From Where Does Your Knowledge of Other Cultures Come - Personal Statement Example

From where does your knowledge of other cultures come? Culture defines some common characteristics such as language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts of a group of people. Acquiring knowledge of other people’s cultures is sometimes very important specially if you are living or working in a society which contains people from diverse cultures. There are many ways through which we can obtain this knowledge and these are as follows:- Print Media Print media is one of the best sources of cultural knowledge including books, newspapers and magazines. Thousands of books are written about people’s cultures and norms giving us enough idea about the traditions and habits they are practicing currently. Moreover, daily newspapers and magazines contain news and articles about people from all over the world indicating people’s culture across the globe. Internet Internet is the best and fastest source of any type of information across the globe. Just a single query in search engines can give you an insight into any type of culture in a few seconds. Satellite Channels Satellite channels all over the world can be seen in one country. Dramas, cooking show, news channels, and documentary programs on channels such as national geographic, animal planet, discovery etc. help you increase your cultural knowledge. People Interaction The more you interact with people of different cultures, the more knowledge you gain about their traditions, religious activities, habits, language etc. Whether you are living with them or working with people of diverse cultures, you gain sufficient information about their culture with the passage of time. 2. How would you handle a management issue in your organization that stems from a cultural dispute? As the time is moving towards making this place a global village, people from third world countries are moving towards progressed countries in search of a better job and better future. This results not only in providing sufficient workforce to such countries but also results in the formation of organizations with people belonging to different cultures and traditions. To manage the workforce in such an organization is a very challenging task as it requires you to get sufficient information about all people’s cultures and traditions. If a management issue arises in an organization because of the cultural differences, it should be handled carefully. Whenever a worker joins the company, he should be informed about the general rules and policies of the company. Moreover, the manager should have knowledge about the person’s culture that would help deal with him in the future. Now whenever a problem arises due to cultural dispute, the manager should first analyze that he should provide the solution that does not conflict with the company’s policies. For example, if a company has a certain policy for giving no more than a one day leave near the project’s deadline then the manager cannot give an employee more than one holiday. The manager should find out a solution that is based on justice. He should consider cultures of both parties and take their opinions separately. In the end, he should design a solution that is a medium way between the both party’s opinions and should be justified. 3. Should the same rules and policies apply the same to all people in a multinational, or should culture be taken into account when applying policies? The differences in the backgrounds can be problematic if you completely ignore people’s cultural values and traditions. Now the question arises whether the same policies should be applied to all people or should cultural diversity be taken into consideration? The answer is to choose the medium way. As far as performance and work is concerned, same policies should be designed for everyone. For example, dishonesty or shirking from work will result in punishment from the company’s side to every worker. Also, same rules of yearly leave will be applied to everyone. However, cultural differences should be considered in few things such as religious festivals, food, dress code etc. For example, if the employee has not consumed all of his yearly leaves and he requests for a leave on a religious festival, it should be taken into consideration and management should try its best to facilitate him. Moreover, employees should not be forced to eat a certain type of food in the organization as some foods are prohibited in some religions. Pigs are not eaten by Muslims and are prohibited in Islam. Nobody should force a Muslim to take such food in an official dinner or gathering. Employees should also be given independence in choosing their dress. Restricting all workers to a particular dress can be problematic for some people from diverse cultures. For example, some women prefer to take head scarf. Company’s policies should not be against wearing that if the lady does not want to uncover her head. 4. Is cultural diversity a good or bad thing in an organization?  Why? Cultural diversity is a good thing in an organization if managed properly. If the employees from diverse cultures are handled carefully and their cultures are given respect, they are more beneficial to an organization in many ways. The reasons are listed as below:- 1. When employees from different cultures are working together as a unit, they form a strong pool of talent. As from different areas, languages, religions, backgrounds, they learn from each other. This provides an organization a competitive edge over other companies forming a win-win situation. 2. People of the same area or culture look at the same problem in a same way. Cultural diversity provides different ways of thinking and all workers suggest completely different solutions to address a problem. More ideas, more chances to solve the problem efficiently. 3. When people from diverse cultures are managed properly in an organization and respect is shown to their traditions and norms, they feel that their contributions are being realized by the organization. Consequently, it boosts their morale and improves their performance. 4. People from different cultures know different type of languages. If a company is planning to develop business in a foreign market, the employees from diverse cultures and countries can help establish roots in a new country efficiently and comfortably. The employees of the company with different cultures would have enough idea about how to communicate with foreign markets and how to strengthen relationship with partners in a foreign market resulting in a quick expansion of business. Read More