Chapter 3 Culture, Organizational Culture and Communication Strategies

Abstract This chapter intends to develop systematic and theoretical relations between culture, organizational culture and communication strategies. It offers insights on the definition and dimensions of culture, relations between culture and strategies, and cultural determinants in selecting proper communication strategies in cross cultural context. It covers synergic mechanisms between cultures and organizational growth strategies. Moreover, it develops a framework of cross cultural business communication strategies including ethnocentric communication strategy, polycentric communication strategy, regioncentric communication strategy, and geocentric communication strategy. Furthermore, it discusses how culture determinates communication styles and language strategies. Finally, it develops communication strategies for building business relationships.

Keywords culture, organizational culture, strategy, communication strategy

The development of strategies depends on organizational cultures just as much as on societal cultures, implying that strategic decisions are not objective, independent of culture and gender-neutral, but rather influenced by all of these factors （Hallahan et al., 2007）. In the same case, the formulation of communication strategies is influenced by culture. In the process of formulating strategies, cultures offer thinking framework for making decisions. The national culture and the organizational culture in which the strategic decision makers are working determine the strategic intention selection. Culture and strategy are closely related to each other. Both determine the selection and formulation of communication strategies. This chapter deals with definition and dimensions of culture, relations between culture and strategies, and how culture determines the selection of communication strategies in cross cultural context.