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Hi - this is an article I wrote on improving cross cultural relationships in the office.
Nowadays, people work in global offices with colleagues from different worldviews, religions and attitudes. It is important to be aware of cultural differences and how they affect team dynamics, communication and management style. Multi-cultural workplaces also offer a wealth of new experience and self-growth opportunities. Here are 7 ways to improve multicultural relationships in your workplace.
1. Make it ok to ask questions. Some people may feel that they cannot ask a person where s/he is from for fear of being offensive or being seen as racist in some way. This can prevent communication, team effort and even friendship from happening. Encourage people to talk about where they are from, and their culture. Most misunderstanding comes from lack of communication. If you can ask questions of one another, then the growth in relationship will enable more effective working together.
2. Learn about each other's countries and cultures. Many people want to travel to exotic places and experience a different culture. But nowadays, there might be someone from one of those countries in the office. Put a map on the wall and stick pins in it linked to photos of your team members so you can see where people are from. Encourage people to add to the display with information and other pictures and use it as a group talking point.
3. Be respectful and open-minded. Cultural differences can sometimes be confusing or misinterpreted. Be respectful of the way other people work and interact. Try to learn from them instead of considering your way to be the best and criticising. Apologise if you feel you might have offended someone, and ask them how you can behave more appropriately in the future. Speak out again discrimination in the workplace and encourage understanding.
4. Celebrate holidays of other cultures.Festivals and celebration are a great way to learn about other cultures. Have a lunchtime meeting where you share some traditional food and discuss what the festival means. People are the same underneath and festivals often reflect what is important to all cultures - family, faith, children, honouring the past and looking to the future.
5. Create cultural awareness factsheets. If your company employs people from other countries, give them some material on what it is like to work in your company and country. If you send employees overseas to meetings or conferences, they should also know how to work in those cultures. For example, what is the customary greeting within each culture? These worksheets will help provide context for interactions and enable easier work relationships.
6. Treat people as individuals. Culture does not define a person, and cultural stereotypes can also be responsible for more misunderstanding. Don't jump to conclusions just because someone is from a certain place. Get to know people as individuals regardless of their culture.
7. Identify gaps in your own knowledge. We are all a work-in-progress, and we can always learn more. Identify what you don't know about your co-workers and their culture. What can you learn about your own culture that affects the way you work? How can you improve the situation so your team can work more effectively together?
"Understand the differences; act on the commonalities" - Andrew Masondo, African National Congress
What else can I help you with?
What does the term cross-cultural misunderstanding mean?
People come from different areas of the world, so, when communicating with people from cultural and linguistic backgrounds different to our own, misunderstandings will often occur.
What English people fought the native Americans?
It was largely based on cultural clash, misunderstanding and a land grab on the part of the US
Bad influences of Americans to the Philippines?
smoking and cross cultural society
Who did the first cross-cultural or comparative study when he described Egyptian and Persian myths and rituals?
plato
What is the significance of the Scotland and England flags in relation to their historical and cultural differences?
The Scotland and England flags represent the historical and cultural differences between the two countries. The Scotland flag, known as the Saltire, features a white diagonal cross on a blue background, symbolizing the country's patron saint, St. Andrew. The England flag, known as the St. George's Cross, features a red cross on a white background, symbolizing the country's patron saint, St. George. These flags reflect the distinct identities and traditions of Scotland and England, highlighting their unique histories and cultural heritage.
What does the term cross-cultural misunderstanding mean?
People come from different areas of the world, so, when communicating with people from cultural and linguistic backgrounds different to our own, misunderstandings will often occur.
Give some examples of cross -cultural misunderstanding that might affect your work and work place?
Within the workplace, if this cross cultural misunderstanding between co-workers and clients, they can develop into conflict, that will impact on the quality and effectiveness of service delivery. If the workers and co-workers or clients, they don't understanding each other cultural or language, that they can't communicate, because communicate is very important in the community. It affects to the communicate, bad teamwork, poor attitude, lack of work recognition, relationship, so we need to learn each other cultural, try to understand each other cultural different.
What is a fairly harmless result of cultural misunderstanding?
Accidentally showing bad manners because of cultural differences
Cross cultural issues in management?
Cross cultural issues in management?
When is cultural misunderstanding most likely to occur?
When people from different cultures interact
In what way are Parochialism and Simplification barriers to effective cross-cultural management In each give examples?
Parochialism is the inherent tendency to view the world only through one's perspectives. Simplification is the act of viewing all other cultures as if they are the same or in opposed to your own. This causes problems and misunderstanding when trying to manage multicultural or cross-cultural businesses in a globalized economy.
Which of these can cause cultural misunderstanding during communication?
word choice
When was Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology created?
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology was created in 1986.
When was Cross-Cultural Dance Resources created?
Cross-Cultural Dance Resources was created in 1981.
What is cross cultural interaction?
Cross-cultural interaction means to or more cultures are interacting or blending
When is a cultural misunderstanding most likely to occur?
A cultural misunderstanding is most likely to occur when there are differences in beliefs, values, and norms between individuals from different cultural backgrounds, leading to misinterpretations of behavior and communication. It can also happen when there is a lack of awareness or sensitivity to cultural differences, resulting in unintended offense or confusion.
What term describes the failure of people from different cultures to communicate effectively with each other. A. Cultural absolucion . b.cultural reltivism . c. Cultural misundertanding?
c. Cultural misunderstanding
