other forms of communication

Economic advantages

Additional efforts - achieving successful intercultural communication

Intercultural communication - the process of sending and receiving messages between people with different cultural background

People coming into contact with people from other culture

Favourable conditions

- Fast means of transportation

- The internet

- The international labour force is more mobile

- Business people – active globally

- The workforce is becoming more diverse

Opportunities in a global market place

Managers/ business people

- new customers

- new resources

- new labour sources

Employees - new work opportunities

Multicultural workforce

Advantages of using diverse workforce:

- a broader range of ideas/viewpoints

- help companies to diverse markets

- enable companies to tap into a large pool of talents

Cursuri ASE