| Chapter 1: | Communicating Within a Multicultural Workforce |
|
|
This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
2001). Unfortunately, many of these professionals find themselves balancing the values of their traditional culture against those of a contemporary white culture.The Mexican culture, for example, is characterized by traditional values such as cooperation and continual interchanges between people. If one member of a group should help with roof repair, another might return the favor by helping with, for example, childcare. Within the Garífuna culture of Central America, if one member of a group should help with renovations inside a home, another might return the favor by helping with renovations outside the home. The sharing of goods and labor is common for cultures with traditional values. In addition, decisions are made with the consideration of members of the group.
By contrast, competition is central to contemporary white cultures, and individual advancement is stressed. For instance, an Asian might feel uncomfortable listing accomplishments during an employee performance evaluation due to modesty. Clearly, the minority professional is often faced with competing values in the workplace.
According to O’Hair, O’Rourke,&O’Hair (2001), differing values also affect teamwork. People from cultures that view relationships in teams of hierarchy have a preference for highly structured teams. In contrast, people from cultures that see relationships in terms of groups prefer teamwork over a hierarchical focus. People from cultures that emphasize individualism are not comfortable with informal teams but prefer clearly defined groups and tasks. According to Riviera (1995), promoting the traditional values of other cultures in the workplace results in technical expertise, good human relations, teamwork, and a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Some general guidelines when communicating across cultures include: