At a recent problem-solving meeting relating to worldwide Internet commerce standards between managers and professionals from the United States,Great Britain,Saudi Arabia,Japan,Korea,and China,Jayne Catron entered the room,sat down at the conference table,and interrupted the social chatter by indicating that the meeting was supposed to have started 10 minutes earlier.She went on to announce the fact that she had a master's degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D.in Computer Science,with dozens of patents to her name.She then immediately proposed a solution to the problem that the group had convened to discuss.Using the concept of cultural context as a barrier to intercultural communication,explain the likely reaction of participants to Jayne's comment,and specify which country Jayne probably comes from.

Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message sent by a member of one culture is received and understood by a member of another culture.The effects of cultural differences on barriers to interpersonal communication can be wide ranging,depending upon the degree of similarity or difference between people's cultures.Cultural context refers to the conditions that surround and influence the life of an individual,group,or organization.Nation's cultures vary on a continuum from low context to high context.In a high-context culture,interpersonal communication is characterized by (1)the establishment of social trust before engaging in work-related discussions, (2)the value placed on personal friendships and goodwill,and (3)the importance of the surrounding circumstances during an interaction.In contrast,a low-context culture is characterized by (1)directly and immediately addressing the tasks,issues,or problems at hand; (2)the high value placed on personal expertise and performance;and (3)the importance of clear,precise,and speedy interactions.
In the example provided,Catron probably comes from either the United States or Great Britain,both of which are low-context cultures.In the absence of proper training in conducting international business,it is likely that the managers from these two countries viewed the situation similarly.That is,they probably perceived the ongoing discussion as idle chitchat that was wasting precious time and accomplishing very little.On the other hand,the remaining managers and professionals all come from high-context cultures.They would probably be offended by Catron's remarks,considering her to be "crude" and uneducated in the manner of conducting international business.The managers from these countries would expect to get to know each other by discussing numerous matters other than the task at hand prior to "getting down to business." It may be that personal animosities aroused in these members by Catron's communication style would preclude a fair and objective evaluation of her proposed solution.Obviously,this would be a suboptimal outcome for the group as a whole.