Is Cross Cultural Training Really Necessary



Posted: Friday, July 24, 2009

by Thomas Howland

From a management perspective the United States used to be viewed as a melting pot, that is, when people immigrated to this country they had to learn to live and work together in a new community setting. They were assimilated into the American culture, or expected to learn the American way of life so-to-speak.

Modern management takes a different approach. Companies realize that in a global society people from different cultures quite often have different perspectives even on the same problem. Global companies view this different perspective as a valuable asset. Modern management theory requires that a manager learn and understand the world's many different cultures and religions. Managers today are expected to be able to utilize the wide variety of talents available to them. One way to make better use of available talent is by making a change in the way a company's Human Resource Department operates.

Ethnocentrism means you view everything from your own perspective, that is, one's own values, beliefs, and perception of what's right or wrong. Other cultures are usually thought of as being inferior to one's own culture. Someone with management training understands the value of learning about other cultures, but what about the employees that are expected to work together? If they're expected to be able to work together as an effective team, it makes since that as part of the hiring process the Human Resources Department should include new employee training about different cultures and religions, as well as, company policy and job requirements.

Neil Payne is the Managing Director of Kwintessential, a UK based company that works with businesses and supports them in the international arena. Payne suggests that cross cultural training has many benefits to be gained by both participants and businesses. Payne says, "The ten main benefits in which cross cultural training positively affects businesses through staff training and development are: people learn about themselves; encourages confidence; breaks down barriers; builds trust; opens horizons; develops interpersonal skills; develops listening skills; creates a common ground; and career development.

            Networking with people from different areas of the world can be a nightmare for businesses, for example knowing ahead of time that often the French will only close a deal over dinner would be considered valuable insight if one conducts business in France. In Germany talk about sports and you are considered an uneducated person.  The Japanese rarely say no directly. And, in Japan, Thailand, China, Finland and some areas of Africa knowing that it’s considered offensive to have conversation over dinner could prevent inadvertently insulting a business partner or customer.  For a multi-national company lost business contracts can mean losing millions of dollars.  Cultural mistakes are unacceptable in this setting.  So, yes it is necessary to learn about other cultures.
Name: Thomas Christopher Howland, (Chris)

Birthdate: November 19,1955

Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration with Major Concentration in Management 2009, Magna Cum Laude

Occupation: Public Utilities. Currently holds a Texas Class "A" Water, and Class "B" Wastewater Certificate.

Chris is an amateur writer. Writing is something the author learned to appreciate in college, and has continued as a hobby. Mr. Howland has been employed in the Public Utility field for twenty three years. He uses his experience in the field to write about topics that may be of interest to others.

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Anonymous
 2 years 304 days ago.
Hi Thomas, welcome to searchwarp. Thank you for sharing this perspective. Very well-written and interesting. keep Sharing. I hope you find searchwarp a great place to be! Blessings to you! Teresa
» left by Connor Davidson
 2 years 304 days ago.
95 fans. Follow Connor Davidson on twitter!
Great article. Well done.
 
It does not matter how much training you give there will always be ethnocentrism as that is human nature. However, management have a duty to keep it to a minimum for the sake of all the workers.
 
You may not have noticed but on the control pannel you can create an authors bio which will appear neatly at the end of your articles and on your writers page.
 
Anyway, welcome to SearchWarp.
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