preview

The Field Of Cross Cultural Communication

Better Essays
I. Introduction

Culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a society, a country or a group. According to Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, organizational theorists and authors in the field of cross-cultural communication, “Culture is a shared system of meanings. It dictates what we pay attention to, how we act, and what we value.” (Trompenaars, 17) Culture is “observable” through language, living environments, governing institutions, food and material goods, the arts and literature, and religion of a particular group or society. Culture also reflects the norms and values of a group and directs their behavior. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner also believe a culture is distinguished by the way in which it “solves problems” and “reconciles dilemmas.” (Trompenaars, 8-9) A culture has to find ways deal with its external environment and has to determine how to effectively use available resources.
In a cross-cultural analysis, Russia is a unique case to look at. Russia is a country with a very diverse cultural context. It is the largest geographical state in the world, it crosses 11 different time zones, and it stretches 6,000 miles from east to west. Russia spans two continents and remains conflicted as to whether its world identity is European, Asian or a mix of the two. Russia is a multi-ethnic state comprised of over 180 ethnic groups that are strongly committed to preserving their distinct languages and cultures, which add
Get Access