Effective cross cultural communication requires members of the various groups to understand one another. Cultural stereotyping according to Colleen Ward , Stephen Bocher, Adrian Furnham (2001); is a term used to refer to the tendency for individuals to classify others as member of a group, in particular whether they belong to their own in group, or to some other out – group. Over the years, different models of cultural stereotypes have been created that categorizes people according to the idiosyncratic characteristics that distinguish them from other groups (Byrne, D.1969). Hofstede’s analysis has identified four different models of cultural stereotypes: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity. (Baskerville, RF 2003)
In every society, there is an imbalance of power. In certain countries, there is a rigid hierarchy and power is centralized and maintained into the hands of a few individuals. An advantage of this type of a system is that it provides concentrated work and greater results. Though in such cases, groups that do not have control or power may feel less important and un-desirable.
Another common stereotype is the “uncertainty avoidance”. This is when groups of individuals may feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations or cultures. A positive aspect about this stereotype is that evokes a sense of security and cautiousness among people. But it deters people to correspond to groups of people outside of their ‘in-group’.
Depending on the situation, cross- culture communication can be a stimulating and rewarding but also a stressful and bewildering experience. Cultural stereotyping may refer to judgments or casual explanations about human behavior. While individuals use stereotyping to make sense of their surrounding environments, their casual accounts are often influenced by motivational biases. (Colleen Ward , Stephen Bocher, Adrian Furnham 2001).
An individual or a group may stereotype a certain section of the...