Archives for May 2017

Living in a diverse city exposes you to many languages and cultures. One of the greatest things about the diversity in my city is experiencing all the great food. You can go almost anywhere in the city and find a locally owned and operated family restaurant from almost all over the world. When visiting the restaurants its wise to understand that there are cultural differences and customs when dining, therefore a quick study on their particular customs may come in handy and help avoid any uncomfortable situations.

Luckily in this day in age, we can rely on the Internet for a quick reference on etiquette when dining with particular cultures. In my city we have a Nepalese restaurant where you can sit on a Nepali dining table however, you have to follow their customs and ask for permission to sit in the room, remove your shoes, sit crossed-legged, and avoid pointing the bottoms of your feet in the direction of others. In addition to asking permission, upon entering the hostess or host will greet you with a Namskar or Namaste, which should be politely returned. Eating from your right hand only is also a custom.

One faux pas that Americans often commit is taking photos of their food when dining, particularly in foreign restaurants. This is something that should be avoided in most places since it can be considered rude. “Intentions are important but, like culture, perceptions count” (Moran et al., 2014, p. 29). If we dine at a restaurant aware of their customs, we are less likely to offend others, and making at least an effort to understand the culture can make a significant difference into how you are welcomed in restaurants as well.

If we can understand that the U.S. in home to many cultures and learn to be accepting and respectful we can gain a lot of good from sharing these amazing experiences. “If you want to enlarge your managerial frames, you must be curious about how the rest of the world thinks – and you must have humility” (Moran et al., 2014, p. 31). Experiences no matter how small can give you a better insight into the cultural differences of others that can become valuable tools both personally and professionally.

References

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences   (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge

 

 

Blog 1: Culture

 

Kylie Smith

 

 

When I was in Dubai with my stepdad for his job (he was a Senior Executive Leadership Consultant) in 2011, he was teaching/training “Leadership For The Generations”, which was a multicultural environment. There were people from India, Dubai, Indonesia, Germany, France, and etc. 18-20 different countries.

He was teaching negotiations about cultural sensitivities.

 

One of the guys was talking about how he went into a car dealership in the US and negotiated the price of a car. Other countries don’t finagle with car prices. Their culture is “if it’s a dollar, it’s a dollar” you don’t ask for anything less.

“The art of haggling is something that dates back thousands of years; in many cultures it is still what the shopping experiences revolve around. From items of food to clothes, in many countries across the world prices can be dropped depending on the haggling ability of the customer.”
G. M. (2012, December 10). The Cultural Differences in Haggling. Retrieved May 28, 2017, from http://www.business2community.com/travel-leisure/the-cultural-differences-in-haggling-0352522#lzx30vYUohVMBcaR.97

 

 

One of our instructors from an Arab culture, Sat down, crossed his legs, they asked him not to do that because he was showing the soles of his feet and it is offensive.

“Culture is a distinctly human means of adapting to circumstances and transmitting this coping skill and knowledge to subsequent generations. Culture gives people a sense of who they are, of belonging, of how they should behave, and of what they should be doing. Culture impacts behavior, morale, and productivity at work, and includes values and patterns that influence company attitudes and actions.” Moran, R. T. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences, page 11. Routledge.

 

In order for my stepdad to lead this training, he had to go through certain training himself, in order to properly address his clients since they were all from different cultures. Because of that, certain words and gestures can be offensive or gross to them. He had to be sure of what he can and cannot say. He went on to teach those clients the same thing.

 

He also had to sit down with his partners, who was a 23-year-old white woman and go over what she should and should not be wearing in Dubai, especially alone. She could’ve put herself in a very bad situation.

 

This particular situation reminded me a lot of the video we were assigned to watch in this past lesson, where the lady narrating the video talks about how certain gestures and phrases have very different meanings than what our American culture is used to.

She has two actors demonstrate what is wrong and offensive to certain people and cultures. This instance specifically relates to this lesson.

As an American working in the Caribbean I learned a lot about working with cultures outside of my own. The text refers to the American cultural belief that ‘their country is a force for enduring good.’ (Moran, Abramson, Moran, Pg. 30. This can often extend to American managers abroad believing their hard charging ways are the best. The problem is if as a leader one does not figure out a way to work within the host culture all the most current management techniques won’t matter. The Caribbean culture in particular has ways of dealing with precisely these kinds of manager.

In Antigua, it is important to be very aware of the history of the island. Antigua was colonized by the British, who imported slaves from Africa and worked them to death for obscene profits. When emancipation occurred in 1834 slavery was gone only in name. With only ‘king sugar’ as a means to earn money, and the plantations remaining in the white owners hands the ‘free’ slaves remained at the mercy of the powerful Sugar Syndicate until the 1940`s when organized labor took hold and a series of strikes finally brought down the sugar barons.

When independence came about in 1967 (for local matters, full independence was not until 1981) tourism was just in its infancy. Luckily Antigua has copious amounts of beaches (they advertise 365, one for every day of the year). I say luckily because agriculture was considered the least desirable of all occupations. Working in sugar fields as slaves had almost make even home agriculture a dirty word, being a taxi driver was considered far superior.
Because Antiguan independence took its root in the form of organized labor, unions are powerful and the labor laws are strict. Many a foreign manager I have seen come in and try to circumvent both. This has never worked. Slavery ingrained a deep feeling of pride among the Antiguans. They earned the land they have through the blood and suffering of almost 400 years of their forebears and they will patiently ‘go slow’ or create obstacles that will drive the most seasoned manager crazy.

‘If you want to enlarge your managerial frames, you must be curious about how the rest of the world thinks- and you must have humility. The real competitive problem is not that our institutional environment is hopelessly unhelpful, but that our managerial frames are hopelessly inappropriate to the next round of global competition.’ (Moran, Abramson, Moran, Pg. 31)

I was successful as a manager because I respected the history and the laws of the land. I worked hard with the unions to not only work on the benefits the staff wanted, but also on the disciplinary procedures I needed to manage. I was able to manage, which meant hiring and firing, but there were local norms and procedures to follow. It perhaps took longer than I would have liked to make changes in staff, but there was a way if I worked within the culture.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge

 

Hi Everyone!

My name is Stefan Slavkovic and I am currently a rising senior at Penn State University! I will be interning in the HR Department at the The Ritz London this summer!

I am from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and have lived here my entire life.  Currently, aside from the internship I will be partaking in this summer, I have not expanded my life professionally aside from being a full time student.

My long-term goals are to complete law school and earn my JD in Labor Law, Healthcare Law, or Corporate Law (still undecided).  After that I hope to find a job working as an attorney in California, Boston, or Chicago.

My leadership experience is minimal compared to most of you as I have yet to truly enter the professional world.  I guess I would sum it up with my role as Co-Founder and President of Nittany FC, a student run organization at Penn State focused on bringing students together through the sport of soccer.

My favorite quote about leadership is “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion”. – Alexander the Great: This quote comes from a time when people were innovating using only sticks and stones.  It is one that stands out to me because it conveys a number of qualities a leader should possess without directly stating them, such as fierceness, courage, and ambition.

Somethings that are interesting about me:  Serbian is actually my native language.  I collect baseball cards.

 

Hello Everyone,

My name is Yvonne; I am currently an Executive Assistant for a Navy aviation command.

I am from and currently living in San Diego. I am currently working on graduating this fall with my BS in OLEAD and AS in Business, I really like my current position even though there’s not much upward mobility, I like what I do and the flexibility I have to go to school and balance family life. My long term goals include going to grad school, and ultimately finding a career that is both rewarding and comfortable in balancing family.

I am not currently in a leadership position; I have however held a leadership position during my time in the navy. I was the administrative supervisor for an aviation command. I don’t have a favorite leadership quote, however, a previous boss once told me to always listen to others ideas because everyone has something valuable to offer. That has stuck with me for many years, I feel that as a student, particularly an online student, we learn a lot from communicating with each other and sharing ideas, working as a team is one of my favorite things to do.

Something interesting about me is that I am currently 5 months pregnant attempting to graduate this year. I have a 7 year old daughter and a handful of pets (2 dogs, 1 cat, and a couple chameleons). I have no unusual hobbies or many hobbies for that matter; my free time is all spent with my daughter and my pets.

I’m looking forward to working and learning from you all this semester.

 

Hello! My name is Morgan Neal and I am a senior majoring in Labor and Employment Relations. I am currently located in Greensboro, North Carolina but will be leaving for an internship in Dublin Ireland in two weeks. I love to travel so this is the perfect internship for me. I have been fortunate enough to get to travel a lot in my lifetime. My favorite state is Alaska and my favorite country is Italy.

I am a travel agent and I love my job. It has given me the opportunity to see the world and help others get to do so as well. I love geography and history, so it’s perfect for me. Although I have a degree in Paralegal Technology I wanted more out of my career so I decided I wanted to go into Human Resources so I could help more people. However, I plan to always be a travel agent; if I didn’t I feel that my life wouldn’t be complete.

In the long run I plan to work as a Human Resources manager. I feel that if I could achieve this goal I could achieve my goal of helping the maximum amount of people within a company. I would also like to get my Masters of Studies in Law, with a focus on Human Resources. I have always loved the law, hence my first degree in Paralegal Technology!

It is natural instinct for me to be a leader. I am turned to at work as a leader within my co-workers because I can voice our opinion in a calm, explanatory way. I always have what is best for my coworkers and I in mind and try to help us get the extra assistance or information that we need to do our jobs well.  When I was in high school I was also the President of a couple of clubs and tried to do the best that I could. I will never be perfect at leadership but I am always willing to try.

A leadership quote that I find to be very true by Andy Stanley is “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” This holds special meaning to me because when I was younger I had a boss that didn’t understand why nobody wanted to tell her any issues we had, good or bad, and always went over her head. It was because she was rude, hateful, lazy and disrespectful. I always told myself that THAT was what I never wanted to be as a leader. When put in leadership situations my mind always goes back to her and what the right way to lead is.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to this semester!

This is a picture of me at the Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare, Ireland. It was absolutely breathtaking!