Human Behavior in Cross-Cultural Context - Research Paper Example

BEHAVIOR IN CROSS CULTURAL CONTEXT Introduction One time in my life, I was challenged with a question: How do I react to a new culture and how do people react to me? I was faced with an opportunity of being one in an unfamiliar group. This was an assignment to a subsidiary of our organisation and so I was obliged to live and interact with them. It was one of my challenges that has become a part of my interesting business life. Our organisation allows employees to have occasional interaction with people of different cultures. Challenges and difficulties come along with the opportunity. These difficulties range from adjustment to and learning with the new culture which is far distinct from our native culture. Performance is affected when we fail to adjust with the new culture. As a result, expatriates usually return to their country of origin due to various difficulties involving cultural adjustment. Trainings and seminars (on-the-job trainings) are compulsory preparations. This includes cross-cultural training and knowing the unexpected. I feel I have unique talents and capabilities that I should share with people of different culture but I also feel I have to harness my talents to be able to impart effectively. When I go to a foreign land, my uniqueness and capabilities become more pronounced. It is necessary that I have to polish myself in accordance with the new culture. But I also have the opportunity to learn the behaviour and traits of other people. Employees working in an international environment are subject to the impact of multi-country, regional and global change and dynamism (Harris et al., 2003). Different countries do have different values which affect the way people organize, conduct and manage work. We have to be aware of the cultural differences and how to be integrated to a different culture. Here, we are faced with interpreting the actions and attitudes of the employees, negotiating with groups that have not only different goals but different methods of reaching to the company and different expectations of the other employees’ behaviour. Main Body In today’s global environment, where culture affects the operations of organisations and businesses, the issue of examining and understanding cultural sensitivities is becoming increasingly complicated. Normal human resource activities such as recruitment and selection, training and development, reward and performance appraisal, are affected by cultural values and practices in the host country. Values of a particular group of people, a Middle Eastern country for example, are one form of influence on the organisational culture. According to Mead (2005), ‘a culture is particular to one group and not others; culture is learned, and is not innate; it is passed down from one generation to the next; and that culture includes systems of values’. I noticed that in Middle East countries, their national values are more pronounced in the way people dress, talk, act socially, and in their religious ways. Their cultural values influence business decisions. This is also a fact in my own country although western culture is more liberal when it comes to cultural influences. Cross-cultural interaction means coping with differences in attitude, mannerisms, and behavioral patterns. There is the level of psychic distance (or psychological distance) that could be the cause of differences. Psychic distance is explained as ‘the degree/extent of difference that the people of one culture perceive between themselves and the people of another culture’ (Celaya and Swift, 2000, p. 231). ‘The greater the level of psychic distance, the more time and effort required to develop successful business relationships’. Commitment, trust, customer orientation/empathy, experience and communication are important aspects of a cross-cultural business relationship. Kale (1991, cited in Celaya and Swift, 2006, p. 231) said that ‘as a culture is a system of shared symbols and experiences, it is the lack of these shared symbols and experiences that makes communication across cultures so difficult.’ One of the key issues for managers in international organisations is the problem of integrating employees from several cultures. Managers have to cope with behavioural differences and the different set of values in their new environment. Integration is expected as organisations grow (Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 8). Integration can be addressed through promotion of a cohesive force. Hofstede et al. (1998) suggest that national culture is derived from early socialisation, while the corporate or organisational culture springs from specific organisational practices. Expatriates have to be well-trained in the art of dealing with people of different culture. The pre-departure screening or training is very important. The manager is in a situation where he/she will deal with people with a different culture: first the culture of the organisation, and second the culture of the country where the organisation belongs. The culture of the inhabitants of the area has to be taken into consideration, including fashion, language, and way of life. The employees should receive on-the-job training, to include the necessary motivation, constructive criticism, and other aspects in line with their cultural values. Some selling approaches may not be applicable in certain cultures. For example, problem solving techniques may not be suitable for the Abu Dhabi nationals and salespeople but are applicable in the United States. A careful study of the way of life should be incorporated in the training module. Furthermore, care needs to be exercised when translating sales manuals into the local language. When I had the chance of interacting with people from a Middle Eastern country, I noticed how people are ‘loyal’ to their past and their inheritance. Their collective attitudes, beliefs, the way they dress and conduct day-to-day business, are all influenced by their culture and their past. The Middle East is now a focus of concern of the world because of its geographic significance, its wealth which is oil, but also because of its past. And since it is the focus of concern, economic life is increasing while organisations from around the world also focus their resources on those places. The Middle Eastern work values are of course different from ours. Their sense of loyalty and honor influenced by Bedouin culture and a strong patriarchal family structure is still powerful that this can be felt in their business activities. (Robertson et al., p. 227) I was fortunate to be a part of this group because, although they were concerned of their culture and their different ways of conducting business, they were open to working with others of different cultural background. They are willing to learn especially things that concern business and their organisation. Conclusion While I believe the people I came in contact with had to change, I also believe I have to change myself. This is true for all of us. Change is dynamic in us, meaning our attitudes, outlook, motivations and objectives have to change in order to adapt to different settings. Those who want change have to transform. We think that identity of a people last for a lifetime. This might be true in some instances but not all the time. Identity can change, and change for the better. The world today has become one; meaning there is no more country that is ‘solo’. We are living in a global village – or so the saying goes. Communication has never been so effective, and transportation is fast. We can communicate to other people who are at the other side of the globe. We have to know how to interact with other people of different cultures because we are one and the same people living in one whole planet. This despite our differences in the way we talk, dress, conduct business, own, possess and give away. There might come a time that there will be one culture for one small Earth. References Celaya, J. and Swift, J., 2006. Pre-departure cultural training: US managers in Mexico. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal. Vol. 13 No. 3, 2006, pp. 230-243. DOI: 10.1108/13527600610683372. Cray, D. and Mallory, G., 1998. Making sense of managing culture. London: International London Business Press Inc. Harris, H., Brewster, C., and Sparrow, P., 2003. International Human Resource Management. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Hofstede, G., 1998. The interaction between national and organizational value systems. In G. Hudland and Dunning, J. (eds.) Transnational corporations: transfer pricing and taxation. London: Routledge. Mead, R., 2005. International management: cross-cultural dimensions. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Robertson, C., n.d. Beliefs about work in the Middle East and the convergence versus divergence of values. Journal of World Business/ 36(3)/ 223-244. Read More