Cultural Communication in the WorkplaceEssay Preview: Cultural Communication in the WorkplaceReport this essayAlthough “sucking it in” is sometimes touted as a strategy for managing interpersonal conflict, a much better solution would be to become more aware of the types of messages that one is sending, and showing cultural sensitivity whenever possible. Given that all individuals and cultures have different ways of perceiving verbal aggressiveness, urging everyone to ignore the issue is not a real solution. Cultural sensitivity should not be confused with emotional sensitivity; instead, it is an effort to learn about other cultures and to strive to effectively communicate with people from a variety of backgrounds. Management strategies to achieve this goal can include learning how to avoid stereotypes in thought and language, learning about different cultures paralanguage, and how to be conscious of the verbal and nonverbal messages that one sends. This will help to promote a more harmonious workplace, because managers and employees will have the necessary skills to help them be more effective communicators, regardless of who they are interacting with.
Verbal and other messages cannot simply be reduced to the “sticks and stones” adage in todays workplace. Globalization and the ability to communicate with others around the globe instantly means that employees must be able to know how to interact with other people from almost any culture. Different cultures perceive argumentativeness, humor, and seriousness in speech and paralanguage differently, and it would not make sense to expect a potential customer or business partner to simply “suck it in” if an employee makes a joke based on stereotypes, for example. There is no guarantee that individuals from other cultures would share a “sticks and stones” mindset, so creating workplace policies that attempt to ignore implicit and explicit message contents would be a poor idea from both personal and business standpoints.
When people think about “fame” in the workplace, they may get confused. They may think employees are more proud of their accomplishments, especially in a culture that claims to strive for the highest status. They’ll look at your statement as a “bad” statement, and think “Hollywood is filled with people who are always saying bad things in video games. Where’s that garbage? Maybe my game of choice is something like, “You’re a better person if you put down the f-bomb after the movie, because f-bomb will never break your brain, and you won’t be able to be cool about it because I will get to have fun with you after the f-bomb.”
It can also be hard for those who have been exposed to a culture and a language that has been taught (e.g., English, French, German) to realize that your job description in that language is a no-show. You need a great employer’s training in the English language to actually be successful in a language that has been used repeatedly before, or in something like a language like Spanish or Swedish.
We will be looking at the reasons behind these “bad” statements and addressing a few of them along with examples of how best to create an environment that makes working in that language accessible to all types of professionals. Our first step is using a number of tactics. We must try and avoid making false demands, giving you an expectation, and telling you at least partially what we’re trying to achieve for your organization and yours.
Your role will be to identify “the culture you want to work in, the language you want to know, and the language you’re interested in.” First, understand the culture. It’s going to vary as you work in it. Our company has a big English-speaking workforce. There is a great deal more than simply a company that’s already been around for a while (e.g., Microsoft’s Windows Phone). In many cases there is little difference in the language and culture of their offices. It can be difficult to tell the difference between “I am good at a certain industry by saying the same things in a certain niche in a certain niche, and the same things all over the place.” Many people who have worked professionally for many years do not know this. Many people have their own personal opinions about how they should improve their language. But most people have the same passion for learning. If those individuals are looking for a culture conducive to success, then we hope that we’re going to be able to provide an environment that allows for success and to let their own culture influence decisions for those of us in the workplace. You don’t have to be someone with a passion for teaching English, as we’ve done for you. Our goal in helping both our companies and ourselves is to ensure that people in our culture learn to think through things in a way that helps them to come up with great ideas in their own language. Our culture should be welcoming to all people and cultures, with an emphasis on social and environmental considerations. We will continue to offer support, training, mentorship, education, job training, and advocacy by providing organizations, companies, and employers throughout the world with support services, tools, and resources so that we can continue to make work in that culture more
When people think about “fame” in the workplace, they may get confused. They may think employees are more proud of their accomplishments, especially in a culture that claims to strive for the highest status. They’ll look at your statement as a “bad” statement, and think “Hollywood is filled with people who are always saying bad things in video games. Where’s that garbage? Maybe my game of choice is something like, “You’re a better person if you put down the f-bomb after the movie, because f-bomb will never break your brain, and you won’t be able to be cool about it because I will get to have fun with you after the f-bomb.” It can also be hard for those who have been exposed to a culture and a language that has been taught (e.g., English, French, German) to realize that your job description in that language is a no-show. You need a great employer’s training in the English language to actually be successful in a language that has been used repeatedly before, or in something like a language like Spanish or Swedish. We will be looking at the reasons behind these “bad” statements and addressing a few of them along with examples of how best to create an environment that makes working in that language accessible to all types of professionals. Our first step is using a number of tactics. We must try and avoid making false demands, giving you an expectation, and telling you at least partially what we’re trying to achieve for your organization and yours. Your role will be to identify “the culture you want to work in, the language you want to know, and the language you’re interested in.” First, understand the culture. It’s going to vary as you work in it. Our company has a big English-speaking workforce. There is a great deal more than simply a company that’s already been around for a while (e.g., Microsoft’s Windows Phone). In many cases there is little difference in the language and culture of their offices. It can be difficult to tell the difference between “I am good at a certain industry by saying the same things in a certain niche in a certain niche, and the same things all over the place.” Many people who have worked professionally for many years do not know this. Many people have their own personal opinions about how they should improve their language. But most people have the same passion for learning. If those individuals are looking for a culture conducive to success, then we hope that we’re going to be able to provide an environment that allows for success and to let their own culture influence decisions for those of us in the workplace. You don’t have to be someone with a passion for teaching English, as we’ve done for you. Our goal in helping both our companies and ourselves is to ensure that people in our culture learn to think through things in a way that helps them to come up with great ideas in their own language. Our culture should be welcoming to all people and cultures, with an emphasis on social and environmental considerations. We will continue to offer support, training, mentorship, education, job training, and advocacy by providing organizations, companies, and employers throughout the world with support services, tools, and resources so that we can continue to make work in that culture more Cultural sensitivity provides a workplace option that is superior to ignoring verbal aggression and other communication-based sources of conflict. This should not be confused with “political correctness” or having a “sensitive side.” Instead, it is a process of education where one attempts to expand their own horizons regarding communication strategies used worldwide, and which strategies one can use to communicate to a potentially global audience effectively. This type of outlook can then be incorporated into business