An Exploratory Study of Communication Competence in Thai Organizations

Abstract

What communication competence "means" may depend on the unique characteristics of national cultures. This study sought to determine the kinds of communicative knowledge and skills that are most associated with communicatively competentmembers of Thai organizations. Questionnaire data (N = 413) were collected froma cross-section of individuals working in 14 different Thai organizations concerning their perceptions of the kinds of behaviors and forms of knowledge characteristic of communicatively competent supervisors, subordinates, and co-workers. Amongother things, results suggest that Thais who are perceived to be communicativelycompetent know how to avoid conflict with others; control their emotions; displayrespect, tactfulness, modesty, and politeness; and use appropriate pronouns inaddressing others. Findings also indicate that variability may exist among types oforganizations (private, public, state enterprise) with respect to the degree to whichemployees value particular communication competencies.