Personal Problems ______ ______ Intercultural Con

For this assignment follow the instructions:

Intercultural Context: BUSINESS

You will be able to discuss how culture impacts professional interaction. You will also have a better understanding of the differences between formal and informal contexts and how they relate to domestic and global business settings. Reading this material will help you to become familiar with global protocol regarding greetings, gifts, and topic taboos and examine leadership styles. This is something which may not seem important at the moment, but you exist in an ever increasing global world and it soon may be crucial to have this knowledge. Finally, you will be introduced to methods for managing conflict in a global venue.

Cultural views of job satisfaction

Just as people oftentimes want different things from their intimate relationships with others, people may want different things from their employment. While some people may be looking for a stable income, others may be interested in working with and/or for people who are friendly and supportive. And just as in our romantic relationships, if we assume that the people we work with seek the same kind of working conditions and environment that we do, our assumptions may result in crossed signals and miscommunication.

This activity requires that you identify the components of job satisfaction and then to ask someone from a different cultural background to assess his or her needs as an employee. Because different cultures value and conceive of work differently, you may come up with some interesting contrasts.

Then rank the following items from one to ten according to how important you feel each is in contributing to your morale as an employee. Ask an acquaintance or friend from a different country or ethnic group to do the same. You may choose someone from the class who you know has a different cultural background than you or is from a different country or someone outside of this class.

Identify them only by their first name and yours. Copy the chart and the answers given and paste them for your post. Then answer the questions that follow the chart.

Cultural views on job satisfaction

My rankings Friend’s rankings

______ Interesting work ______

______ Personal loyalty of supervisors ______

______ Appreciation and recognition ______

______ Help with personal problems ______

______ High wages ______

______ Job security ______

______ Tactful discipline ______

______ Feeling of being “in” on things ____

______ Good working conditions _____

______ Promotion in the company ______

______ Flexible working hours ______

______ Personal privacy ______

______ Others: _____________________ ______

______ ____________________________ ______

______ ____________________________ ______

• What differences do you see between the two sets of rankings? What might account for these differences?

• How might these differences affect working relationships?

• How might employees from each culture approach their job?

• How can we adapt to the different needs of our co-workers and help them adapt to ours?

• As supervisors, how can we adapt to different notions of job satisfaction and keep all employees motivated?