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Power Dynamics

Power is generated through interactions within specific social environments (Bowe, Martin, & Manns, 2014). It is context-dependent and a part of the interaction process. In interactions, the acquisition of information and resources directly influences the power relations between participants. Those who can access information hold a stronger position in the interaction. Power is always fluid.

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"Emily in Paris" tells the story of Emily, an American who has always worked in marketing, coming to France to provide new creative ideas for social network marketing to a French subsidiary from an American perspective (Netflix, 2021). Her French leader, Sylvie, distrusts and has little faith in Emily due to her language barrier, even assigning Emily's work to others. However, after Emily's creative ideas, developed through her own efforts, are recognised by clients, Sylvie's attitude changes, and she acknowledges and accepts Emily.

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Currently, the trend of globalisation in the workplace is on the rise, and conflicts may occur when interacting with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds (Holmes, 2018).

Emily in Paris provides a typical text worth studying for "transcultural workplace scenarios." Through Emily's complete storyline, from being marginalised to being accepted, it not only showcases different communication dimensions in transcultural work environments but also reflects Emily's cultural adaptation process. This further confirms that trans culturalism is a continuous process of flow and integration (Canagarajah, 2010).

We aim to analyse the changes in communication dimensions between Emily and her leader, Sylvie, by applying concepts of positioning and power. This analysis will help viewers not only gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in transcultural work environments but also provide effective communication methods to resolve similar dilemmas when faced with them.

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Although multiple characters appear in the video text, the main analysis subjects of this study are Emily and Sylvie.

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Positioning - Why was Emily marginalised?

Power - How did Emily overcome from marginalisation?

Negotiation Results - What was the outcome for Emily and Sylvie?

Conclusion

Questions & Feedback

References

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Positioning

A cluster of short-term disputable rights, obligations, and duties (Harré, 2012)

Position is based on moral orders, available positions, and normative expectations. On this basis, people are positioned as having certain characteristics, qualities, or roles, and power and obligations are allocated to members accordingly (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019). This position can come from oneself or be assigned by others.

In team collaboration, position includes how members view their contributions in terms of abilities, expertise, and power. These positions may become more stable over time, especially in cases of repeated exclusion or dismissal (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019).

Marginalisation

Marginalisation refers to the process by which certain individuals or groups are pushed to the periphery of social interactions, thereby reducing their participation, influence, and sense of inclusion (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019).

Explicit exclusion: being interrupted or talked over.

Implicit biases: Assumptions about someone's abilities based on their language skills or cultural stereotypes.

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In their first meeting, Emily and Sylvie do not have an in-depth understanding of each other. Sylvie uses French to greet Emily cordially. This is because, although Sylvie knows Emily is American, her default assumption is that since Emily has come to work in France, she must speak French. When she discovers the fact that Emily doesn't understand French, her initial positioning of Emily is quickly shattered (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019).

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Due to language barriers and cultural differences, Emily is positioned as "different" by Sylvie within the team (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019). Emily doesn't speak French, and in the work environment, Sylvie communicates in French, which excludes her and prevents her from participating smoothly in discussions. Additionally, Emily's American background contrasts with her French colleagues in terms of behaviour and work methods. For example, her directness behaviour were regarded as inappropriate in French culture. Sylvie regarded Emily as someone who "did not understand French culture". Sylvie often attributed her actions to cultural differences, reinforcing her "different" identity (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019).

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Sylvie dismisses Emily’s contributions, and her work is subsequently claimed by her French colleague Luc. According to Stevanovic (2015), Emily’s suggestion represents proximal deontic claims, meaning that she asserts her right to initiate or participate in the conversation. However, Sylvie refuses to include Emily in the project, which challenges Emily’s right to influence the team’s decision-making process. When team members’ contributions are ignored, it is harder for them to influence future discussions or decisions. (Debray & Spencer-Oatey, 2019). Emily’s marginalization is further reinforced by dismissing contributions.

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Acquisition of Information and Resources

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Acquisition of Information and Resources

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In trans-cultural workplaces, the control of information and resources is a key factor in changing power relations (Sarangi, 1996；Fairclough, 1989). In the Hästens project, Emily proposes a method to involve ordinary people, not just models, to generate attention, demonstrating her expertise to the client. In her proposal, she also considers the integration with local culture, selecting meaningful buildings and locations as the project’s backdrop, showing her grasp of local market information. By acquiring more information and resources than her colleagues, Emily overcomes language and cultural barriers and regains control over the discourse in the workplace (Giddens, 1993).

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At the beginning of the case, Emily is in a passive position due to language barriers, with information flow and power decisions in the workplace dominated by her superior, Sylvie. Emily is excluded from key decisions due to her lack of French language skills and in-depth understanding of French culture. As Emily gradually accumulates cultural capital and demonstrates her profound understanding of the French market, she no longer relies on Sylvie's control of information. By combining her existing knowledge with French culture, she becomes an important link in the information flow. Sylvie's attitude also changes from initial distrust to actively inviting Emily for coffee, expressing recognition of Emily's work through actual words. All these indicate that the transcultural communication and negotiation between Emily and Sylvie have yielded positive results.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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In a trans-cultural work environment, do you think the attitudes and opinions of those in higher positions of power, such as leaders or managers, influence how other employees perceive team members? Could this pose potential risks?

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Have you ever been marginalised in a similar trans-cultural experience? How did you resolve it, and what was the final outcome? How do you feel?

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Please provide your feedback and comments in this section☺️✌️

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Hi Seminar 9 Group 5, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your padlet, your storylines are very clear and well structured. In response to your questions, I think the attitude of a leader in a transcultural work environment does affect the behavior of other employees. Because in a team, leadership often means having higher authority and the right to make decisions, which may cause other employees to follow his example for more recognition. However, this can lead to the marginalization of the recipients of these bad attitudes. As an international student, I am often marginalized in group cooperation due to my language ability and cultural background. Some local students think my English level is insufficient to communicate with them smoothly. At the same time, some of the cases they mentioned or the slang they used in their communication would make me feel confused, thus making me feel marginalized. However, positioning in the team is not only about how others position me, but also how I position myself. Therefore, I think active participation and contribution to teamwork are necessary ways to help myself integrate into the team. Finally, I think you can talk more about the concepts of "gatekeeping" and "fit in", that would be better. :)

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According to the theory of power dynamics, discourse is an important vehicle of power, and it shifts during interactions. Initially, her superior was reluctant to let Emily present her proposal, and their expressions and tone showed condescension. However, Emily's professional proposal garnered the client’s attention. This not only earned her the client’s trust but also changed her role within the team (Foucault, 1980).

This not only won her the trust of the client, but also made Sylvie realise her ability, and the diverse cultural information Emily possessed made her ideas novel and creative. Therefore, Sylvie's attitude began to change positively, and as Emily's leader, she had a higher power level and distribution ability (Eades, 2005). Her recognition also improved Emily's power position and broke the original marginalisation.

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In conclusion, by analysing Emily's video text, we can deduce that in transcultural work environments, although insufficient language skills may lead to being positioned as "different" and marginalised, this situation can be overcome through the combined effects of transcultural communication strategies, access to information resources, and the accumulation of cultural capital, all of which contribute to power reconstruction. It's worth noting that the positive negotiation outcome between Emily and Sylvie stems from their mutual respect and shared goal in the workplace: to do a good job. Sylvie's initial rejection of Emily's contributions was due to her belief that Emily's language barrier would hinder normal communication at work, but essentially, they didn't have deep-seated conflicts. If they had focused more on their own power hierarchy and positioning, their relationship would have been difficult to improve, and issues of marginalisation and targeting would have persisted.

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I think you can analyse this video also thorugh CoP and the role of the French language to be part of this CoP.

Also, I see gatekeeping here. The boss is the gatekeeper, but here again French plays a role.