Index IntroductionIntercultural experience (example essay)Nature of international communication and universal systemsContrast of cultural valuesCulture shockLinguistic and written communication patternsConclusionReferencesIntroductionIntroduction: Today people with different cultures and countries work together in the workplace , more and more international students are traveling to gain academic knowledge, and more and more people are traveling the world. Therefore, it is essential to understand these cultural differences to avoid any communication errors. Working together in a different culture was not easy. I experienced some clashes during my assignments abroad and during group assignments with students from other cultures, perhaps because we couldn't understand each other. Thesis Statement: I hope that by the end of this unit I will be aware of other cultures, improving myself to be more tolerant, more flexible and develop my intercultural communication skills to work better in a different culture. That's why in this essay I want to discuss my example of experience with different cultures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cross-Cultural Experience (Essay Example) Background: I am Mauritian, born and raised in Mauritius. The fact that Mauritius has a diverse history means that most Mauritians are multilingual. Mauritian Creole is my native language and English is the official language. However, I am also fluent in French and several Asian languages ​​such as Hindi and Bhojpuri. Before moving to Australia this year for my MBA, I was an auditor at one of the big four accounting firms, KPMG. At the beginning my auditing experience was very interesting and challenging in terms of working for national and international clients. Even though we worked hard, we celebrated even harder. However, during those busy seasons, I had almost no social life left. Then I realized that I could no longer entertain this type of life. I then thought about coming to Perth to complete my postgraduate degree as this destination seemed perfect for earning an international degree and discovering a different culture. Managing cultural differences in the workplace was a big challenge for me as I was exposed to a different cultural context. diverse working environment. I went on an overseas assignment to Johannesburg and worked in a team comprising secondees from India, Luxembourg and other African countries in our office. Initially, it required a lot of effort and tolerance in understanding cultural variations in terms of different dialects and their aspects of seeing things. Despite being from a multicultural island, it is different here as Australia is made up of so many different cultures following European colonisation. Topic sentence: Intercultural communication begins as a journey to another culture and often ends as a journey to one's own culture (Adler, 1975). Evidence and quotes: Intercultural learning sometimes makes us aware of our ethnocentrism and can lead to barriers such as stereotypes. Peter Adler's statement corresponds to one of my experiences so far, where I met an Indonesian girl at university and we built a kind of intercultural relationship. Comment: Since we are both culturally open, we have not encountered many problems. We both learned about each other's culture and different life philosophies. It was a rewarding experience as I learned so much about the Indonesian people and their cultures, and also about myself and my cultural background.Evidence and Citations: Intercultural competence is becoming a valuable resource in this interconnected world (Stadler, S, (2011) and Fantini, AE (2000): The more an individual experiences new dimensions of human diversity, the more they learn about themselves. The goals Main points I want to achieve from this unit are: expand my intercultural communication skills and be aware of the communication of others. I also need to challenge the thinking "my way is the right way" and be flexible and open to different ways of looking at the world. Nature of international communication and universal systems Topic sentence: culture is an essential part of human society Consists of attitudes, values, belief systems, verbal and non-verbal languages, perceptions accepted and expected by a particular society culture is learned from parents, schools, the media and society in general. Genelot (1998) argued that "men are the product of their culture". There are various systems that influence culture, such as economic, political, social, educational, and family systems. Comment: Individuals do not see the world through the same lens. Each of us experiences the world differently, thus making culture a dynamic and evolving subject. Topic sentence: Cultures do not stay the same, they evolve gradually over time. With the advent of globalization the concept of culture has taken on a broader meaning. Evidence and citations: For example, through international trade and advanced technology, labor markets have improved, providing an immense opportunity for cultural diversity. However, critics argue that globalization in terms of diversity ranging from food and lifestyles is neglecting smaller cultures and forcing them to assimilate into a much more Western culture. For example, McDonald's in the United States offers customized menus around the world (the Maharaja Mac in India and the McLobster in Canada). Evidence and Citations: As society becomes more and more globally connected, cross-cultural business communication is gaining more and more importance in the business world. For those working in international business, it is initially very difficult to adapt due to different cultures. Comment: The success of large multinationals lies in understanding and learning about other people and their culture. A society's culture is like an iceberg, where there are some aspects visible above the water but there is also a larger part hidden beneath the surface. water surface. Thus, it suggests that the only way to learn the internal culture of others is to actively participate in their culture (Hall, 1976). Evidence and citations: Furthermore, to solve the problems generated by people of different cultures living or working together, the theories of Hofstede (1980) can be used, which explain the different cultural dimensions or disparities between nations and individuals. Comment: I am now somewhat convinced that I will be able to work better with people from other cultures in my future work assignments by applying this theoretical knowledge. I also believe that one should also develop cognitive flexibility where one can switch between thinking of two different concepts and avoid ethnocentrism. A few years ago I lacked this cognitive flexibility whereby I evaluated the culture of others based on my own. But now I have become more culturally aware. Contrasting Cultural Values ​​Topic Sentence: Values ​​are social principles in a culture that help distinguish between what is right and wrong, normal and abnormal. Evidence and Citations: Cultural values ​​are very individual and come from family, formal education, peer groups, religious institutions, and folklore of theculture. Values ​​are the foundation of an individual's life and determine one's sense of direction in life. Comment: My top 5 values ​​are honesty, discipline, hard work, responsibility and kindness. Therefore, I prefer to be honest and hardworking at work and maintain professional values ​​with my clients and colleagues. I choose to be friends with kind and disciplined people. I usually spend my free time volunteering for NGOs or doing some exercises. However, I know some people who have negative values ​​such as jealousy and selfishness, which ultimately lead to a destructive impact in their life.life.People share different values ​​and attitudes. With the advent of globalization, we will be more likely to work with people of different nationalities. Topic sentence: It is crucial to recognize that different cultures have different attitudes towards women, work and ethics. Evidence and quotes: For example, in my home country, a recent development in gender equality has been the increase in the percentage of seats held by women in our parliament and the gender pay gap being closed. However, in countries like Pakistan and some African countries, women are still considered subordinate to men. Topic sentence: Different cultures also have different perceptions towards work. Evidence and quotes: For example, I heard that in Japanese culture they are very good at teamwork and are very supportive of their colleagues, so much so that teamwork extends even after working hours. Employees work for longer hours, in an open space (obeya seido) and normally hang out after work, which ultimately leads to very strong relationships in the workplace. There is a continuous learning opportunity and each team is assigned a leader who outlines the daily work in a morning meeting called a chorei. I also realized that Americans highly value individualism and self-sufficiency, while Chinese culture only demonstrates a collectivist attitude when Guan Xi established himself. Topic sentence: Culture plays an important role in an employee's attitude, and in turn, different work attitudes lead to different work behavior (as in the examples above). Evidence and quotes: Therefore, it is important for leaders to become aware of their colleagues' past work environment and possible cultural differences to prevent any communication problems. Comment: We need to understand their cultural orientations and values ​​and, in some cases, we need to adapt our behaviors, build trust and commitment across cultures. Culture Shock Culture shock is what I experienced while moving to Perth. It refers to problems of adaptation to an unfamiliar culture (Oberg, 1960). I experienced culture shock when I became aware of the food, prevailing climate, “Australian slang” and linguistic accents in Australia. Attending university in a culture completely different from my own was even more difficult because I thought it worked like in my home country. Initially, all this contributed to some physical and psychological effects. Foreign students tend to experience more social difficulties than host students (Furnham & Bochner, 1982). Oberg (1954) identified the four stages that people go through when adapting to a new cultural environment. Before emigrating, I was very excited about expanding my academic knowledge and discovering Perth. Then I experienced culture shock when I became aware of the different world here. However, I am now acculturating to this new environment. Instead of spending most of my time with students from my own culture, nowI interact with more international students. Somehow I am integrating into this new culture, but I have also maintained my cultural identity. I think a healthy balance is good. This will be a rewarding experience for me as this trip will enhance my personal experience, introduce me to new cultures and new people. Topic Sentence: International business relations have caused culture shock for most employees due to prolonged stay in foreign countries. Culture shock also occurs when they return to their original culture and this phase of readjustment is called “reverse culture”. Evidence and Citations: Therefore, employers carefully select and prepare employees for overseas assignments. According to the chapter. Bullock and Sh. Oswald (2002), the four criteria to take into account when selecting expatriates for projects abroad are: technical competence, desire to work abroad, human relational skills and adaptability of spouse and family. For the expatriation process to be successful, an expatriate should have intercultural communication skills and possess flexibility, adaptability and maintain a high degree of tolerance. My previous assignment abroad was not very successful, but I am now aware of the additional skills I need to develop as international mobility makes a positive difference in a person's career. Patterns of Language and Written Communication Topic Sentence: Language is so closely related to culture. While it can unite different communities into one, it can also create barriers between different cultural groups. Evidence and citations: Edward Hall in his studies The Silent Language (1959) and Understanding Cultural Differences (1990) introduced how the different cultures of the world can impact people's verbal and non-verbal communication and therefore distinguished societies based on a low and high context scale. Comment: High-context culture is described as one that depends primarily on nonverbal, indirect, implicit, codified, and circular communication. They are seen as collectivists and have close ties over a long period. Countries like Japan and China are considered among the cultures with the highest context. On the other hand, low context cultures are more open where communication is made direct, explicit and precise like Australian and German culture. Reflecting on the above, I used to communicate in indirect ways to express myself, such as intentionally beating around the bush, making use of irony and strange facial gestures to express my level of discomfort. These were easily deduced in my social circle. I soon realized that my communication with people would require many changes as what prevails in my home country may not be suitable here. Therefore, it is important for me to understand how Australian culture interprets language and then try to work accordingly to adapt and communicate effectively. My biggest challenge in Australia is the language barrier. I was challenged with communication barriers. Having English as a second language, different accents and my colloquial language can confirm my Mauritian identity. Furthermore, being a second language learner put me at a disadvantage as I was exposed to rote learning methods in school while first language learners were exposed to intrinsic and informal methods of learning English at an earlier stage. As a result, if I don't understand something the first time, I ask for clarification multiple times. However, as John Powell quoted, “Communication works for those who work at it.” my goal is to expose myself to the local culture. Finally, get to know some.