Blog #1 - Chapters 3, 9 & 10 Reflection (Aimet Castro)

Chapter 3: Intercultural Communication 

    

    Culture is the system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guides what is considered appropriate among an identifiable group of people. Culture is developed and endures as people are conditioned by similar life experiences. In a real sense, culture is a way of life. It's the structure of taken-for-granted rules for how and why we believe and behave as we do. It can be understood by the cluster of tangible and intangible rules for living that are passed from generation to generation. Tangible aspects are visible to observers outside the culture, whereas intangible aspects are not typically observed by those outside it. 

    Dominant culture refers to the learned system of norms held by the majority group of empowered people in a society. The dominant culture of the United States has evolved. Before the 1960s, people immigrating to the United States were expected to embrace and adapt to this dominant culture in place of the culture of their native country. Since the 1960s, however, dominant American culture has slowly begun to respect and honor the diversity of cultures that co-exist here and, in fact, we now use the term bicultural to acknowledge those that appreciate and embrace various aspects of two originally distinct cultures. Some examples of places where biculturalism is the norm including Quebec (Canada), Brussels (Belgium), the north and south islands of New Zealand, and the southern border regions of the United States.

-Talking more about cultures, we can all realize how different cultures can be from each other. 

-For example many people in the dominant American culture may identify with one or more utensils, and in other cultures, people use their hands to eat and share a common bowl. 

-And the interesting thing about this is that all of these dining rituals are culturally based and taught from one generation to the next through communication. 

    Highly collectivist cultures value community, collaboration, shared interests, harmony, the public good, and avoiding embarrassment. Highly collectivist cultures place primary value on the interests of the group and group harmony. Decisions are shaped by what is considered best for the group, regardless of whether they serve an individual's interests. Maintaining harmony and cooperation is valued over competition and personal achievement. A variety of cultures throughout South and Central America, East, and Southeast Asia, and Africa are considered to be highly collectivist.

-The most common barriers to effective intercultural communication include anxiety, assuming similarity or difference, ethnocentrism, stereotyping, incompatible communication codes, and incompatible norms and values.

Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups

    A social group is composed of people who genuinely care about each other's welfare and enjoy spending time together. Most of us belong to more than one social group. You may have had a group of friends you were close to in high school, a group of buddies you were close to when you served in the military, or a group of friends you play golf or softball with regularly. Sometimes people who work together evolve into a social group when they begin to get together for social activities outside of work. Popular TV programs such as New Girl, Big Bang Theory, and the cartoon classic Scooby-Doo are examples of social groups.

    In interdependent groups, members rely on each other's skills and knowledge to accomplish the ultimate group goals. One concrete way to understand interdependence is to observe a musical group-a symphony orchestra, for instance. One reason the music we hear is so beautiful is not only because the various instruments sound different but because the parts in the musical score for each instrument are well balanced with each other. If any of the musicians did not perform their part well, the beautiful sound would be compromised. Likewise, in any group, if one person tries to do all the work, or if anyone performs poorly, or if everyone does the same task while other tasks are left unattended, then that group is not interdependent and also not as effective as it could be.

    Performing is characterized by harmony, productivity, problem-solving, and shared leadership. During this stage, the group capitalizes on the skills, knowledge, and abilities of all members to work toward achieving its goal; conversations are focused on sharing task-related information and problem-solving. Groups cannot achieve their full potential in this stage unless they have successfully resolved storming conflicts and developed productive norms.

    People who belong to different cultural and co-cultural groups tend to abide by unique communication norms. When managing conflict in groups, keep in mind that cultural differences may exist. For instance, people who identify with individualistic cultural norms tend to use direct verbal methods to manage, whereas those who identify with collectivist norms tend to use indirect nonverbal methods. Knowing that cultural differences may exist can help you select communication strategies both for managing group conflict effectively and for interpreting the messages of others accurately.

Chapter 10: Group Leadership and Problem Solving 

    Maintenance leadership roles are the sets of behaviors that help the group develop and maintain cohesion, commitment, and positive working relationships. John Maxwell, a highly regarded motivational speaker who focuses on effective leadership, claims that these relational skills are the most important ones for effective leadership, even more, important than task roles.

    Most of us will be responsible for convening a group meeting at some point in our lives. Perhaps one of our most significant sources of apprehension comes from frustrations we recall from participating in meetings that were facilitated poorly. (Do an Internet search for the video "Every Meeting Ever" to see a great example of a poorly facilitated meeting.) Whether you are the designated formal leader for a class project or a task force at work or simply substituting for your manager at the monthly staff meeting, knowing how to effectively plan for; facilitate, and follow up after meetings is a useful set of skills.

    When a workgroup team is charged with tackling a problem together, members may use an orderly series of steps or a less-structured spiral pattern in which they refine, accept, reject, modify, and combine ideas, then circle back to the previous discussion as they go along. Whether the deliberations are linear or spiral groups that arrive at high-quality decisions accomplish the six tasks that make up what is known as the Systematic Problem-Solving Process. This process, first described by John Dewey in 1933 and since revised by others, remains a tried and true approach to individual or group problem-solving.

    To be effective, group members must work together to define and analyze a problem, generate solutions, and select a course of action. They also need to work together as they prepare their deliverables. These communication interactions among members to achieve a goal are known as group dynamics.