19 Cross-Cultural and Intergenerational Relationships ideas cross cultural, intercultural communication, intercultural

A Chinese company is seeking to import sunglasses from the United States, and Sunglasses, Inc. has made it to the final round of interviews along with two other companies. Mike, a senior manager at Sunglasses, Inc., has been selected to represent his company for the final round of interviews to be held at the Chinese company’s headquarters what is a slavic woman in Hong Kong. Mike has had a long career in manufacturing and global sales and he appreciates that, globally speaking, there are a diverse set of cultural norms. His first step in preparing for the meeting in China is to learn how to communicate effectively. Mike is very motivated to learn how to behave appropriately, because he knows that developing strong personal relationships is the key to developing strong business relationships. We recommend writing down the answers or processing them aloud with your partner.

  • 4.Start with “who you know.”The best place to start is with others who you know inside and outside of your organization, business, association, place of worship, and social organizations.
  • Some divergence is normal and common; most people do not fall within their cultural average for every single point 100% of the time.
  • They described their model of cross-cultural competence in an article published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
  • Celebrating an anniversary shows that marriage is a priority in our life.
  • The factors include physical attractiveness, similarity, complementarity, proximity, reciprocal liking, and resources (Aron et al., 2008).

At the outset, she says, think about what you can contribute to the collaboration, even if you come from a laboratory with fewer resources. Then, says Dedysh, “be a good, welcome guest.” Contribute to the group, but not necessarily as an expert. In fact, Dedysh advises humility, even as a senior scientist working with students. “Don’t criticize the lab,” she says, “and don’t behave as if you are the boss. That will never be helpful.” Instead, help out, clean up messes, and be a good lab citizen. Share your expertise if asked and you’ll be rewarded with coworkers and friends who want to help you succeed. Aijie Wang says attending international meetings and inviting collaborators from other countries is a good way to hone communication skills and usually, “it’s not hard to exchange ideas about science.” Communication across cultures and languages is easier when you’re in the same room.

That’s a beautiful way to think about it, don’t you agree? However, it would be ignorant to assume that intercultural relationships are a piece of cake.

2: Intercultural Romantic Relationships

It’s not about ‘walking a mile in someone else’s shoes’ as yourself, but rather imagining how that person, with their unique background and experiences, feels walking in their shoes . StudySmarter is commited to creating, free, high quality explainations, opening education to all. By registering you get free access to our website and app which will help you to super-charge your learning process.

Follow us on Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest and we promise, we’ll be your lucky charm to a beautiful love life. There is a lot of misinformation out there and assuming that what you hear to be true is only going to get you into trouble. After all, would you like it if your partner believed stereotypical ideas about your culture? Celebrate the fact that you’re in love and dealing with the challenges.

Live in the country for an extended period of time

By creating a sense of “we” that focuses on friendship, integration, and inclusion, couples can rewrite their story in such a way that focuses on shared values, obstacles they’ve overcome, and relational strengths. Every couple has much in common with other couples and yet is also like no other couple in the world. By recognizing and valuing this, we create a richer world for all couples. Mike learns that keeping eye contact is considered aggressive and impolite in China.

Once strong relationships are established, communication remains respectful, but formalities are dropped. Observe your international friend’s behavior as they interact with you and match their courteousness. A big way to show this is by watching the way you address them.

There has been much research on interracial couples that counters the popular notion that partners may be less satisfied in their relationships due to cultural differences. Although partners in interracial relationships certainly face challenges, there are positives. For example, some mention that they’ve experienced personal growth by learning about their partner’s cultural background, which helps them gain alternative perspectives. Specifically, white people in interracial relationships have cited an awareness of and empathy for racism that still exists, which they may not have been aware of before (Gaines Jr. & Liu, 2000).

While this differs from affective trust, it’s cultivated not only by the quality of the suggestions, questions and observations you come up with but the attitude you reflect when communicating with the person. The person has to recognize your seriousness and your desire to be partners in the pursuit of truth. In the U.S. and most of Europe, for example, businesspeople usually rely on cognitive trust, which is earned by showing the other person that you know what you’re doing and are dependable.

By willingly and honestly laying your expectations out on the table, you allow your dating relationship, your engagement, and your marriage to thrive, rather than floundering because you feel misunderstood. Couples from different backgrounds often face greater challenges, but also have greater opportunities for growth. The complex challenges of coordinating different worldviews, lifestyles, communication styles, parenting approaches and relationships with family and community can strain cross-cultural relationships. There is often less support for couples in cross-cultural relationships. In some cases, family members and friends do not understand these challenges or are not entirely supportive of the cross-cultural relationship, making it tricky to talk about and get support for problems in the relationship. Cultural differences can affect relationships because cultural norms can determine what’s appropriate in child-raising, friendships, and romantic relationships.

This was certainly not what my grandmother would have prepared. After a few rounds of clarification, the misunderstanding was clear.

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