1. INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT ONE 2017
Page | 1
SHIHEPO H.N 216031494 FULL-TIME @NUST
The importance of Intercultural Communication
In the modern world, businesses and many organizations are multinationals, meaning that
executives, individuals and other stakeholders are forced or required to learn how to
communicate with other counterparts from different cultural backgrounds. E.g. To effectively
compete in the global market Namibian must understand how business and cultural
approaches are conducted in other countries.
With the knowledge in intercultural communication one can be entitled as an intercultural
competent and that require that individual to possess the appropriate knowledge and the
dynamic skills to handle cultural differences in the appropriate and effective manors.
Intercultural communication awareness can also develop a creative mindset to highlight issues
from different perspective with ridged prejudgments.
The adaptation to the work place diversity and the involvement in productive problem solving is
one of the important practical reasons to study intercultural communication, due to the fact
that it assist organizations or individuals to respect, understand and to be more generative in
their work place and other counterparts in the modern world. “We learn more from people
who are different from us than those who are similar to us.” (Martin & Nakayama. 2010). I
believe that the quality of ideas from the ethnically diverse group have significantly elevated
outcome than those from an ethnically homogeneous groups due to the synergistic
perspective.
One may also study intercultural communication to improve and assist the global and
intrapersonal peace. According to Sternberg1999 (cited in Toomey & Chang 2005) respect is a
fundamental aspect to peace globally and interpersonally. Respect building is closely bided to
intrapersonal building, meaning if we are at peace within ourselves we will hold more
compassion for others around us. E.g. If Namibians tribes had respect for one another, then
there will be no issues of tribalism and nepotisms or some tribes regarded as the superior tribe
above others.
Another practical reason to study intercultural communication is the improvement and the
adaptation of intercultural relationships. Nowadays there is a fast rise in the intercultural
mingling within the young nations. This is an indication of cultural sensitivity that is believed to
unite people and deepen the self-awareness. E.g. A wambo man who mingles with himbas will
easily understand and learn more about the himba tradition than a wambo man who distance
himself from himbas.
The intercultural communication enable one to have a systematic learning of the ideal themes
and concepts in intercultural communication flexibility and a concentrative heart for one to
2. INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT ONE 2017
Page | 2
SHIHEPO H.N 216031494 FULL-TIME @NUST
accept the close-cultural dissimilar. The practical capability to integrate knowledge and the
responsive attitudes that can be in the form of listening, conflicts managements, constructive
non-verbal sensitivity and classification are also the components or criteria of intercultural
communication flexibility. I.e. one must possess a wide knowledge of cultures and the attitudes
to develop an open-mindset and the skills to handle cultural issues in order to avoid cultural
conflicts. The respective and responsive attitudes serve as a basic to drive us to communicate
adoptively with people from diverse cultural communities. (Mhene.2017).
Intercultural communication is very important in our social life due to the fact that, to
effectively compete in the global market, one must understand how business and cultural
approaches are conducted in other countries, and To become an intercultural expert you need
to possess the appropriate knowledge and the dynamic skills to handle cultural difference in
appropriate and effective manors to avoid intercultural conflicts. Respect is also believed to be
the fundamental aspect to peace globally and interpersonally. I believe that the quality of ideas
from the ethnically diverse group have significantly elevated outcome than those from an
ethnically homogeneous groups due to the synergistic perspective. All the above mentioned
scores are obtained via intercultural communication and they mapped its importance.
