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ASHESI UNIVERSITY COLLEGE - Ashesi Institutional Repository ...

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% of TotalPowerDistance?CrosstabulationPower Distance? * In what way does culture create communication challenges?DictionDisconnectionCommunication challenges identifiedDiscomfort withformality Inaccuracy LanguageTotalHigh 16.9% 20.3% 10.2% 6.8% 18.6% 72.9%Low 5.1% 8.5% 3.4% 5.1% 3.4% 25.4%Missing 1.7% 1.7%Total 22.0% 30.5% 13.6% 11.9% 22.0% 100.0%The asymptotic significance of the Chi square test (shown in AppendixD) is 0.828, which shows there is a relationship between the variables.Almost 2% (1.7%) are missing values that could not be accounted for. Therest of the results are shown in Appendix D.The dissimilarity in power distance was shown to create problems withcommunication.4. Inaccuracy and lack of confidenceThe study revealed that some of the employees feel one particular issuewith the communication is the inability to ensure accuracy. One respondentheld that sometimes when a task is given she feels that some people havequestions, but cannot allow themselves to ask or clarify. The cultural trainingof being told to respect elders, call those in power or those who are older“auntie”, “uncle”, “sir” or “madam” still trickles into communication at workand creates a barrier to effective communication.The custom of using euphemisms to make things sound nice and notoffensive is also rampant in interactions with foreign managers. The focus isplaced on how to say something rather than the best way to be understoodand allows for inaccuracies.44

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