Cultural Distance in the Workplace: Differences in Work-Related Attitudes between Vietnamese Employees and Western Employers

Abstract

In this globalized and internationalized world, intercultural communication at workplaces is a topic often examined. This study aimed to shed light on the cultural differences in work-related values between Western and Vietnamese employers in Vietnam. In total, 94 Western and Vietnamese companies in two areas in the South of Vietnam participated. Questionnaires were completed by 763 Vietnamese employees, 43 Vietnamese employers/managers and 33 Western employers/managers. The findings from the questionnaire data indicate that there are substantial differences in work-related attitudes between Western employers and Vietnamese employees that are related to both cultural differences and position in a company. Sense of time and face-concern are the two prominent differences between Western and Vietnamese professionals. Implications are discussed for further training of Vietnamese prospective graduates so that they can work effectively with Western employers/managers in the future.

First steps towards intercultural education in Vietnam: exploring primary education teachers’ level of intercultural competence (Primeros pasos hacia una educación intercultural en Vietnam: explorando la competencia intercultural de los maestros de primaria)

“…Research about IE and IC in the Vietnamese context can be categorized into three major groups: (i) studies researching methods and approaches for developing students' IC (Ho, 2011;Tran, 2018;Truong & Tran, 2014); (ii) the position of IC in language teaching in Vietnam (Ho, 2011;Nguyen & Nguyen, 2014;Nguyen et al, 2016;Chau & Truong, 2019); and (iii) the integration of IC or intercultural communication into official English textbooks used in schools in Vietnam (Dang & Seals, 2016; T.T.M. Nguyen, 2011).…”

“…Las investigaciones en torno a la EI y CI en el contexto vietnamita pueden categorizarse en dos grandes grupos: (i) estudios sobre los métodos y enfoques para desarrollar las CCII de los estudiantes (Ho, 2011;Tran, 2018;Truong & Tran, 2014), (ii) la situación de las CCII en la didáctica de L2 en Vietnam (Ho, 2011;Nguyen, 2014;Nguyen et al, 2016;Chau & Truong, 2019), y (iii) la integración de la competencia intercultural o de la comunicación intercultural en los libros de texto oficiales para la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera en las escuelas en Vietnam (Dang & Seals, 2016; T.T.M. Nguyen, 2011).…”

“…According to Tran (2018), both the definition of IC and its fundamental aspects have not reached consensus among researchers and practitioners, as the result of the differences and variability of IC models and their dimensions. Griffith et al (2016) argue that these discrepancies put forward several challenges.…”

“…Según Tran (2018), ni los investigadores ni los docentes han alcanzado un consenso sobre la definición de las CCII ni tampoco sobre sus principales características debido a las diferencias y variabilidad de los modelos de CI y sus dimensiones. Griffith et al (2016) alegan que estas discrepancias plantean múltiples desafíos.…”

Praktik Mom Shaming Oleh Netizen Indonesia Terhadap Selebritis Yang Melakukan Sharenting Di Media Sosial

“…Hal ini merupakan bentuk cultural distancing oleh Andien sebagai ibu selebritis di halaman media sosialnya dimana cultural distance atau jarak budaya ini dipahami sebagai perbedaan nilai dan gaya komunikasi yang berakar pada budaya, atau tingkat ketidaksamaan antara dua budaya. Jarak ini muncul ketika individu atau kelompok merasakan bahwa nilai-nilai dan gaya komunikasi mereka berbeda dengan yang lain (Tran et al, 2017).…”