How to Integrate into a Cross-Cultural Workplace
Learn to Develop Interpersonal Relationships in a Multicultural Job
Nov 5, 2009
More than ever before, people are crossing international borders in order to find gainful employment. As such, they are being forced to work in teams with other employees from widely divergent cultural backgrounds. How does an individual learn how to get along with coworkers from different ethnic settings? What interpersonal skills do they need to build up in order to work effectively alongside of those with conflicting ways of doing things?
Dr. Richard Slimbach, professor of Global Studies at Azusa Pacific University and author of The Transcultural Journey, suggests six competencies which are essential for successful assimilation into a multinational work environment.
Develop Cross-Cultural Competence through Perspective Consciousness
Perspective consciousness isthe ability to question constantly the source of one’s cultural assumptions and ethical judgments, leading to the habit of seeing things through the minds and hearts of others. When a person is able to see things thorugh the minds and hearts of others, they are deeper appreciation of the person and his or her cultural norms and practices.
Enhance Cross-Cultural Proficiency through Ethnographic Skill Sets
Ethnographic skill is the ability to observe carefully social behavior, manage stress, and establish friendships across cultures, while exploring issues of global significance, documenting learning, and analyzing data using relevant concepts. In this competency the person takes the posture of a learner, intrigued by the adventure of learning more about another person and their ethnic background.
Further Cross-Cultural Competence through Global Awareness
Global awareness is a basic awareness of transnational conditions and systems, ideologies and institutions, affecting the quality of life of human and non-human populations, along with the choices confronting individuals and nations. In order to build this competency, the cross-cultural sojourner must read widely about the world and its happenings beyond his or her locality or national borders.
Augment Cross-Cultural Competence through World Learning
World learning is taking the opportunity to gain direct experience with contrasting political histories, family lifestyles, social groups, arts, religions, and cultural orientations based on extensive, immersed interaction within non-English speaking, non-Americanized environments. Essentially, this happens when a person gets outside of the comfort zone of their own home and neighborhood and goes to another place where the inhabitants don't look or act like them. True cross-cultural competence results from getting down and dirty with others in their own social contexts.
Increase Cross-Cultural Competence through Language Learning
Foreign language proficiency: a threshold-level facility in the spoken, non-verbal, and written communication system used by members of at least one other culture. People from other cultural settings are more apt to respect those from the outside who care enough to try to learn their language.
Improve Cross-Cultural Competence through Affective Development
Affective development is the capacity to demonstrate personal qualities and standards “of the heart” (e.g., empathy, inquisitiveness, initiative, flexibility, humility, sincerity, gentleness, justice, and joy) within specific intercultural contexts in which one is living and learning. Learning to express the attitudes listed above in a culturally appropriate way goes along way to assimilating with those from another ethnic background.
Through these six competencies, an individual can be successful in developing interpersonal relationships with others from different cultures and more proficient when working alongside of them.
Sources:
Slimbach, R. (2000). The Transcultural Journey. The Frontiers Journal.
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