A layered model of problematic intercultural communication in U.S.‐owned maquiladoras in Mexico

Abstract

Problematic communication often occurs when people with differing cultural experiences interact. Many studies have examined cultural differences in communicative styles, but actual intercultural interaction processes have not received the attention they merit. This study uses an interpretivist approach to understanding both problematic issues and processes in one type of international organization, U.S. American‐owned assembly plants in Mexico (maquiladoras). Data collected from multi‐modal sources—ethnographic interviewing, non‐participant observation, and maquiladora periodicals—were interpreted using an analytic‐inductive method to construct a new Layered Model of Problematic Intercultural Communication. This model significantly extends previous conceptualizations of problematic communication by providing a holistic view of the ways the macro‐context, individual (in)competencies, and dyadic communication behaviors interrelate and affect multi‐leveled attributions of meaning in intercultural interaction.

Key words:

• U.S. Americans
• Mexicans
• Problematic
• Misunderstandings