Communication studies paper about communication dimension in Mexican Culture. (palanca and simpatica) - Essay Example

This influence has been highly reflected in the forms of communication; it is in this sector that the need for protecting the elements of the Mexican culture has become emergent – mostly because of the increased interaction between the Mexican culture and the foreign cultures, especially the American one. A series of concepts has been developed for ensuring the continuation of Mexican ethics and traditions; Palanca and Simpatica are such concepts. Both of them have been mostly used for communicating with people in different social environments – family, friends, and workplace.

These concepts indicate the power of Mexican culture to govern social relationships across Mexico; it also reflects the ability of this culture to be effectively transformed, where necessary, in order to be aligned with the rules of other cultures, where there is a need for their co-existence, for instance, in the workplace. Palanca is a key concept in Mexican culture. The term is used in order to show a network of interpersonal relations on which the achievement of personal objectives is based (Nakayama & Halualani 2011). . Palanca can be used either for entering the workplace or for improving the position within a particular organization.

The concept is not limited to the labour market – even if its use in this case is extensive. It is also likely to be used for the achievement of other benefits of similar characteristics, for instance for accessing an educational environment which is popular for its educational practices or its image in the job market, meaning the high perspectives of its graduates to get hired in businesses that highly reward their employees. In other words, Palanca reflects the ability of a person to communicate with his environment for achieving various social or economic benefits.

It should be noted that Palanca can be used also for supporting the personal development of a person; for example, managers in organizations can use Palanca – along with Simpatica – in order to delegate to newly hired employees tasks which are rather easy to be executed, aiming to help them to understand the organizational needs and challenges; in this way, employees are expected to have more chances to survive within the particular organization (Nakayama & Halualani 2011). The context of Palanca is described more accurately in the study of Edwards & Hodges (2011).

In accordance with the above researchers, ‘Palanca describes the power that comes from networks of interpersonal connections which cover family, social and work life’ (Edwards & Hodges 2011, p.39). It is made clear that Palanca is used for achieving benefits within a particular social or economic environment – since the term is used for reflecting the person’s interpersonal relations as developed within a particular social environment or in the