Learning intercultural workplace skills

The global economy needs workers who not only master their technical skills but also can thrive

on diverse teams and interact effectively with customers and clients at home and abroad. Even if

you never seek an overseas work assignment, you will need to be able to collaborate with diverse

coworkers right here at home. We will discuss how to overcome barriers to productive

intercultural communication, develop strong intercultural skills, and capitalize on workplace

diversity.

Conquering Ethnocentrism and Stereotyping

The Process of understanding and interacting successfully with people from other cultures is often

hampered by two barriers: ethnocentrism and stereotyping. These two barriers, however, can be

overcome by developing tolerance, a powerful and effective aid to communication.

Ethnocentrism. The belief in the superiority of ones own culture is known as ethnocentrism. This

natural attitude is found in all cultures. Ethnocentrism causes us to judge others by our own

values. If you were raised in North America, the values described in the preceding sections

probably seem right to you, and you may wonder why the rest of the world doesnt function in

the same sensible fashion. A North American businessperson in an Arab or Asian country might be

upset at time spent over coffee or other social rituals before any real business is transacted. In

these cultures, however, personal relationships must be established and nurtured before earnest

before talks may proceed.

Stereotypes. Our perceptions of other cultures sometimes cause us to form stereotypes about

groups of people. A stereotype is an oversimplified perception of a behavioral pattern or

characteristic applied to entire groups. For example, the Swiss are hardworking, efficient, and

neat; Germans are formal, reserved, and blunt; Americans are loud, friendly, and impatient;

Canadians are polite, trusting, and tolerant; Asians are gracious, humble, and inscrutable. These

attitudes may or may not accurately describe cultures norms. But when applied to individual

business communicators, such stereotypes may create misconceptions and misunderstandings.

Look beneath surface stereotypes and labels to discover individual personal qualities.

Tolerance: Working with people from other cultures demands tolerance and flexible attitudes. As

global markets expand and as our society becomes increasingly multiethnic, tolerance becomes

critical. Tolerance, here, does not mean putting up with or enduring, which is one part of its

definition. Instead, we use tolerance in a broader sense. It means learning about beliefs and

practices different from our own and appreciating them. One of the best ways to develop

tolerance is to practice empathy. This means trying to see the world through anothers eyes. It

means being nonjudgmental, recognizing things as they are rather than as they should be.

For example, in China, the American snack foods manufacturer Frito-Lay had to accommodate

yin and yang, the Chinese philosophy that nature and life must balance opposing elements.

Chinese consider fried foods to be hot and avoid them in summer because two hots dont

balance. They prefer cool snacks in summer; therefore, Frito-Lay created cool lemon potato

chips dotted with lime snacks and mint. They yellow, lemon-scented chips are delivered in a

package showing breezy blue skies and rolling green grass. Instead of imposing the American view

that potato chips are fine as a summer snack, Frito-Lay looked at its products through the eyes of

its Chinese consumers and adjusted accordingly.

The following suggestions can help you prevent miscommunication in oral and written

transactions across cultures.

office insider

"not everyone can travel, but since we live and work in a global economy, we should expect

undergraduate programs to prepare students with a fundamental understanding of the cultural

differences , historical perspectives and common business practices employed by all the major

countries within it"

Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one's own culture and group

A stereotype is an oversimplified behavioral pattern applied to entire groups.

Developing intercultural tolerance means practicing empathy, being nonjudgmental, and being

patient.