Intercommunication in the Workplace

I have fabricated an example of intercultural communications in the workplace by utilizing a Mexican restaurant in the city that I work in, Muncie, Indiana. Puerto Vallarta Restaurant and Cantina has two locations in the area, and it is very well known and visited by hundreds of 100% Americans on a daily basis. While having lunch there one day, I over heard three female patrons at the table next to me talking and upset because they thought the Mexican server had made a comment about them in Spanish which they believed was offending. The American females did not understand that the Spanish language used when speaking with another Mexican was just a natural way of speaking to each other, and there were no intentions to offend anyone.

Puerto Vallarta is planning to open two more restaurants in the area. They are holding training sessions for new employees that consist of both Mexican and American workers. An American supervisor is responsible for the training and using American language to train the new employees on the standards that the owners expect, and the responsibilities they will carry out in their job positions. The owners of the restaurant have brought in many of their family members from Mexico to work, and many of the Ball State University students have applied and accepted employment as well. The first day of training was held in a lecture room, provided for the community by Ball State University, for local businesses to utilize for training and special meeting purposes. The second day of training was held in the restaurant.

The Mexican restaurant owner and the American supervisor conducted the training sessions in English; however, the Mexican workers often spoke Spanish when making comments to each other. It was the most familiar language to them and was not meant to upset or offend the others around them. The American workers did not understand the Spanish language and it often upset them because they thought the remark(s) must be rude or were remarks the Mexicans intentionally didn’t want them to understand. Whenever the Mexicans spoke Spanish, the Americans would walk away and look at them with anger, leaving the Mexicans wondering what they said or did wrong.

Instead of the Americans asking the Mexicans to repeat the Spanish remarks in English, they would just assume that they understood, and this reaction brought about the intercultural miscommunication issue. The Americans didn’t attempt with open communication to find out why and understand why the Mexicans sometimes spoke in their native language. It was the language the Mexicans knew best and was therefore easier for them. Miscommunication occurred between the Americans and the Mexicans, because the Americans did not understand the intent of the Mexicans.

To diagnosis this communication problem, outside sources concerning the cultural norms for both the Mexicans and Americans were researched for insight into the issue. When addressing personal sensitivity “the Mexican culture is that of difficulty separating work and personal relationships and a fear of losing face, especially publicly. Americans separate from relationships and utilize a tough business front.” (Mexconnect 2007).

So, perhaps the Mexicans spoke Spanish at times because of the fear of losing face and saying something that might offend the Americans.

Differences are found in “personal appearance values. Mexicans see dress and grooming as status symbols and with Americans personal appearance is second to performance.” (Mexconnect 2007). Perhaps the bright and colorful way in which the Mexicans were dressed was perceived by the Americans, as the Mexicans not caring about the training topics or job they were learning.

According to (Mexconnect) 2007 “Aesthetics also provide different views in these two cultures. Aesthetics is important to Mexicans, even at work, whereas to Americans, there is no time for “useless frills.” So, we could interrupt that when the Mexicans spoke in Spanish and laughed out loud, they were listening and learning, but also having an enjoyable time. It was not that they were saying something offensive about the Americans and then laughing about them. According to Hernandez (2007) “In Mexico, time is not money; money is for enjoying life. There is a saying that "Americans live to work, but Mexicans work to live”!"

Per (Gardenswartz) 2006 in America the norm for communication is “explicit, direct communication emphasis on content-meaning found in words.” Possibly in this case, the American workers felt challenged by the Mexicans speaking Spanish because they could not understand the meaning of the words. In other countries, including Mexico, they contrast by using indirect communication.

In the United States the norm is for “individual orientation,” whereas in Mexico “it