Understanding Multicultural Communication for Effective Business Management: An Integrative Review of Literature

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to review the literature on intercultural communication
problems encountered in business organisations and discuss the implications of
intercultural communication on organisational performance. The study was guided by
the following research questions; how does intercultural communication in the
workplace affect organisational performance; in what ways does intercultural
communication affect business operations; and how can management foster
multicultural communication to improve organisational efficiency? The study adopted
an integrative review of literature conducted following the Seven-Step Model of critical
literature review. This review was conducted on the backdrop of research on
multicultural communication conducted at a communications company in Luanda,
Angola. The data from the review indicated that multicultural communication problems
are inevitable; hence management should implement strategies that help to increase
the cross-cultural competencies of employees. The researchers proposed a new
framework; the Intercultural Communication Analysis Model (ICAM) for analysing the
impact of multicultural communication in an organisation. The model can be tested for
practicality through empirical research.