Introduction
Different cultures tend to have dissimilar habits and customs. This matter has a direct impact on their verbal and non-verbal communication. In the context of this paper, it will be essential to determine the differences and similarities between Chinese and Spanish cultures. This aspect will help understand the approaches of organizing business operations and the ways to motivate these employees.
In the first place, Chinese and Spanish employees have entirely different perceptions, as Spanish ones are extroverts while Chinese ones rely on indirect communication (Newman, 2015). It tends to occur because Spanish workers underline the importance of personal relationships while Chinese employees view business as a well-organized set of activities. In this case, differences in these cultures could be discovered as the major barriers to communication. For example, Spanish expressive non-verbal expression and a high level of emotionality may lead to conflicts and misunderstandings (Newman, 2015). Meanwhile, Chinese employees are not as expressive as Spanish businessmen, but their habit of counting from one to ten with one hand may be confusing (Newman, 2015).
Barriers to intercultural communication: language as a barrier and business communications
As for language, Spanish is the official language of communication in Spain, but English can also be used in some international companies. It is widely known that Chinese culture is characterized by a plethora of dialects. In this case, for both China and Spain, language can become a barrier. Speaking of the ways of organizing business meetings, apart from a high level of emotionality, Spanish companies may have different approaches to negotiating such as using professional style or bargaining (Newman, 2015). In the case of Chinese business, this matter is mostly referred to as the differences in organizing meetings while drinking tea or alcohol in different parts of the country. Despite the dissimilarities in conducting business in China and Spain, it remains apparent that both countries face intercultural business challenges.
Transacting business between the cultures
When establishing a business relationship within a culture, it is essential to take into account the matters mentioned above. In the first place, one of the similarities in the fact that the companies operating in China and Spain should agree on using a particular language of negotiation when being engaged in intercultural communication. This practice is actively employed in international business operations, but it can be helpful in the context of these countries (Hill, Hult, & Wickkramasekera, 2016). At the same time, to avoid negative consequences and misunderstandings, it will be critical to conduct a meeting in advance, as it will ensure that negotiation and agenda are organized in a neutral tone concerning intercultural differences (Hill et al., 2016). Taking advantage of a combination of these methods will be beneficial to the companies in both Spain and China.
Conclusion: Leading and motivating others in these cultures
Lastly, it is essential to discuss the ways to motivate the representatives of these different cultures, as it has a critical impact on the overall performance of enterprises. In the case of China, in the majority of the cases, the employees are motivated by the ability of the company to provide favorable working conditions (Latham, 2012). In this instance, it is believed that the management shows its respect and recognition by satisfying the basic needs of the workers. On the contrary, in Spain, motivating the employees is more complicated, and it is usually represented by awards, pay raises, and possibilities for continuous learning and growth (Latham, 2012). In the context of this analysis, the differences in motivation are highly linked to the cultural and economic specifics of the chosen countries, and taking into account these cultural matters can help conduct sufficient business in these geographical areas.
References
Hill, C., Hult, T., & Wickkramasekera, R. (2016). Global business today: Asia-Pacific perspective. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.
Latham, G. (2012). Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Newman, A. (2015). Business communication: In person, in print, online. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.