The first of the three actionable items to consider when preparing TED for an overseas appointment would be researching the culture of the host country. The second is adjusting to the difference in beliefs; this entails how fast one gets into business matters in a meeting and the difference in laws concerning workers' termination in the US and in Mexico. The third item to consider is the disregard for stereotypical thinking in communication (Evans & Suklun, 2017). The first obstacle during such preparation is holding idiomatic views that may lead to cognitive distortion which negatively affects intercultural communication (Evans & Suklun, 2017). Cognitive distortion hinders communication because it may lead one to hold an inaccurate, often negative, view of the person/group one is communicating with. Culture shock, which refers to personal disorientation from experiencing unfamiliar ways of living, may also negatively affect communication between people from different cultures. The difference in values between the two cultures may cause misunderstandings and hinder communication.
In the case study “Trying to Do Business in Mexico, Gringo Style”, Ted and his wife have a stereotypic idea that, in Mexico, they will spend a lot of time vacationing (Rarick, 2002); this is because they had enjoyed vacationing in Cancun before and now assume the experience will be the same. In attempts to make some significant changes to improve the efficiency of the plant, ted decided to fire some workers; this decision was based on the stereotype that unemployment was high in the country, and finding new workers would not be a problem. Manuel, who acted as Ted’s assistant, had the stereotype that his supervisor’s impatience was due to his “Gringo-style” of conducting business (Rarick, 2002). The difference in opinions was evident in the two cultures; the American ted, was ready to get started on business without having to talk about politics and entertainment, while the businessmen from Mexico found it necessary to talk about issues unrelated to the business first.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Evans, A., & Suklun, H. (2017). Workplace diversity and intercultural communication: A phenomenological study. Cogent Business & Management , 4 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2017.1408943
Rarick, C. (2002). Cases and exercises in international business . Prentice Hall.
