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Kulturella missförstånd — det är ju klassiskt! Interkulturell kommunikation ur ett medarbetarperspektiv

Ramsten, Anna LU and Von Garrelts, Therese LU (2013) SKOK01 20131
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract (Swedish)
Den ökade internationaliseringen av företag har skapat mångkulturella arbetsplat-ser. Medarbetare måste kommunicera effektivt för att uppnå gemensamma mål, men kulturella skillnader anses ofta vara en hindrande faktor för kommunikation-en. Syftet med studien har därför varit att undersöka kulturens betydelse för den dagliga kommunikationen mellan medarbetare i internationella företag. Genom en kvalitativ fallstudie på företaget Xylem har vi med hjälp av semistrukturerade in-tervjuer sökt förstå hur medarbetarna betraktar kulturella skillnader och interkul-turell kompetens. Resultaten visar att även kulturen är en naturlig del av kommu-nikationen på Xylem är den inte alltid vad som orsakar problem i kommunikat-ionen mellan de anställda,... (More)
Den ökade internationaliseringen av företag har skapat mångkulturella arbetsplat-ser. Medarbetare måste kommunicera effektivt för att uppnå gemensamma mål, men kulturella skillnader anses ofta vara en hindrande faktor för kommunikation-en. Syftet med studien har därför varit att undersöka kulturens betydelse för den dagliga kommunikationen mellan medarbetare i internationella företag. Genom en kvalitativ fallstudie på företaget Xylem har vi med hjälp av semistrukturerade in-tervjuer sökt förstå hur medarbetarna betraktar kulturella skillnader och interkul-turell kompetens. Resultaten visar att även kulturen är en naturlig del av kommu-nikationen på Xylem är den inte alltid vad som orsakar problem i kommunikat-ionen mellan de anställda, istället påverkar faktorer som tidsskillnader och språk-kunskaper upplevelsen av kommunikationen. Medarbetarna föredrar att lära sig om individer snarare än om kulturer och därmed förvärvas interkulturell kompe-tens genom erfarenhet snarare än genom utbildning. De anser också att generella kompetenser som flexibilitet och öppenhet är viktigare än kunskap om specifika kulturer. (Less)
Abstract
As a result of globalization we are witnessing increasingly international work-places with employees from culturally diverse backgrounds. To achieve corporate goals and fulfill daily tasks employees at Xylem need to communicate effectively with colleagues that might not share similar frames of reference. Seeking to un-derstand the significance of cultural differences in the international workplace, this case study examines the role of culture, communication, and intercultural competence, through the eyes of the employees. The case study is based on a qualitative approach and the empirical data gathered through semi-structured in-terviews at Xylem, Sundbyberg, Sweden. The results show that although culture is an innate part of communication... (More)
As a result of globalization we are witnessing increasingly international work-places with employees from culturally diverse backgrounds. To achieve corporate goals and fulfill daily tasks employees at Xylem need to communicate effectively with colleagues that might not share similar frames of reference. Seeking to un-derstand the significance of cultural differences in the international workplace, this case study examines the role of culture, communication, and intercultural competence, through the eyes of the employees. The case study is based on a qualitative approach and the empirical data gathered through semi-structured in-terviews at Xylem, Sundbyberg, Sweden. The results show that although culture is an innate part of communication at Xylem, it is not always what causes problems in the communication between the employees; instead factors such as time differ-ences and language skills affect the communication experience. The employees prefer to learn about individuals rather than about cultures and therefore intercul-tural competence is acquired through experience rather than through cultural train-ing. They also consider general competencies like flexibility and open-mindedness to be more important than knowledge about specific cultures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ramsten, Anna LU and Von Garrelts, Therese LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Culture in the Limelight: Intercultural Communication in the International Workplace
course
SKOK01 20131
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
interkulturell kommunikation, kultur, kulturella skillnader, interkulturell kompetens, medarbetare, internationella organisationer intercultural communication, culture, cultural differences, intercultural competence, employees, international organizations
language
Swedish
id
3807303
date added to LUP
2013-06-10 17:21:59
date last changed
2014-09-04 08:36:23
@misc{3807303,
  abstract     = {{As a result of globalization we are witnessing increasingly international work-places with employees from culturally diverse backgrounds. To achieve corporate goals and fulfill daily tasks employees at Xylem need to communicate effectively with colleagues that might not share similar frames of reference. Seeking to un-derstand the significance of cultural differences in the international workplace, this case study examines the role of culture, communication, and intercultural competence, through the eyes of the employees. The case study is based on a qualitative approach and the empirical data gathered through semi-structured in-terviews at Xylem, Sundbyberg, Sweden. The results show that although culture is an innate part of communication at Xylem, it is not always what causes problems in the communication between the employees; instead factors such as time differ-ences and language skills affect the communication experience. The employees prefer to learn about individuals rather than about cultures and therefore intercul-tural competence is acquired through experience rather than through cultural train-ing. They also consider general competencies like flexibility and open-mindedness to be more important than knowledge about specific cultures.}},
  author       = {{Ramsten, Anna and Von Garrelts, Therese}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Kulturella missförstånd — det är ju klassiskt! Interkulturell kommunikation ur ett medarbetarperspektiv}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}