Resolving Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings in the Workplace

To resolve the cross-cultural misunderstanding, an approach of compromising fox or accommodating teddy bear can be followed. Assistance can be sought at the human resourcing department or a special person can be assigned the responsibility to check and manage the conflicts arising in diversity driven scenarios. Communication issues that need to be considered are the usage of body language and special words or phrases. Examples of cross-cultural misunderstandings that might affect your work and workplace include standing chopsticks in food and different meanings of phrases in different cultures.

Case Study:
Gurung Early Learning Centre is part of the local Primary School in a community where
approximately 25% of the children and their parents have Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander (ATSI) backgrounds.
Jenny works in an organisation that specialises in teaching people working with ATSI
people- about the ATSI culture. She has been asked to undertake an ‘Audit of potential
Cultural Safety issues’ at the Gurung Early Learning Centre (ELC), where you work. The
purpose of this audit is to identify issues relating to ‘cultural safety’ that the training could
improve.
Part of Jenny’s job is to ensure that any training given is effective. To do this, she needs
to work out ways to measure the impact of her training on the ELC’s staff and services.
Jenny decides that the best way to start is to meet with each staff member, including
you, and ask some questions.
1. question
Please outline an example of an issue involving cultural diversity that
has occurred in your workplace. What work practices were followed?
Why did this happen? Was the issue resolved? How could the
outcome have been improved?
(: dear professor this answer is THE COMMENT FROM MY TRAINER not satisfied please ready the case study
and address it again plz address and read the case study to answer this question)
answer to question::
a. Issue: A colleague was made fun of wearing cultural outfit, a Headdress or
Dhari, belonging to the original cultural heritage of the Aboriginal community on
a special occasion. When asked about the mask and cultural significance, he
replied with details and also shared a different language syntax used in his
community. The respect for the tradition was not taken seriously by a few others
in the work group.
b. Followed Practices: On all the special occasions carrying significance for
employees, cultural greeting was sent to all in office to educate the importance
of the occasion and to welcome the cultural diversity, people from the specific
group were sent cultural significant memento.
c. Why: The primary reason for the issue was sheer negligence and disrespect for
other’s beliefs and practices. When the maturity levels fall, to accommodate
religious or sentimental values followed by others, these problems occur.
People were too reluctant to understand and respect other’s sentiments and
were unable to accommodate the same, due to lack of knowledge and dignity
towards other cultural beliefs.

d. Resolution happened: Yes and No, the resolution to these scenarios are not
immediate rather gradual.
e. Can the outcome be improved?: The outcome of this issue can be used as a
learning against any other similar incident and to prevent it from happening. The
outcome can be improved by planning the day ahead or mentioning it in the
annual calendar in some way, to communicate the event or occurrence of it.
Also, a reminder on a previous day can be communicated to all. Also, to
acknowledge the acceptance of the diversity, special treats for such occasions
can be arranged.
Question 3 Explain how you will resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings
in the work place, and where you would seek assistance? How would
these issues resolved?
-In your response, include relevant support agencies and the services for
education assistants in school and agencies they offer IN WESTERN
AUSTRALIA PERTH.
-what communication issues need to be considered when working in a culturally
diverse environment?
-Give some examples of cross cultural misunderstandings that might affect your
work and workplace ?
COMMENT FROM MY TRAINER TO ADD MORE)
please do some more research on this as it is very important for you to have a through
understanding of this for your future work as an EA?
Answer: To resolve the cross-cultural misunderstanding, an approach of
compromising fox or accommodating teddy bear can be followed. Both the parties
can sit together with a mediator and explain the notions behind the conflict and try to
reach to a solution. They can come to an agreement or can agree to stay away in
disagreement. Also, to avoid occurrence of any other cultural misunderstanding,
knowledge sharing on various cultural diversity coexisting in the workplace can be
informed or communicated. Certain special significance days can be celebrated, and
participation can be promoted from all to encourage respect for of other’s beliefs.

Assistance can be sought at the human resourcing department or a special person
can be assigned the responsibility to check and manage the conflicts arising in
diversity driven scenarios.
The human resource department can assist with company policy regulations as well
as legal proceedings in case of serious conflicts. Apart from that Racial
Discrimination Act of 1975 can be evoked. Also, various support agencies that are
driven under the government bodies, work together to support and assist educational
service providers to manage conflicts. Some of them being dedicated for especially
abled children, disability support services, behavioral and wellbeing support, school
psychology services and others.
Communication issue that needs to be considered is the usage of body language
and special words or phrases. For example, standing chopsticks in food are
considered bad in Chinese culture whereas it might be fun for someone in France to
make them stand in the food. Since various phrases may mean differently in various
cultures, it is important to consider them while having colleagues from different
cultural background. Example, a brat in American context would mean a spoilt child
but in the countries of Russia or Poland, it means brother.