Investigating intercultural communication demonstrated among staff at University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)

This study investigated the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of personnel employed at University Malaysia Terengganu to determine the interplay between their interpersonal communication patterns. The interpersonal communication examined included how they interpret, understand and assess their own and their colleagues’ values and beliefs as well as their use of verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Also explored were their conflict management styles and their perceptions in relation to Malaysia Concept. This study was framed within Hofstede cultural values theory, verbal communication theory (Hall, 1959 and 1966; Knapp & Hall, 2006) and cross-cultural communication theory (Hofstede, 1984, 1991, 2001, 2010 and 2012). Guided by these perspectives the study explored the respondent’s perspectives and experiences. This study employed mixed methods as a research design with ethnography as a research approach. The methods selected for the study included both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods including an online survey and semi-structured interviews. A survey is used to identify the initial understandings of the respondents with interviews used to reflect the ‘real’ experiences of the respondents. Data were sequentially analysed using both SPSS and thematic analysis to explore in-depth experience of the respondents. The study contributes to the area of intercultural communication in a Malaysian context. It recommends for example that UMT personnel need to recognise the importance of understanding of their colleagues’ cultural backgrounds and how this contributes to effective workplace communication. The results also suggest that UMT needs to consider enhancing its institutional culture by raising the profile of and valuing multiculturalism.