Negotiating Organizational Communication Cultures in American Subsidiaries Doing Business in Thailand

Abstract

Stage / ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION CULTURES The goal of this project was to study organizational communication cultures in U.S.-Thai parent-subsidiary organizations doing business in Thailand and to then ascertain to what degree employees at the subsidiary locations participated in the creation of their organizational communication cultures. To understand the extent to which Thai employees perceived and negotiated aspects of organizational life, the idea of negotiated cultures was developed. Negotiated cultures characterize local employee participation and negotiation as a struggle about the legitimacy of whose norms/style (those of the parent or the subsidiary) would be used in the subsidiary location.

Linguistic and cultural barriers to intercultural communication in foreign subsidiaries

“…In line with scholarly recommendations (Miles and Huberman, 1994;Gummesson, 2000;Boyacigiller et al, 2004), and related research on language (Marschan-Piekkari et al, 1999;Ma¨kela¨et al, 2007;Peltokorpi, 2007Peltokorpi, , 2010Lauring, 2008) and culture (Stage, 1999;Cordeiro-Nilsson, 2009), the data were collected by two researchers through semi-structured interviews. This methodology was also considered suitable in that semi-structured interviews have been identified as an effective way to investigate intercultural encounters in foreign subsidiaries (Boyacigiller et al, 2004).…”

“…In contrast to the abundance of comparative research, the lack of studies on intercultural communication in subsidiaries is well-documented (Teboul et al, 1994). The nascent research in this area suggests, for example, that cultural barriers in intercultural communication are created by differences in status sensitivity (Stage, 1999;Cordeiro-Nilsson, 2009), the amount of empathy expected, face-saving behaviour (Park et al, 1996), the usage of silence, body language and conflict avoidance (Fujio, 2004). For example, a study in US subsidiaries in Thailand shows that local low-level employees refrained from communicating with expatriates partly because of status differences (Stage, 1999).…”

“…The nascent research in this area suggests, for example, that cultural barriers in intercultural communication are created by differences in status sensitivity (Stage, 1999;Cordeiro-Nilsson, 2009), the amount of empathy expected, face-saving behaviour (Park et al, 1996), the usage of silence, body language and conflict avoidance (Fujio, 2004). For example, a study in US subsidiaries in Thailand shows that local low-level employees refrained from communicating with expatriates partly because of status differences (Stage, 1999). In addition to finding the similar impact of status in intercultural communication, a recent study on Swedish expatriates in Singapore shows that language matters because locals with low English language skills adopted avoidance strategies and expatriates used Swedish language to exchange sensitive information (Cordeiro-Nilsson, 2009); in comparison to the bulk of research in this area, this study took into account both language and cultural barriers on intercultural communication.…”

Invisibility and Visibility in Alternative Organizing: A Communicative and Cultural Model

“…Organizational communication literature has often framed culture as a factor alongside other dimensions (Alkhazraji, Gardner, Martin, & Paolillo, 1997; Jian, 2012; Sheer, 2013; Shenoy-Packer, 2015; Stage, 1999). For example, in their initial framework on context, Hanchey and Berkelaar (2015) conceptualized a cultural dimension alongside material and temporal aspects.…”

Making Total Quality Initiatives Successful in Thailand–The Motivation Theory Effect

“…In Thailand, the society respects its elders, superiors, and patrons more so than in the US. The social status, seniority, and personal connections govern the social relationships in Thailand, creating moderately high gap between people with power and people without power (Stage, 1999;Pornpitakpan, 2000). The US society however, is horizontal with a strong principle of equality and egalitarianism.…”