Trends and issues in multicultural business communications in South A'frica

Abstract

In South Africa we have lived in a society where separation ofcommunities and racial groups has been the norm. Since 1994 theseparation is being bridged as more individuals encounter people withdifferent attitudes, value systems and cultural behavioural patterns insocial and business environments. This leads to new avenues ofunderstanding, but also to a wider scope for misunderstanding andunintentional miscommunication, especially in the business context.The way in which people communicate in a business setting, varies fromculture to culture. Such variation occurs in all stages of development andat all levels of culture. whether from one corporate culture to another, orfrom one region, state or country to another. Although most rules ofbusiness communication apply to the domestic business environment,Intercultural business communication requires knowledge and skills thatdiffer from those within a specific culture. It is impossible to know all thevariations in business communication in a multicultural business societylike South Africa, but businesspeople can and should prepare themselvesfor those experiences they are most likely to face in employee andcustomer relations when conducting business in more than one culture.This article probes the possibility of diminishing businessmiscommunication in South Africa, by focussing on awareness of barriersto multicultural marketing and management communication. Businesscommunication is defined as consisting of management as well asmarketing communication. A pilot survey on existing businesscommunication strategies in a large South African province is discussed.This has pointed towards a more comprehensive research project, with the aim of providing a three-tier model for effective multicultural marketingcommunication strategies in a post-Mande/a South Africa.