A better coordination in between different cultures

The world has been converted into a global village and there could be no denial especially when it comes to corporate sector where we can see people from different countries working together. But there arises the challenge of how to make a proper adjustment in between different cultures that sit together but do not understand each other’s cultures and traditions properly.  There we feel the need a proper coordination in between different cultures to understand make the work environment more tolerable.

Mind it dear readers, I am referring to different international community here but I could have very well mentioned the differences in between inter-state relations/differences as far as our country is concerned where we talk big about diversity and all but act too narrow minded when it comes to practicality. After all we go to different states for different purposes including job, study etc but we have yet to learn how to live respecting each other’s traditions and sentiments despite having lot of differences in our social, eating, religious or day to day habits.

Sense of sympathy with other cultures

If look at the topic in wider perspective at world level it will certainly need a particular attitude towards our outlook regarding this multifaceted that is having many different aspects or features which has widened its scope with increasing number of work opportunities all over the world hence most corporate in developed countries are using cultural activities as a business-tool to develop coordination within their workplaces and that is paying off well. 

It sure works well in a business establishment where people working there know each other on personal level, understand their culture and not only understand their culture but participate in their festivals and functions, that’s an experience in itself that they can only know when they become part of it. I can tell you that with my personal experience when I joined a function in a Chinese family and they were so delighted seeing my wife’s bangles every Chinese lady present there wanted to touch and everyone praised her bangles.

However, there could be no doubt about the fact that sense of cultural coexistence increases the sense of self security among the people living in other states or countries that has been point of awareness in many multinationals all over the world today and that is clearly showing its results. It not only brings the feeling the sense of security among the outsiders but increases productivity which is the basic criteria as far corporate are concerned and people in general. The corporate are giving proper importance to the fact their employees know each other well. 

Awareness at communication level

We all know it’s a common practice that every company   takes a detailed information regarding his educational, experience, family background etc at the time of his appointment but and unfortunately so no company asks how the last company treated him or his coworkers based on their residential status or how was the atmosphere in general or attitude of people with outsiders. That is one important aspect companies are looking at and making their employees aware about. Unless people learn to treat their staff and customers on equal terms no company can grow as much as it should according to its actual potential. 

We all agree to the point that our workplaces are not the same that used to be a couple of decades back. The work culture is changing at brisk rate and we have to keep pace with rest of the world we shall have to change according to international standards that needs changes in our communication style, time management, management of workforce and let me add cultural coexistence is very much part of human resources. If we cannot properly manage out interstate or international workforce on equal terms we cannot obtain proper results of our efforts we put in our industry.

I agree some of our problems are not as serious as we make them out to be. Some of them are so simple with simple solutions but if we do not find a solution at an initial stage the chances are they become serious and the ones that could be sorted out at the primary stage needs senior management to intervene to sort them out. Most of the problems that we consider due to diversity of cultures were not as serious but our lack of ability to handle them made them as serious. We shall have to get rid of our attitude “Chalta hai” (Overlooking at initial stage) is the main culprit of half the problems we face in different fields of life and our workplaces are no exceptions.

If we put a stop to something while it is still in its early developmental stage it will help the cause. We have another problem that is causing us lot of problems and that is if someone takes an initiative others either stop him or laugh his effort down. We can see that happening everywhere.  People feel small if someone reminds them about their duty or the right way to tackle a situation. Let me request to everyone to act more strictly and SYMPHATICALLY especially if you are working with diverse cultures.

What’s wrong in that?

We should feel obliged to allow a diversity of views to be shared freely I feel it will help us go a long way in tolerating others point of views as far different cultures are concerned.  Please do not mind my saying so but tell me what have you done in this particular segment, what have you done to understand my point of view or what have you done to understand others’ points if you have been trying to insert your own views all along while I was listening to you all sitting in a remote corner? If you will ponder upon these points seriously you will feel there is lot to do in this field. The world will be lot better place to live in as far peaceful coexistence is concerned.

How do you tackle such problems?

I mean, have you ever tried to understand the problems of people those come from far off places face living or working around you? I know certain people are really the pain in the butt but not all. Most people live and work peacefully as long you don’t consider them a burden on your state/country. After all they are in your place based on their qualities whatever the qualities education, technical expertise or money that they will spend while living in your area or technical qualifications that they will provide to your area for its betterment. Or even a laborer that will help develop you area so he has the wealth of his physical labor for you. Now tell me what do you have to offer him in return of his quality? 

Adding knowledge

Have you ever tried to understand different cultures by studying them via different sources like newspaper, television, internet etc? Maybe it will not provide an instant chance to use your knowledge gained through all these methods but I can assure you that you will be benefit understanding the cultures and use your knowledge in wider perceptive in a long run for sure.  I suggest you as corporate worker use your knowledge thus gained with any of your colleagues and see the result. You will be astounded with the reaction you will receive and you shall feel you’re far more important for that particular coworker from then on. You’ll be benefitted in more than one way you will get better cooperation from him in the future. 

Learn to listen them

Let me share my own experience I went through for almost nineteen weeks during a training session last year in Sydney in a class of twenty two students. Fourteen of us from different countries and out of remaining eight two were Italian Australians, two from New Zeeland settled in Australia and remaining four originally from England but now settled in Australia. We had Bangladeshi, Indians, Chinese and Koreans in our batch but I did not feel like a stranger for a single moment despite having lots of problems at the pronunciation level. It took me to understand maybe two weeks for Koreans; three for Chinese but rest were normal. Australians being as problematic as they always were for me. At least 10-15% of their talks always went over my head but I gave them a smile and they would repeat their sentence. 

Just imagine about the situation if we all started to laugh at each other’s way of pronunciation which is just a normal thing back in our country? That could have been funny but would not help our cause in any way.  To listen to others is part of our culture and while doing so our body language should be as positive as our expressions. If we concentrate properly we shall be able to understand in far better way. Maybe we could be able to catch those words 5% better and that will make all the difference.  

It would make a big difference

The main purpose of understanding the culture and traditions of employees is to make them comfortable and take the best out of them. Once a worker feels comfortable at his workplace happy with his surroundings his output goes up instantly. It’s absolutely necessary to take strong action against people making racist comments or behaving against the norms of work ethics which are otherwise also must within the rules of law and to keep the work atmosphere acceptable by all and sundry. In other words if management fails to keep the atmosphere in the best interest of all workers and customers it is bound to fail sooner than later.    

The reasons 

There are different reasons for people behaving in a way that give way to racism and the most common of the reasons as I feel comes the way a person is raised or his state promotes the rules. If a person keeps hatred words right from the childhood about a particular race, tribe, caste or state there is no way you can change him overnight. I suggest be patient with such people but keep telling them to change for good. 

The best way to improve the atmosphere of a workplace is to constantly work toward it and organize cultural activities involving everyone so each of them knows others better and learns to live with others. Once people live with each other they will see the positive side of others that perhaps will help them sort their differences out.

How they achieve it?   

There are companies that employee people from different countries and states for their expertise in a certain field and to keep them together and take their best they conduct certain courses to keep them together. These cultural awareness programs help their employees understand each other well. 

Actually we all believe in old rules that we have the same rules in all cultures but the fact is what we may find respectable may not be sign of respect for others or even that could be entirely different for others. There is an old saying, ‘treat others as you wish to be treated by others’ but that may not be right in all cases. Some of them would not like your traditions so it’s better to treat them as they like to be treated. 

Let me ask you a few simple questions-

1. How do you feel while treat others according to your own traditions, did you ever try to know about people you work with?

2. Have you ever provided a positive feedback to a person that has come from far off place?

3. As a manager have you ever taken a corrective measure especially if the offender is from your own area?

4. Do you have same faith in all of your subordinates irrespective of their origin?

5. Finally, are you really aware a problem of racism, caste and language exists in your department?

Conclusion 

Cultural diversities, sensitivities or feeling of sympathy with victims of cultural differences is a topic that needs a deep cultural study in itself. To make a proper coordination in between different cultures and communicate properly is a task that takes lots of expertise to understand it fully. One should try to learnt the finer points to know about the rituals and practices of different cultures to understand it in a better way. And to learn these all there is no better way but to sit together and talk with others in a company where people from different cultures gather to understand each other. 

Photo source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_diversity#mediaviewer/File:Chinatown_Sydney.jpg

The Management pundits all over the world, talk about Vision.  This Vision is totally different and should not be confused with, vision that we all have, as human beings, that is, the ability to see things.

However, in Management, Vision refers to the ability to think big, and chart out a good direction for the organization, based on a clear understanding of what the organization's goals and objectives, as far as serving the customers and the wider society is concerned.

For example, Microsoft had this Vision at one point in time:  " A computer in every desk and in every home"  This crystal clear definition speaks for itself, in as much as it clearly reflects a very large purpose of what it means to every human being in the world.  Yes, the desk can be anywhere and the home can be anywhere too.  That is why, as a software organization, Microsoft has overwhelmingly entered into the collective consciousness of society as a whole and, to this day, that organization continues to dominate the entire corporate world.

over time, Microsoft has entered other businesses as well.  For example, it has acquired the Nokia's mobile business.  It continues to eat up organizations in other business verticals as well.

Closely aligned with the organization's Vision, is the concept of Mission.  A Mission is a statement of the organizations purpose of existence -- that is, why it is in business.  A Mission statement will support the Vision statement.  For example, the Mission of Microsoft, in the context of the aforesaid Vision, would be "we will strive to provide any customer who uses a personal computer with the most customer friendly software that will enable him to business or carry on his every day life" . 

This is exactly what Microsoft has done.  Through its Word, and Excel and Power point and such other software that dominates the entire landscape of the ecosystem, throughout the world, it has left other competitors way behind.

Cut to an individual.  What happens, and how is the concept of Vision, applicable?  It is applicable i  in a much wider context.

An individual has to really take a very big macro view of life, and define his or her Vision.  Doing this can help, but it is not compulsory.  Being Visionary, of course, is a must.

If one is a Visionary, he will see tomorrow, like nobody does.  He or she will be able to predict the future, and reason out how such a future can apply in all practical contexts to the individual.  It can mean a lot in terms of making the person alive to a very large purpose of life.

Take a very big social activist like Medha Patkar, for example.  For decades, she has been fighting for the rights of the tribal people, she has been able to rally an entire generation of activists towards protecting the environment, and she has been able to demonstrate what it means to destroy ecology and nature the way we do now.

Even the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of her arguments in many cases.  Such an activist would have a Vision that would go far beyond commercial considerations.  It will go beyond the mundane, and would simply mean working for the larger society.  Even if a third person would have to write her Mission, it would simply correspond to "Taking a very active part and leading social action to protect the unprotected and the tribal people'.

One need not be a Medha Patkar in real life.  The reasoning is simple.  We need to aim for the future and be prepared in terms of all futuristic skills, that will conquer the world, in the near future.  New skills would also come into play.  However, we can concentrate on something that will be around for say, five to eight years.  One such thing, for a computer professional, is called "cloud computing".  So many training courses are available and, in terms of application in the real world, cloud computing seems to dominate software applications in most parts of the world. 

There does not seem to be any let up, and those who do not learn such new things will be left behind.  A real Visionary, in the IT industry, needs to understand that he or she will be a real success only if he or she is prepared in terms of all the skills and then equips himself or herself.

We need to understand that the wider context in which the world appears to function, is made up of several trends, that are very often, global.  If we are prepared, we can really contribute in a big way, at least, to healthy debates.

Take the issue of organic farming, for example.  After having seen the horrible effects of nitrogenous fertilizers, the West has now woken up to the new realities and is reportedly pouring several billions of dollars into research that is not chemical based, but rich in terms of bringing a change through much more natural ways of farming and cultivation. 

Similarly, the ancient science of Ayurvedha, which is a way of life in Kerala, is now being researched like never before, in America.  It can easily be seen that whenever new forms of research are carried out, the benefits reach the wider society.

Hence, any Visionary engaged in promoting the organic cause, would do well to also understand the scope for collaboration with the Western nations, by attending their conferences, or by getting in touch with them through whatever means are available and so on.

So, being Visionary would mean exploiting opportunities for doing something extraordinary, something that benefits the wider society, and something that makes life much better than ever before.  The scope for utilizing the most advanced IT packages is now very huge, and much more available, than ever before.

We need to naturally be aware that opportunities exist.  We then need to understand how these opportunities pan out in the wider context of application of any concept, or technology or whatever.

For example, those who are now engaged in applied behavioral sciences research, should simply understand that in the next decade, those in the IT industry will burn out, marriages will increasingly be rocked by assertive women, and hence, the counselors can make a huge killing.

Once they understand this context, they would do well, to quickly understand that the scope is huge, and for those who are prepared, sky is the limit.

Being a Visionary is no more a choice.  One can plan and execute one's purpose of life, by being Visionary in thought and action.  The time to act is now.

Irrespective of who we are, or what we do, one thing is very important in our life for success: common sense. 

What is this common sense?  It is the single,focused ability to gather facts and ideas from every day experiences, from people who actually do work, from people who perform tasks and are experienced.

Aligned with this common sense, there is one thing which is equally vital for success: street-smartness.

What exactly is this street-smartness?  It refers to the ability to quickly understand the dynamics of any situation, and then act fast to satisfy any stake holder, who would be interested in doing any transaction with us, leading to commercial outcomes or meaningful relationships.

For example, for an employee who is the stakeholder, or the most important stake-holder?  Obviously, the boss is the most important stake holder, and the customer, who gets the product through the employee's efforts, would also be a stake-holder.  Yet, the boss is the most important stake-holder because the employee has to meet the boss day in and day out, and still get things done through the boss, or work alongside the boss, to get things done.

In reality, it is always seen that the employee has the most important and the most number of interactions with the boss who has absolute authority to make or break the person's career, irrespective of whether the employee likes it or not.

Hence, if the employee is shrewd enough to understand the situation, the moods of the boss, his strengths and weaknesses,and then play accordingly, he or she would be the most street-smart employee. 

There are some bosses, for example, who like to start talking about their loved ones, and when this is encouraged, would go on talking about his son's or daughter's achievements.  If any paper is then passed on for his or her signature, the boss would immediately respond.  Allowing the boss to do what he likes, and then getting things done, in this case, is a street-smart move.

There are bosses who do not like a single paper on the table.  They would be good decision makers. With these  kind of bosses, for example, it is wise to present all data pertinent to his opinion or decision, and then literally force him or clear of the paper.  So, it will be wise to prepare the paper with all the data and then put it right on the boss's table.  If this is done, the boss would be happy, and the employee would become or be street smart.

Playing according to the rules of the game, would really bring success, and any organization, more so, in the service sector, that acts in a street smart fashion, would really qualify to be street smart.  For instance, in a neighborhood where majority of the people are non-vegetarian, it is wise to have a non-vegetarian hotel, which is not very highly prized, but would offer a variety of dishes.

In the city of Chennai, for example, there are quite a few hotels, that serve the Chettinad type of food, in primarily residential localities.  This is more so, because the food is spicy, and the type of food is very much special, largely liked by non-vegetarians of all kinds, including the North Indians, who like it for its uniqueness.

On the other hand, a very famous hotel chain has put up a big chain of vegetarian restaurants in all business localities, where the business people assemble or the traders get to visit for some reason or the other.  Another very shrewd strategy is to attract the holiday crowd, particularly on the week-ends, when tens of hundreds of people like going for shopping in Chennai.  This street-smart chain is now South India's number one hotel chain,with no competition.

We need to always look for the big picture, the larger reality that surrounds the dynamics of any given situation, and then happily move on to greater success by effective use of any given opportunity.

When we look at another area of concern, say the MBA students who study in some college, affiliated to some State Government University, where the syllabus is not aligned to that of the Corporate expectations, where the student is left with absolutely no knowledge of the "real world", in a very detailed way, what will the street-smartness of any average MBA, of this kind?

Simple.  He or she has to enter into the real world, gather a huge amount of practical experience, knowledge and wisdom and move on.  Once he or she starts producing results, the background of the person, hardly matters.

Quality of experience, the nature of value-adding experience, the depth of competencies across an entire value chain, would obviously lead to success.  Students from the lesser known B schools of Coimbatore, for example, are very shrewd when it comes to understand the value of some job or the other.  They hold on to a Business Process Outsourcing job, gather the experience, jump to a customer service job in a three star hotel, then a five star hotel and so on.  Since the quality of experience matters so much, the students move on to senior positions within a short period of time.

This is exactly what I would call street smartness.  That is, do the maximum in any given situation.  Get the student to understand the larger picture, get him to understand that experience has its own value, and he or she will become street smart.

Similarly, many lorry drivers use their experience to understand what sells in one place, and also how to sell.  With their owner's permission, they buy small quantities of some item -- say the small onion -- that is available, only in South India, transport it to the North of India, and sell it, and happily make some small amounts of money.  Street smartness at its best.

It is high time that we all understand that our forefathers were also very street smart.  For example, how were they healthy, and lived for even ninety years, when today's generation, are simply out of control with anything and get heart attack, even when they are just forty five or even thirty five?

The answer is that they lived with nature, they never had fields that had urea and nitrogenous fertilizers.  They lived far better lives, since life was also less complicated.  Still, even today, when the urban life is becoming so busy, one can still strike a balance by having fiber-rich foods, green tea and so on, that help the body to gain what we call as resistance to diseases.

We need to develop street-smartness as a habit, for big success, in today's world, where only the fittest will survive. 

Senior citizens are now a largely neglected lot.  Most of them live, not as a matter of choice, but as a matter of compulsion, in some old age home or the other, where they manage to find new relationships with people of their own age.  Literally every single father or mother, above sixty five years old, at this point in time, is in a nearly hopeless situation. 

We need to understand and address the emotional needs of such people. 

Public perception is that most of them are not in tune with the needs of the present generation.  There is a tendency to believe that they do not adjust quickly with the younger generation.  Worse, most women above the age of sixty five, are supposed to be horrible creatures who do not adjust with their modern mothers-in-law. 

The reality, is of course, totally different.  The senior citizens are capable of adjusting to any situation.  In fact, in Mumbai, where they live with their children in very small apartments, such senior citizens adjust to the maximum extent.  They have their small society, they mix with people of their own age, and do a lot of taking care of the problems of each of their son's or daughter's houses.  For instance,they wait for any urgent courier, go up to the apartment complex watchman, instruct him to call up when the courier person comes, and then keep on following up till the courier parcel is physically received by them.  All this, when the son and the daughter in-law would be so busy and would be home at around 8 PM every day.

The old man simply expects the son to just make a small inquiry about the courier, even if the man is so busy.  The son should understand that the father had taken so much pains to receive the courier in good condition. 

At old age, the senior citizens just have a very big need: they need someone to just talk to.  They would like to regularly go down memory lane, talk about their good old days when they were earning, and how affectionate they were to their children.  They  would talk about every single occasion  when they saved even a small amount, and how, in today's conditions, all that they had saved, was just not enough.

In short, they would want to share their own joys, sorrows, happy moments, and worries as well.  They want to be perfectly normal human beings.  Of course, with every advancing year, when they become older, they have physical problems, and tend to behave like children.  They would do a few things that would irritate the younger generation, and tend to draw the attention of everyone.  They would feel very happy when someone where to ask very generously and very worriedly about their health condition.

Contrary to public perception,  old people are not afraid of death -- particularly those who had lived in different parts of the country.  Such of these people do have far better adjustment capabilities and are very practical when they think about their death or talk about it.  In fact, they reassure their life partners that everything will be fine, even if either of them were to pass away, and infuse a lot of confidence about children.

However, there are many senior citizens who are very much afraid of their own death.  It turns out that they have fears: that death could be painful, that death could occur after a huge amount of suffering and so on.

Let us accept for a moment that an increasingly large number of senior citizens are now housed in old age homes.  There are so many of them, and some of them have the most sophisticated of amenities, such as swimming pools and jogging tracks -- these are for the really rich, who actually buy such cozy living spaces to spend the rest of their lives after happily renting out their big apartments or houses.  

The unfortunate ones live in old age homes run by charitable organization or the other.  They do not have any worries, except that they need someone to talk to and relate.to.

It is only such of these people that society needs to address.  Let the school and college children of every college in the vicinity of such old age homes spend a couple of hours with such old people, write a letter for them, talk to them about their good old days, crack jokes with them, help them to share their own lighter moments and even dance with them.  

Let such children understand that the senior citizens have nothing but a few years to live.  Once they share their precious moments with them, they will happily live such wonderful moments and recollect each of that in informal conversations with other old age people in the same homes they live in.  

The children could also arrange the sons or daughters of such old people to turn up at such homes, at least once in three months, and spend a few moments.  If this is done on Sundays, it will help the younger generation, as they will not be in much of a hurry.

Once the senior citizens understand that there are still some people who care a little for them, that they also have lives that can be meaningful, even if they live only for a few years.  It is always a wise proposition to invest some time in talking to senior citizens who do not live in old age homes.

There are neighbors who are senior citizens.  Many of them visit their relatives, who might be known to us.  We could call on them, talk to them a little bit.  Of course, if we can give some money or clothes whenever possible, it will please the poor among senior citizens a world of good.

It is also essential that those who are sick are extended some help or the other.  Many responsible younger generation people, for example, physically guide them to cross the road, go the nearest doctor, attend to some relative's wedding and so on.  These are small things, but these small things could really address the emotional needs of senior citizens.

Hence, let us all do something to address the emotional needs of senior citizens.