LANGUAGE IN INDIA

LANGUAGE OF CORPORATE DRESS IN
CROSS-CULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Lubomir Stoykov, Ph.D.

IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE DRESS

Corporate dress is an essential part of cross-cultural business communication and the lack of knowledge of its main codes, depending on the respective race, religion, ethnos, traditions and habits, can cause frustration, misunderstanding and even failure in communication between managers from different geographic spaces (More on business communication and corporate dress can be found in: Stoykov, Pacheva, 2005: 379-439).

What is the language of corporate dress in communication between managers and entrepreneurs of different cultures, races and ethnos?

CLOTHES AND BODY LANGUAGE

Clothes, as civilisation modality and part of body language, help people a lot in their mutual understanding in the process of their communication. Things are further complicated, when we talk of contacts and meetings between representatives of different cultures, different value systems, which as systems might have manysimilarities, but differ significantly in the way of expression, in the use of symbols and signs in business dress.

The American author Nancy Adler writes:

Cross-cultural communication is realized when a representative of one culture sends a message to a representative of a different culture. This communication fails when the receiver does not comprehend the message of the sender (Adler, 1986: 183).

BUSINESS DRESS AND CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

The connection between business dress and cross-cultural communication is more than obvious. It provides lots of knowledge and information, which is applicable partially or wholly to the field of journalism, politics, diplomacy, pedagogy and a number of other communicative professions.

Corporate dress in the context of cross-cultural communication is a valuable and irreplaceable indicator for the similarities and differences of the various cultural systems, human groups, as well as thecommon cultural tendencies, adaptive mechanisms, the character of the anthropologic dynamics and specifics of the means for fulfilment of certain needs.

The constant crossing in the space of messages, sent through signs, gestures, mimics and poses, as well as dress and its components, undoubtedly enriches the different cultures and contributes to the multicolourfulness of international business. Looking into the best foreign models of style of dressing and behavioural practice, functionality of contacts and their respective infiltration and adaptation promises prosperity and guaranteed progress in the good working relationship between business representatives of different nationalities.

Another major subject, which will not be focus of our research in this paper, are the regulated and unregulated ways of ethnical identification through dress and accessories (wearing turbans or fez in combination with modern business suits and ties by employees of respectable offices and others, which often cause tension and discussions both in the society and the authority organs and structures).

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