How to Write a Literature Review in 30 Minutes or Less
STEP 3: Divide Into Body Paragraphs
In this step, decide which summaries will stand alone as body paragraphs and which should be combined. This decision is based on how closely related some summaries are and their length—try to limit your paragraphs to a reasonable length, around 10-14 lines long.
In a previous step, when categorizing the summaries, four were labeled as describing the PROBLEM and three focused on a SOLUTION to that problem.
Now it's time to determine which ones should stand alone as paragraphs and which should be combined.
The Fine article can come first because it offers an overview of the problem ("cultural diversity of the US workforce is perhaps the most pressing challenge of our times") that dates back to the previous century:
| Body Paragraph 1 | Fine (1996) believes that cultural diversity of the US workforce is perhaps the most pressing challenge of our times. However, research on this issue has produced general overviews on diversity. Missing are research studies of diversity in specific organizations. Research needs to document different voices in the workforce, especially those that have been marginalized. Academics should demonstrate to the public the worth of their studies on cultural diversity and multicultural discourses. |
The next three sources share important an similarty. Each source studied a specific group of culturally diverse workers and concluded the same thing: Even if speakers share a mastery of the language, there will likely be communication problems unless cultural differences are recognized and dealt with.
The three summaries together are too long for a single paragraph. So the first two can be grouped on the basis of geography. Since one talks about a man in West Africa and the other discusses workers in Australia, this paragraph presents a WORLDWIDE PROBLEM, followed by a paragraph for the Sweeny and Zhu study that took place in the U.S.
| Body Paragraph 2 | Frisoli (2010) uses a series of interviews he conducted with a West African man to study communication between people of culturally diverse backgrounds. Frisoli found that communication on the Internet can be easily distorted due to cross-cultural barriers. Frisoli also found that people of diverse backgrounds often bring different sets of ethical attitudes toward technology that can further skew communication. Frisoli highlights the importance of understanding these differences in order to improve communication. Icten (2010) studied the impact of culture on communication for migrant workers in Australia. The twelve workers interviewed were educated and articulate. They mastered English before moving to Australia. However, they encountered signifcant communication barriers despite their mastery. Icten suggests that the barriers were based on cultural differences, not language skills. Icten describes an “Innovative Communication in the Workplace” program that helped workers overcome these cultural barriers and to communicate more successfully. |
| Body Paragraph 3 | A study by Sweeny and Zhu (2010) in the U.S. observed 14 native speakers of English in intercultural business negotiations to measure how they accommodated 13 nonnative speakers of English. The results suggested that native speakers used a wider range of linguistic devices than nonnative speakers. The majority of the native speakers were challenged to accommodate nonnative speakers and did so with varying degrees of effectiveness. The study concluded that native speakers lacked an understanding of the issues of intercultural communication and were unable to effectively accommodate nonnative speakers. |
It’s important to note that all three are tied together by one theme: mastery of language alone is not enough for effective communication in the workplace. Preparedness to deal with cultural differences is also necessary.
The need to be prepared provides a natural transition to the last three summaries that discuss solutions. The first two solutions are very specific and can be combined into one paragraph:
| Body Paragraph 4 | Barker and Gower (2010) examine storytelling as a way to increase effective communication in a diverse workplace. The authors present a form of storytelling as an organizational communication tool and discuss how to apply it in the work environment. This approach may not be suitable for all organizations but can be used to develop alternative strategies. This article by Teodorescu (2010) addresses the need for translation in culturally diverse communications. Teodorescu highlights the negative affect that poor translation can have on communications, as well as strategies for effectively sharing ideas in culturally diverse environments. |
However, the last summary by Lopez-Rocha offers a universal-type solution (diversity training) that could apply to any workplace; therefore, it provides a good way to end the body of the lit review:
| Body Paragraph 5 | Lopez-Rocha (2006) addresses communication conflicts through diversity training, providing evidence that increasing cultural awareness in the workplace improves relationships, organizational procedures, and productivity. Managers must be aware of the main factor that causes conflicts: the differences among individuals from different cultural groups. These differences involve discrepancies in language and communication style, values, attitudes towards authority, and time—all of which can be addressed in diversity training. |
So, the body of this particular literature review will have five paragaphs.
- The first body paragraph will set the stage, telling how old and important this problem is.
- The second body paragraph will show that the problem is worldwide, beyond mere language, and requires preparing workers to deal with cultural differences in communication.
- The third body paragraph brings the problem home to the U.S. and reinforces the need for workers to be sensitive to cultural differences.
- The fourth body paragraph presents two very different solutions to the problem.
- The fifth body paragraph presents an overarching solution—diversity training—that can apply to virtually any organization.