There are various perspectives within the realm of communication theory which attempt to explain the communicative meaning of the interaction between humans. Griffin offers us a simple definition of communication by stating that ‘communication is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response’ (Griffin, 2012: 6). And of course he's right. But when applied to social media platforms like Hive we need to consider other factors.
Placing communication in an international business context, of which much is done in the Hive community, requires different considerations. The importance of anticipating and getting to know cultural differences is fundamental to the way in which business professionals adapt their communication approach within the international business arena. If a business wishes to be truly successful in the global marketplace then it must be capable of conducting business in diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. So, one approach may prove effective in France but could be disastrous in China.
How Does This Impact Hive?
Let's apply this framework to Hive for a moment. Hive has provided us with a truly unique global community. I meet people all the time on the Hive blockchain from around the world - people I would never have had the opportunity of meeting were it not for Hive. I have made some very important social connections, I have made some good friends here on Hive. But Hive isn't just about the social as we know. It's about making money. I have been fortunate to be involved, behind the scenes, in a number of great projects on Hive. We have an incredible opportunity to use the relationships we are building on Hive and create working partnerships. We can get involved or start new projects. We can do business on Hive. Therefore all of the key tenets of communication theory within both the social and business contexts come into play.
It is very important when communicating in the international business arena to make sure that people do not just simply reach negative conclusions regarding other colleagues’ motives as this can be easily done. Just be honest for a moment, how many of us have reached that conclusion when someone has suggested an idea or concept for a new project? Sure many projects fail on the blockchain, we know that. But give a new idea support and you just never know, success may follow.
In the context of international business relations there will clearly be times when international colleagues are being deliberately unhelpful or arrogant, that happens on Hive too. But it may also be the case that it is simply a matter of differing communication styles. What may seem impolite or ignorant on the surface may simply be the result of an innocent clash of social culture. So bare all this in mind.
One Very Important True Case Study
One good example of the very different approaches to cross-cultural communication is provided by Carte and Fox (2008) who highlighted the case of the merger of two European and one American engineering firms. The company invested a lot of time, energies and money into establishing their mission statement. A seminar was held so as to bring middle management together in a bid to understand how they were implementing the new core values to their local employees. What was revealing was how the Americans had taken the mission statement very seriously communicating and exploring the values with their employees, while the Europeans had treated the dissemination of the mission statement in a much more casual manner. It seemed almost shocking to the Europeans that the Americans could take the statement so seriously, and likewise to the Americans it was surprising that the Europeans had dismissed it so easily. It is almost certain that ‘cultural conditioning was also playing a major part here’ (Carte and Fox, 2008: 7).
Key Takeaway Notes
- Hive is a truly global community and we need to recognise differing cultures and social norms if we want successful social and business relations.
- Respecting cross-cultural communication will aid all of our relationships on Hive.
- Don't dismiss peoples' passion for their projects, no matter how obscure or uninspiring they seem to you personally.
- Be flexible and make sure you're prepared to adapt your style and approach to ensure you give yourself the best possible chane of creating meaningful and successful Hive relationships.
I hope this post might be of some use to some people. Thanks for stopping by and reading.
Peace and Light,
GoldStreet
