Cultural Differences in the Workplace
No matter where you work, chances are you are surrounded by examples of cultural differences. What's fascinating is that classic examples of cultural differences are often misunderstood as simple personality traits. People may say, "I'm right, and they are wrong, and practical and positive comes out of the argument. Knowing how to identify cultural differences in the workplace can give you a competitive edge.
Giving suggestions or keeping to yourself
It wasn't the first time that Marta's manager had asked her to copy-edit the store flyer (传单). Their company served a large Latino (拉丁美洲人) population and Marta was happy to find that more Latino items ( offer) at local supermarkets, which was beyond her expectation. When she worked on the flyer featuring the new products, Marta noticed that the items were not being introduced in a way that (attract) Latinos. She thought of approaching her manager with her observations. But her boss might take them as criticism of the advertising team who (create) the copy. So she kept her mouth shut.
Later, when Marta mentioned her decision to Jim, a British colleague of , he said Marta s boss would probably welcome the suggestions. A good manager is usually happy to hear suggestions for improving products or services, and something that, for many Latinos and people from other backgrounds, seem like questioning authority. This is just one of many examples of cultural differences in the workplace. Think about it this way that you (pay) to come up with unique ideas that can give your company a competitive advantage.
To share or not to share
One of (common) examples of cultural differences in the workplace is how much people share about themselves and their families their co-workers. How much is too much? It really depends on who you ask.
Latinos tend not only to share a lot about themselves but also to ask about other people's families. They ask they care and they expect others to care about them as well. So when nobody asks Latinos about their sick child or their cousin who got married, they tend to feel isolated. If you use these cultural differences at work as an opportunity to learn from each other, you can make it a much better workplace.
