Who Am I? Analyze and Understand Your Own Culture First

Worldview issues are timeless and represent the most fundamental basis of a culture (Samovar & Porter, 1991, p. 16). The reason that the concept of worldview is so significant is that it influences beliefs, values, norms, attitudes, and uses of time and many other aspects of culture. Individuals in a culture are not necessarily aware of their o

• False attributions: Attributing our own meanings to behaviours in other cultures which may not be correct;

• Stereotypes: Generalizations that do not allow for exceptions;

• Etiquette and nonverbal behaviours: Understanding the meanings of gestures, facial expressions and body positions requiring specific knowledge of a culture;

• Other elements: Ti

Global project managers understand the simple process of communications (sender, message, receiver, feedback), however, the process can be problematic when the two communicators are from different cultures. Potential barriers to effective communication in the intercultural communication process include:

• Cultural frames: the window through which an

Culture cannot be isolated from the communication process, because it impacts both the communicator and the receiver of the message.

it is through the influence of culture that individuals learn to communicate

Once we understand our own culture, we can then begin to analyze, and finally understand other cultures, and the individuals within them.

our intercultural competence begins with a reasonable understanding of ourselves