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.