Date

5-23-2025

Department

School of Communication and the Arts

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)

Chair

Andrea T. Scott

Keywords

Okinawa, Japan, cross-cultural, American, U.S., organizational, nonverbal, behaviors, communication, identity negotiation theory (INT), expectancy violations theory (EVT), shy

Disciplines

Communication

Abstract

Existing literature relating to Okinawa is sparse and outdated. There is a crucial need to study Okinawan-American cross-cultural organizational communication behaviors, as many U.S. military members and civilians work throughout Okinawa. Additionally, Japanese-American or Eastern-to-Western-cultured communication literature fails to identify and often misinterprets communication behaviors. Current literature also fails to account for the societal and personal constructs of cross-cultural communication differences that cause misinterpretations. Utilizing sociocultural and sociopsychological traditions, the research is grounded primarily in Identity Negotiation Theory, with aspects of Expectancy Violations Theory. Using qualitative research that relied on semi-structured interviews, twenty-four participants, equal parts Okinawan and American, were interviewed about their cross-cultural communication experiences. Findings showed that both Americans and Okinawans encountered cross-cultural communication behavior differences in an organizational setting and willingly adjusted their own communication behaviors to account for these differences. For the purpose of this study, findings and literature connect to the main island of Okinawa, and not the archipelago of 160 islands.

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