Term Paper on "Learning in the Context of Globalization"

Term Paper 20 pages (5601 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Motivation in a Highly Multicultural Firm

Communications are Vital

Identifying Challenges and Confirming What Counts

Focusing on Can not Can't

Reminders to Help

Soliciting What's Valuable

Presenting Opportunities

Motivation in a Highly Multicultural Firm

Communications Are Vital

If you look for the worst in people and expect to find it, you surely will. (Lincoln, 2006)

What we have here... is the failure to communicate." When the warden spouted these words in reference to "Luke," the prisoner Paul Newman played in the 1967 movie, "Cool Hand Luke," he was, as Abraham Lincoln proposed in this paper's introductory quote, looking for the worst in Luke. Today, in our multicultural world, one can choose to either see the worst or best in others; to communicate in ways that help or hinder; to discourage or motive. How one communicates reveals their choice in each of these three areas. In today's world, miscommunication, caused by failure to communicate, or communicating too much, can lead to confusion, complicate problems or create crises. When there is little on no clear communication, an individual may lose his motivation to give his best efforts to his job or may as recently occurred with an individual from Germany, working in an American manufacturing plant, trigger thoughts of quitting his job. Points presented in the following except from this individual's supervisor illustrate several excellent motivational techniques. The email was addressed to the German individual after his failure to relate a problem to this supervisor:.".. The problem we were faced with yesterday is a lack of communications with the appropriate teams.... But the one lesson I think everyone can gain though this acknowledgement is that communications are vital. When faced with a situation similar I would suggest that a face-to-face conversation or phone call may be more effective than email communications. In doing so, it gives the receiving individual time to digest what you are saying and brings them into focus so the issue can be handled. If this had been done, I am sure that everyone involved would have understood what the problem was and insured appropriate measures were taken to resolve the issue. "Yesterday, I found we had a misunderstanding across the teams, of what the actual problem involved....My suggestion moving forward, this that this type of information should be discussed in our morning meeting, where I have a representative from all the support teams attending. If this had been done when you realized you had a problem, then we could of gotten the issue addressed and handled a lot quicker. The problem would have been hi-lighted as an issue and appropriate follow-up would have taken place. "The final point I would like to clarify is that you can always call me directly to help. In a situation like this, it would of help if you had called me. I do not expect you to handle everything in a silo. You have a support mechanism in place and it is important that issues like this are communicated immediately. If that had happened, then I would have had the opportunity to put corrective measures in place and insured everything was corrected. "One good point to remember, we all become a little wiser through our mistakes. So what I would suggest is that you and I start a daily conference call moving forward. This will give you and opportunity to advise me of any issues, concerns, or problems and allow me to gain a full understanding of these issues. "Is this agreeable?" (Sandbay, 2006). "Communications are vital," as the supervisor noted in his email, even though some may also perceive what Reis (1988) noted to be true: "Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world's first over communicated society." Along with the point that "Communications are vital," accompanying concepts stressed in the supervisor's motivational email could benefit other supervisors; educators; trainers; etc. responsible for motivating and teaching individuals in a multicultural firm. Positive practices presented include: Clarifying misunderstandings by identifying components of a problem of challenge. Identifying possible solutions, while also confirming positive aspects a person has demonstrated. Also, focusing on what can be learned instead of what was done or what might have gone wrong motivates an individual. Reminding the individual they are not alone in their situation or problem and offering to assist will help a person. Soliciting an individual's opinions will validate that their thoughts are valuable. Presenting the opportunity to express one's ideas will strengthen an individual, and in turn help a firm grow stronger.

II. Identifying Challenges and Confirming What Counts

Communication, between motivators and trainees; educators and students, occurs even when words are not verbalized, and may at times be challenging to identify.

Motivating and teaching.".. requires dialogue at a deeper level and respect for other values. Understanding how values operate in students' thoughts and feelings is difficult but terribly important, especially when molding artistic sensibilities" (Williams, 2002). Considering various cultures' teaching and learning implication spotlights Eastern and Western cultures' poignant differences. Confucius' philosophical traditions and teachings impact Eastern values.

Greek and Roman sources, along with Judeo-Christian philosophies, influence Western values. Nevertheless, as diversity within these two cultures and the various subcultures evolved over the centuries, "these philosophical roots are the sources from which values emerge and more superficial manifestations of culture develop." Be that as it may, and although individuals from Eastern and Western cultures may wear identical clothes, speak the same language, and maybe even share similar spiritual beliefs, they will most likely encounter basic confusion during times they attempt to learn how to perform or act different culture (Williams, 2002). Although learning to live in a different culture presents challenges, the most difficult test an individual faces is to "see" the power his personal cultural imparts to him counts to counter the challenge. "Gardner cites the following proverb: 'The fish is the last to discover that it is in water.' The proverb offers an apt image... We are so immersed in our own cultural values that we do not know what separates us from those we teach. Effective communication across cultures does not require that we reject our own cultural values - only that we discover them"(Williams, 2002).

III. Focusing on Can not Can't

In her essay "First Muse," words Julia Alvarez wrote illustrate feelings many individuals in a highly multicultural firm may experience: "I lived in another country and in another language... "(Simon, 2002). Alvarez' personal experiences of being displaced and uprooted from her native culture contributed to her feeling she never belonged in the North American culture.

In a sense, a person's "Worldview," along with their personal experiences in multicultural environments or firms may color their perceptions of the business; the people they work with and for, as well as, their motivation in their daily role. Worldview is defined as "A frame of reference which consists of the unique assumptions, understandings, interpretations, and beliefs an individual holds about life, particularly about the individual's relationship to the people, institutions, and phenomena within his/her environment" (Mio, Trimble, Arredondo, Cheatham, & Sue, 1999, p. 272). Individuals from various countries, may also suffer, as Alvarez appeared to have lived though what is known as "culture shock." (Mio, Trimble, Arredondo, Cheatham, & Sue (1999, p. 89-90) cite Oberg (1960) to explain culture shock as "The difficulties associated with adaptation to a new culture."

Individuals experiencing culture shock are reported to, at times, experience anxiety; depression; helplessness, along with feeling a sense of loss when relocating to a new cultural environment. "Sojourner adjustment, cross-cultural adaptation or adjustment, and acculturative stress," are other terms used to define culture shock, although traumatic to some, is usually a short-term process. The cultural transition process involves psychological and socio-cultural adjustments. An individual's ability to adjust psychologically, studies show, is contingent on stress and coping processes, while socio-cultural adjustment, based on social cognition framework is subject to a person's orientation to the contiguous culture. Regarding psychological adjustments, research shows that those students who were more individually oriented and directly coped with issues, experienced less stress in adjusting to a new culture than group-oriented individuals who responded indirectly to concerns. In the socio-cultural adjustment realm, students with similar cultural values were able to more easily adjust than those individual from counties with dissimilar cultural values (Mio, Trimble, Arredondo, Cheatham, & Sue, 1999, p. 89-90). Richard Rodriguez, author of Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriquez, exemplifies asimilao as he portrays himself as an archetypal middle-class American male in a "rags to riches' tale. During the scenario, Rodriguez claims to assimilate into America's mainstream culture. The process of his transformation form a "socially disadvantaged" Mexican to gaining status as a "self-made" American, Rodriguez writes, alienated him from his Mexican parent, as well as fostered the loss of any connections to an ethnic past. Other cultures may approach problems or social scenarios in different ways. Each individual may accept or reject each other's cultures; ideas; habits; etc.. Moya (2002, p. 127; 134) states, have been able to consider the merits of… READ MORE

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