UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Human Sciences, Department of Communication Science
⋄
COMMUNICATING IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
DPR2604 Assessment 3, 2026
⋄
Module Code: DPR2604
Module Name: Communicating in a Global Context
Assessment No.: Assessment 3
Due Date: 22 October 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
Communicating in a Global Context (DPR2604) at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | DPR2604 Assessment 3: Communicating in a Global Context
Question 1: Culture and Intercultural Communication
1.1 Individualism and collectivism in the workplace
Differentiate between individualism and collectivism and discuss how each can influence team-
work in the workplace.
Individualism and collectivism describe how strongly people see themselves as separate indi-
viduals or as members of a group (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov, 2010). Where a culture is
individualist, the ties between people are loose, each person is expected to look after them-
selves and their immediate family, and the “I” comes first. Collectivist cultures, by contrast,
are those in which people are born into strong, cohesive in-groups such as extended families
and communities, which protect them in exchange for lasting loyalty, and the “we” comes first
(Triandis, 1995). The two are best read as ends of a continuum rather than as boxes, and a na-
tional tendency does not predict how a particular colleague will behave (Hofstede et al., 2010).
Table 1: Individualism compared with collectivism
Aspect Individualism Collectivism
Identity Defined by personal achieve- Defined by group membership
ments and choices and relationships
Goals Personal goals take priority over Group goals and harmony take
group goals priority
Communication Direct, explicit, open disagree- Indirect, context-sensitive, face-
ment accepted saving
Decision-making Individual initiative and quick Consensus, consultation and
decisions shared responsibility
Rewards Individual performance and recog- Group loyalty and collective
nition credit
In individualist workplaces, teamwork tends to rest on clear individual roles, personal account-
ability and open debate. Members are comfortable challenging ideas, taking initiative and be-
ing rewarded for their own results, which speeds up decisions. The cost is weaker cohesion:
members may compete with each other, guard information that gives them an advantage, and
treat the team as a means to a personal goal.
In collectivist workplaces, teamwork rests on loyalty, mutual help and harmony. Members
share credit and responsibility, and the team stays together under pressure. Earley (1989)
found that collectivist groups showed less social loafing than individualist groups when work-
ing on shared tasks. The weaknesses are slower decisions, reluctance to disagree openly or to
challenge a senior, and a risk of groupthink. In South Africa the philosophy of ubuntu, often
Page 1 of 18
, UNISA | DPR2604 Assessment 3: Communicating in a Global Context
summarised as “a person is a person through other people”, gives collectivism a local form and
supports consensus-based team practice (Mbigi and Maree, 1995; Mangaliso, 2001). In a mul-
ticultural South African team, a manager who praises one member publicly may be rewarding
an individualist colleague while embarrassing a collectivist one, so the manager has to know
which style is at work.
1.2 Masculinity versus femininity
Describe the dimensions, masculinity versus femininity, and explain how they might shape busi-
ness practices.
Masculinity versus femininity is the Hofstede dimension that records which values a society
treats as dominant. Assertiveness, competition, ambition and material success are prized in
a masculine society, which also keeps gender roles clearly separate. A feminine society val-
ues modesty, caring, cooperation and quality of life, and gender roles overlap (Hofstede et al.,
2010). The label does not describe what men and women actually do: it describes the domi-
nant values of a culture, so a feminine culture still contains assertive men and a masculine one
still contains caring women. Japan is commonly given as a strongly masculine culture and Swe-
den as a strongly feminine one (Hofstede et al., 2010).
These values shape business practice in several ways. In masculine cultures managers are ex-
pected to be decisive and results-driven, rewards and promotion follow individual performance,
conflicts are often settled by open contest, long hours are accepted (people “live to work”),
and marketing leans on status, success and comparison. In feminine cultures managers are ex-
pected to listen and consult, rewards include equality, flexible hours and generous leave, con-
flicts are settled by compromise and negotiation, work-life balance is protected (people “work
to live”), and marketing uses softer appeals built around care, relationships and wellbeing. A
South African firm negotiating with partners from both types of culture therefore needs to ad-
just its negotiation style, its incentive design and the tone of its public relations messages.
1.3.1 The five remaining barriers to intercultural communication
Name and define the five (5) remaining barriers to intercultural communication.
Barna (1994) identifies six stumbling blocks in intercultural communication: assuming similari-
ties, language differences, nonverbal misinterpretations, preconceptions and stereotypes, the
Page 2 of 18
College of Human Sciences, Department of Communication Science
⋄
COMMUNICATING IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
DPR2604 Assessment 3, 2026
⋄
Module Code: DPR2604
Module Name: Communicating in a Global Context
Assessment No.: Assessment 3
Due Date: 22 October 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
Communicating in a Global Context (DPR2604) at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | DPR2604 Assessment 3: Communicating in a Global Context
Question 1: Culture and Intercultural Communication
1.1 Individualism and collectivism in the workplace
Differentiate between individualism and collectivism and discuss how each can influence team-
work in the workplace.
Individualism and collectivism describe how strongly people see themselves as separate indi-
viduals or as members of a group (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov, 2010). Where a culture is
individualist, the ties between people are loose, each person is expected to look after them-
selves and their immediate family, and the “I” comes first. Collectivist cultures, by contrast,
are those in which people are born into strong, cohesive in-groups such as extended families
and communities, which protect them in exchange for lasting loyalty, and the “we” comes first
(Triandis, 1995). The two are best read as ends of a continuum rather than as boxes, and a na-
tional tendency does not predict how a particular colleague will behave (Hofstede et al., 2010).
Table 1: Individualism compared with collectivism
Aspect Individualism Collectivism
Identity Defined by personal achieve- Defined by group membership
ments and choices and relationships
Goals Personal goals take priority over Group goals and harmony take
group goals priority
Communication Direct, explicit, open disagree- Indirect, context-sensitive, face-
ment accepted saving
Decision-making Individual initiative and quick Consensus, consultation and
decisions shared responsibility
Rewards Individual performance and recog- Group loyalty and collective
nition credit
In individualist workplaces, teamwork tends to rest on clear individual roles, personal account-
ability and open debate. Members are comfortable challenging ideas, taking initiative and be-
ing rewarded for their own results, which speeds up decisions. The cost is weaker cohesion:
members may compete with each other, guard information that gives them an advantage, and
treat the team as a means to a personal goal.
In collectivist workplaces, teamwork rests on loyalty, mutual help and harmony. Members
share credit and responsibility, and the team stays together under pressure. Earley (1989)
found that collectivist groups showed less social loafing than individualist groups when work-
ing on shared tasks. The weaknesses are slower decisions, reluctance to disagree openly or to
challenge a senior, and a risk of groupthink. In South Africa the philosophy of ubuntu, often
Page 1 of 18
, UNISA | DPR2604 Assessment 3: Communicating in a Global Context
summarised as “a person is a person through other people”, gives collectivism a local form and
supports consensus-based team practice (Mbigi and Maree, 1995; Mangaliso, 2001). In a mul-
ticultural South African team, a manager who praises one member publicly may be rewarding
an individualist colleague while embarrassing a collectivist one, so the manager has to know
which style is at work.
1.2 Masculinity versus femininity
Describe the dimensions, masculinity versus femininity, and explain how they might shape busi-
ness practices.
Masculinity versus femininity is the Hofstede dimension that records which values a society
treats as dominant. Assertiveness, competition, ambition and material success are prized in
a masculine society, which also keeps gender roles clearly separate. A feminine society val-
ues modesty, caring, cooperation and quality of life, and gender roles overlap (Hofstede et al.,
2010). The label does not describe what men and women actually do: it describes the domi-
nant values of a culture, so a feminine culture still contains assertive men and a masculine one
still contains caring women. Japan is commonly given as a strongly masculine culture and Swe-
den as a strongly feminine one (Hofstede et al., 2010).
These values shape business practice in several ways. In masculine cultures managers are ex-
pected to be decisive and results-driven, rewards and promotion follow individual performance,
conflicts are often settled by open contest, long hours are accepted (people “live to work”),
and marketing leans on status, success and comparison. In feminine cultures managers are ex-
pected to listen and consult, rewards include equality, flexible hours and generous leave, con-
flicts are settled by compromise and negotiation, work-life balance is protected (people “work
to live”), and marketing uses softer appeals built around care, relationships and wellbeing. A
South African firm negotiating with partners from both types of culture therefore needs to ad-
just its negotiation style, its incentive design and the tone of its public relations messages.
1.3.1 The five remaining barriers to intercultural communication
Name and define the five (5) remaining barriers to intercultural communication.
Barna (1994) identifies six stumbling blocks in intercultural communication: assuming similari-
ties, language differences, nonverbal misinterpretations, preconceptions and stereotypes, the
Page 2 of 18
