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Objective - Discuss the term “culture” and ways to increase cultural understanding.

Relationship to Objective - In this article for Fast Company, John Traphagan discusses ways to improve cultural awareness at work.

Specific relationship to objective - Traphagan identifies that the issue with culture in the workplace is that we don't recognize the influence of culture on our own behavior. Because culture is ingrained within us, it is difficult to think about whether the things that we consider normal are actually offensive to others based on their cultural beliefs. In order to improve cultural awareness, the two important steps are to analyze ourselves and others carefully. When faced with behaviors that annoy us, we can listen for cues that can help us deal with others. We can also observe cultural patterns in others to help learn how to act and react to their behaviors.

Real Life Experience - CVS Health actually has a pretty diverse workforce. We have a large amount of Muslim workers on the finance team. One day, I was running a little behind, so, in keeping with office protocol, I brought in donuts for the team. I went around offering everyone a donut, including a Muslim coworker. He said he didn't want one, so I said they would be at my desk if he changed his mind. I forgot that it was Ramadan, so he was in the middle of a religious fast. By offering the food, I was unknowingly making his religious practice more difficult. I have since learned to be mindful of this time of the year and to avoid these uncomfortable situations.

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Most of us have encountered situations in the workplace where conflict or misunderstanding seems to arise from cultural difference. A boss who grew up in a distant part of the U.S. or overseas exercises authority in ways that subordinates find demeaning or confusing. The coworker in a neighboring cubicle speaks too loudly or uses a different language when talking on the phone. You reach out to shake the hand of a new client and she bows.

Most of us are aware of the fact that people in different parts of the world, or even just in different organizations, display distinct values and ideas about how they should work together and interact. And in many cases those differences can generate annoyance or outright conflict between individuals or groups, which inhibits communication and understanding.

The phrase, "well, their culture is different" often does little more than create boundaries that block our ability to understand and empathize with the behaviors of others.

The biggest problem with culture is that, although most of us talk about it routinely, it is actually quite difficult to define and identify. Is the behavior of my cubicle neighbor a product of cultural differences? Or is it just that he's an insensitive jerk?

Our cultural influences are so deeply embedded in who we are that it is difficult for most of us to recognize them in our own behavior. As a result, we don't think much about the cultural information expressed in many of the things we do or the fact that the vast majority of our behavior is shaped by our cultural surroundings. We just think of what we do as being natural.

When you put out your hand to shake with a client, you are putting culture into action and conveying a set of ideas about connecting with others that, in the case of a handshake, emphasize human touch as a way to strengthen relationships. Of course, not everyone does this-there are plenty of other ways to accomplish the same goal, such as bowing. But these behaviors are so deeply engrained that we usually do them without awareness that they convey meaning based in values and ideas of the culture we happen to inhabit. And those meanings are being read and interpreted by others either consciously or subconsciously.

Because we don't usually notice the cultural content in our own behaviors, nor do we think about how they might affect others, it's easy to become annoyed with the behaviors of others that seem very different from what we perceive as natural and normal. Awareness of this gives us a basis for responding to cultural differences in a rational way.

Anthropologists try to understand other cultures by learning about and exploring what we call the emic perspective, or the perspective of the native of a particular cultural context. We ask questions like, how do observed behaviors and explanations for behaviors fit into patterns of logic that people use to interpret their social surroundings?

To get at the emic perspective, you need to focus on listening and observing. When confronted with conflict or differences, try to find an underlying logic that may be shaping the attitudes and behavior of those involved.

Even with things that seem irrational at first, there is an underlying logic and set of values that shapes behavior. And when that logic becomes observable, it can help explain many aspects of behavior that may have seemed odd, confusing, or annoying on first sight.

The easiest way to improve awareness of the cultural influences of behavior is to observe oneself carefully. When confronted with behaviors or attitudes that seem alien or annoying, try to listen carefully for cues that point to underlying assumptions and values that may form a coherent framework for dealing with others. A bad reaction to a more authoritarian approach to management style may be a product of deeper assumptions and values you hold related to social status or the value of titles and power.

At the same time, it's important to also observe others. This tends to increase self-awareness of the assumptions and values that shapes one's own ideas about what is natural and normal and that influence behavior and decision-making. With careful observation of the cultural patterns that shape behavior in both oneself and others, one can learn to see things more easily from the perspective of others and respond to behaviors that seem different or even annoying in a calm and rational way.

These techniques for becoming sensitive to cultural differences can be applied at various levels of human social grouping. They can apply to what anthropologists culture writ large, or the differences that exist among nationalities and ethnicities. And they can also apply to the micro-cultures created by particular organizations like companies.

In the end, learning to be a good observer of the logic and values that shape the behavior (in other words culture) is a key tool in good leadership. And it requires a lot of work, particularly when it comes to becoming astute at recognizing the assumptions and values that motivate one's own behavior and are interpreted by others.

Cultural conflict is usually a product of the inability to not only recognize the ways culture shapes the actions of others, but also our own ideas, attitudes, and actions.

-John Traphagan, PhD is a professor of Religious Studies and Human Dimensions of Organizations at the University of Texas at Austin. A cultural anthropologist by training, John has spent several years pursuing research in Japan, where he is currently engaged in a study of entrepreneurs building businesses in depopulated rural areas. John is the author of Rethinking Autonomy: A Critique of Principlism in Biomedical Ethics.

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A Simple Way To Raise Your Cultural Awareness At Work

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Most of us have encountered situations in the workplace where conflict or misunderstanding seems to arise from cultural difference. A boss who grew up in a distant part of the U.S. or overseas exercises authority in ways that subordinates find demeaning or confusing.

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Objective - Determine the impact of innovation.

Relationship to Objective - In this scholarly article by Eleanor Glor, Glor discusses the impact of innovation and whether it can actually be determined.

Specific relationship to objective - Glor determined that there are four kinds of research needed to determine the impact of innovation on organizations. These are case studies, impact studies, quantitative studies of relationships between innovations and organizational factors, and demographic studies. The impact of innovation, though, cannot be determined based on the findings tied to one specific organization, though. One needs to assess multiple organizations to establish decisive relationships.

Real Life Experience - At CVS Health, we have implemented the usage of Excel Macros and VBA to automate some of our tasks. This has done wonders for productivity in our department, but that doesn't mean that the usage of these systems would have the same effect in other companies. If other companies either don't rely on Excel for their data tracking or use programs that don't work with Excel, this implementation would not accomplish the same innovative productivity boosting that it has for our company.

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Objective - Discuss how “others” may be treated in an organization.

Relationship to Objective - In this Harvard Business Review article, the three authors discuss the impact of diversity programs in the workplace.

Specific relationship to objective - The three authors, Tessa Dover, Brenda Major, and Cheryl Kaiser, discuss the fact that US companies spend millions on diversity programs, but the actual impact of these programs isn't very powerful. In fact, the presence of diversity programs may actually be used as a shield that allows companies to be less open to "others" and more disrespectful. A specific example shows that Walmart  used the presence of its policy to defend itself to the Supreme Court against gender discrimination allegations. The programs also have an adverse affect. White men not only feel that women and minorities are treated better in companies that have diversity programs, but white men also feel they themselves are being treated unfairly. White men that interviewed for jobs at companies that mentioned diversity expected unfair treatment.

Real Life Experience - You can somewhat see this affect with the election results. The Democratic Party took major steps towards securing minority and female votes, but did not have any policies geared towards white males. President Trump was successful because he appealed to working class white males that already had a fear of unfair treatment based on there being specific programs for minorities and women, but nothing specifically laid out for them.

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U.S. companies spend millions annually on diversity programs and policies. Mission statements and recruitment materials touting companies' commitment to diversity are ubiquitous. And many managers are tasked with the complex goal of "managing diversity" - which can mean anything from ensuring equal employment opportunity compliance, to instituting cultural sensitivity training programs, to focusing on the recruitment and retention of minorities and women.

Are all of these efforts working? In terms of increasing demographic diversity, the answer appears to be not really. The most commonly used diversity programs do little to increase representation of minorities and women. A longitudinal study of over 700 U.S. companies found that implementing diversity training programs has little positive effect and may even decrease representation of black women.

Most people assume that diversity policies make companies fairer for women and minorities, though the data suggest otherwise. Even when there is clear evidence of discrimination at a company, the presence of a diversity policy leads people to discount claims of unfair treatment. In previous research, we've found that this is especially true for members of dominant groups and those who tend to believe that the system is generally fair.

All this has a real effect in court. In a 2011 Supreme Court class action case, Walmart successfully used the mere presence of its anti-discrimination policy to defend itself against allegations of gender discrimination. And Walmart isn't alone: the "diversity defense" often succeeds, making organizations less accountable for discriminatory practices.

There's another way the rhetoric of diversity can result in inaccurate and counterproductive beliefs. In a recent experiment, we found evidence that it not only makes white men believe that women and minorities are being treated fairly - whether that's true or not - it also makes them more likely to believe that they themselves are being treated unfairly.

We put young white men through a hiring simulation for an entry-level job at a fictional technology firm. For half of the "applicants," the firm's recruitment materials briefly mentioned its pro-diversity values. For the other half, the materials did not mention diversity. In all other ways, the firm was described identically. All of the applicants then underwent a standardized job interview while we videotaped their performance and measured their cardiovascular stress responses.

Compared to white men interviewing at the company that did not mention diversity, white men interviewing for the pro-diversity company expected more unfair treatment and discrimination against whites. They also performed more poorly in the job interview, as judged by independent raters. And their cardiovascular responses during the interview revealed that they were more stressed.

Thus, pro-diversity messages signaled to these white men that they might be undervalued and discriminated against. These concerns interfered with their interview performance and caused their bodies to respond as if they were under threat. Importantly, diversity messages led to these effects regardless of these men's political ideology, attitudes toward minority groups, beliefs about the prevalence of discrimination against whites, or beliefs about the fairness of the world. This suggests just how widespread negative responses to diversity may be among white men: the responses exist even among those who endorse the tenets of diversity and inclusion.

In another set of experiments, we found that diversity initiatives also seem to do little to convince minorities that companies will treat them more fairly. Participants from ethnic minorities viewed a pro-diversity company as no more inclusive, no better to work for, and no less likely to discriminate against minorities than a company without a pro-diversity stance. (Other researchers have seen more promising results of pro-diversity rhetoric and images, but it's clear they're no panacea.)

The implications of this study are troubling for the ways we currently attempt to manage diversity and foster inclusion in our organizations. Groups that typically occupy positions of power may feel alienated and vulnerable when their company claims to value diversity. This may be one explanation for the lackluster success of most diversity management attempts: when people feel threatened, they may resist efforts to make the workplace more inclusive.

So what can managers do? First, they must appreciate the potential effect of diversity messages on groups that have traditionally been favored in organizations. Of course, this isn't to say that managers should avoid discussions about or efforts to increase diversity in order to spare the feelings of their white male employees. However, managers committed to fostering a diverse workplace may need to spend a bit more time crafting messages and designing programs that are more effective because they come across as more inclusive.

Second, managers should know the limits of diversity initiatives for minorities and women. Currently, diversity initiatives' strongest accomplishment may actually be protecting the organization from litigation - not protecting the interests of underrepresented groups. Women and minorities thrive in environments that support diversity. But extolling the values of diversity and trying to train employees to value it may not convince minorities and women that they will be treated well, and may not increase their representation in the workforce. In order to foster fair, inclusive workplaces, diversity initiatives must incorporate accountability. They must be more than " colorful window dressing " that unintentionally angers a substantial portion of the workforce. Diversity policies must be researched, assessed for effectiveness, and implemented with care so that everyone in the workplace can feel valued and supported.

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Diversity Policies Rarely Make Companies Fairer, and They Feel Threatening to White Men

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U.S. companies spend millions annually on diversity programs and policies. Mission statements and recruitment materials touting companies' commitment to diversity are ubiquitous. And many managers are tasked with the complex goal of "managing diversity" - which can mean anything from ensuring equal employment opportunity compliance, to instituting cultural sensitivity training programs, to focusing on the recruitment and retention of minorities and women.

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Objective - Evaluate homogeneity and separation of organizational functions.

Relationship to Objective - This article by Kevin Johnston talks about the advantages of a homogeneous workforce

Specific relationship to objective - Johnston not only talks about the advantages of a homogeneous workforce, but also goes into the two pre-dominant culture types (indiviual and collective) and their advantages to the workforce. It opines that if a manager has a largely individualistic workforce, they should gear their organizational style towards tasking out assignments that employees can work alone on, whereas an owner with a largely collectivist workforce should provide more group-oriented goals. It can be to good to have a blend of these two styles as not all tasks will be solo or strictly group-oriented.

Real Life Experience - In my role as a financial analyst, I am assisting with two major projects. One is to clean up our backlog of older case material that has been left behind by other analysts. I am working on this with another person. It is helpful to work on this together, because not only is there a lot of work involved, but there are different categories of work that are independent of each other. Instead of having one person work all of one category, then another, then another, multiple categories can be worked at once to complete the project quicker. In another project, we are working to automate tasks through the use of macros. This makes more sense to do as an individual project as lines of code are needed to complete the macro and a group effort may result in conflicts.

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The Advantages of Working With a Homogeneous Workforce

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A homogeneous workforce offers employers a pool of potential employees that share cultural and social norms. It is much more common for an employer to draw from a heterogeneous workforce that features differences in race, gender, age, disabilities and sexual orientation. However, companies still encounter regional ...

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Objective - Analyze how diversification and globalization have impacted the 21st century organization and society.

Relationship to Objective - This scholarly journal article by Kabir Danja discusses the troubles Nigeria has faced in adapting a globalized approach to their economy.

Specific relationship to objective - Danja states that Nigeria had an economy on the rise due to their six main agricultural products (cocoa, rubber, palm oil, groundnut, cotton, and palm kernel). They were making large amounts of money exporting produce and raw materials. In the 70s, though, they started exporting more of the petrol from their fields and, due to the price of oil quadrupling in the world market, they shifted focus to petrol instead of their cash products. The government used their newfound funds to expand on distribution methods instead of capacity to produce their crops and petrol. Petroleum became such a large part of their exports (89.1% of their national exports) that they are now completely dependent on oil production. Had they continued slow expansion with their crops or used the petrol money to increase their ability to distribute these crops, their economy could have become more stable.

Real Life Experience - My company, CVS Health, has been expanding into different markets globally for some time. In 2012, they acquired an 80% stake in Onofre, a Brazilian pharmacy chain. They have taken many steps towards expanding nationally, such as merging with Target last year, but moves that expand beyond the American borders bring in previously untapped market potential.

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Scientific & Academic Publishing: The article detailed information

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The main feature of the current economic situations in the contemporary world system is globalisation which is lead by a new age of information technology that is contrary to the History of human kind. Countries have continually intensified various efforts towards engaging in business across country's borders and distributing networks and production on a global scale.