Communication, which is culturally learned (Connerley and Pedersen 2005) and begins the moment you make contact with another, always occurs across differences. Sometimes the difference is based on interpersonal style. Sometimes it is based on professional expertise (lawyer, programmer, CEO, nurse, plumber, homemaker) or industry (financial, consumer, telecommunication, education, social services, pharmaceutical). At other times, the differences come from cultural background as described in Chapter 2, or dimensions of social identity (gender, religion, race/ ethnicity, and so forth) as described in Chapter 3. Each dimension of diversity—individual, functional or cultural—can serve as a bridge to mutual understanding or as a barrier, increasing the potential for miscommunication.
The discussion in this chapter is intended to enhance your awareness of the competencies required for effective intercultural communication, on multicultural teams. With enhanced knowledge of intercultural communication, you can become a more effective listener, speaker, team member, and leader.
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Griffin, T.M. (2008). Effective Intercultural Communication. In: Halverson, C.B., Tirmizi, S.A. (eds) Effective Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice. Advances in Group Decision and Negotiation, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6957-4_7
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