CUC107 Applying Cultural Capabilities Report

Running Head: CULTURAL CAPABILITIES
Cultural Capabilities
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

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CULTURAL CAPABILITIES
Executive summary
The report takes a fragment of an episode from the TV series ‘FRIENDS’ as a reference for
observing and analyzing the cultural self-awareness and capabilities of the characters concerned.
The analysis used relevant theories on cultural capabilities for backing up the argument of the
topic. Summarizing the observations in the selected video clip and analyzing the scenario in
context to cultural paradigms, the report proceeds with providing recommendations for the
improvement in the observed malfunctioning. Finally, the report concludes with suggestions for
avoiding problems related to cultural gaps.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Summary and Observations.............................................................................................................2
Analyzing the scenario....................................................................................................................5
Recommendations............................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References:......................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
A healthy and functioning workplace considers cultural capabilities as fundamental to
successful operations of the business. For maintaining a safe and social space for work, it is
important that organizations are well-equipped with cultural intelligence, capabilities and self-
awareness (Thomas, 2016. Page: 78). High-profit organizations often earn a notorious reputation
in society for failing to look out of the cultural concerns of workers, and focusing only on growth
and expansion of business, ignoring the individual interests of the laborers. The report takes a
selected scene from the TV series FRIENDS and analyzes, after observation whether the
characters in the scenario are demonstrating effective cultural capabilities and maintaining a
culturally safe space. The discussion in the report describes and examines the interactions
between the characters with respect to cultural capabilities and provides recommendations in the
conclusion for creating or sustaining a culturally safe space.
Summary and Observations
Summary of the video clip
The video clip has been taken from the famed American TV series FRIENDS, the particular
clip is a fragment from Season 4, episode 9. The scene is set at a workplace and exhibits every
instance of an unsafe corporate space. The video features the interviewing of an assistant for the
post of a buyer/distributor, co-conducted by the boss/supervisor of interviewee. Her boss,
Joanna, who keeps gas lighting the authorities regarding her skills and potential to make progress
in the fashion industry, constantly talks down Rachael, a candidate with seemingly excellent
potential. Joanna is evidently bossy and uncouth, exercising undue dominance over her
employees. Rachael shares her ethnicity with Joanna, the boss but she is placed at an unfavorable
position due to her limited experience in the industry. After pouring cold water on her (Rachael)
feeble efforts at forming an impression on interviewees, Joana makes sure that all her shots at a
promotion are blown off with the indication that Rachael has a drinking disorder and that she can
engages in sexual indulgences with her clients. The latter half of the clip features a direct
confrontation between Racheal and Joanna, with the former demanding an explanation of
Joanna’s attempts to coaxing the managers so that she does not get hired. It is revealed that
Joanna was not willing to lose a “perfectly good assistant” and her coaxing was triggered by the
desire to keep her in the office. A notable point in the video is when Joanna calls in Sophie, one

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of the workers in the office while having the conversation with Rachael, and insults her blatantly
for no rhyme or reason. (Youtube.com., 2013)
Observations:
Scene description Attempts at
misleading
Tone of
communication
Body language
The interviewers
appear impressed
with the candidate’s
profile, especially her
implementation of a
new filing system
asks her to talk about
her interests
Joanna, the mentor,
tells the authorities
that Rachael has been
extremely responsible
in getting Joanna’s
breakfast and the
only innovation she
displayed is putting
on colored labels on
the folders.
Joanna uses highly
informal
communication
terms, her tone is
dismissive of
Rachael’s abilities.
Rachael’s body
language is an
indication of her
nervousness, while
Joanna sits casually,
shrugging her
shoulders
unprofessionally.
One of the interviews
mentions that
cultivating personal
relationships is an
integral part of the
jobs
Rachael begins to
speak, Joanna cuts
her short, explicitly
states that Rachael
gets a bit “too
friendly” with
designers, indicating
that she keeps sexual
affairs with them.
Joanna’s tone is
highly suggestive and
overshadows the
voice of Rachael. She
uses her power to
silence Rachael’s say.
Rachael is visibly
embarrassed and
rendered powerless.
Joanna nods her head
distastefully and
winks suggestively,
misleads the
authorities to make
wrong assumptions
regarding Rachael’s
character.

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Rachael comes to
Joanna’s office for
discussing the
mishaps at the
interview
Joana
characteristically
shuns her, asking her
not to make a scene.
Calls in Sophie for an
unjustified backup.
Sophie is inhumanly
insulted with a tone
that is not meant for
any social or even
personal
communication.
Joanna raises her
voice over both her
assistants.
After Sophie leaves,
Joanna makes
physical contact with
Rachael, insisting her
to stay in the office,
offering her
promotion and other
privileges.
Table 1: Observations of the given video clip
Analyzing the scenario
Cultural awareness, competency, safety and capabilities refer not only to doing
something the right way in a given corporate circumstance, they are rather more about learning
and reflecting on the practices of the self, and being empathetic to people are not positioned in
the same level. The behavior displayed by Joanna clearly indicates that she has very little or
rather no concern of the interest of her workers. She keeps goading the hiring authorities against
a perfectly efficient candidate, only to secure her comforts. Rachael’s work experience and
position in the organization equates her difficulties with those of the indigenous or marginal. It is
almost as if Rachael is made to encounter a superior from a dominant culture, at rendered
powerless at the face of her corporate hold. Joanna lacks the basic sense it requires to be a
culturally intelligent manager of an office. Instead of motivating her workers she either exploits
their skills or insults them unashamedly out of evidently personal issues. This practice is highly
unprofessional and may lead to harmful consequences, both for her career and for her firm
(Beirne and Hunter., 2013. Page: 595). Another thing to note in this context is the physical
setting of the circumstance (Weaver et al., 2014, page: 58). Ideally the interview should have

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been conducted in a closed room, without the presence of any of the interviewee’s acquaintances
(Milberg et al., 2000, page: 35). Joanna’s presence might make Rachael nervous and she may not
be able to speak as freely and as effectively with her interviewers in the looming presence of her
manipulative boss. She is clearly not given the closure she required. The situation is unsafe in
ways more than one; the candidate feels personally attacked by her boss on account of the
superior high-handedness she exercises with so much ease and the influence her word of mouth
has on the higher authorities of the management. The interactions between the characters indicate
that lack of professionalism and understanding between the different designations in the
management. Something as unprofessional and detrimental as this would not arise in
organizations that have a well-regulated HR policy (Frenkel et al., 2012. Page : 4913). Sophie
appears to be a perennial victim of verbal abuse at workplace, while Rachael, though a personal
favorite of her boss, gets exploited of her abilities as her boss hinders all possibilities of growth
in the industry. The topic of cultural awareness must be referred to in this context (Pieterse et al.,
2013, page: 190). It is common in the US for workers and managers to develop relationships
outside the office premise, and it is suggested that Rachael might have had affairs or friendly
terms with clients, managers, co-workers of the organization. Had Joanna been a culturally self-
aware person, she would not bring up the matter of Rachael’s personal life whilst she is
appearing for a professional interview. Cultural self-awareness refers to a person’s ability to
understand the cultural values, perceptions, beliefs of others and see things from their
perspectives. The way Joanna reacts to the circumstance suggests that she lacks the minimum
degree of cultural self-awareness, intelligence and capability (Hook et al., 2013. Page: 353)
required to manage an organization and the people working in it. She perceives people and their
circumstances according to her personal take on business, focusing only on her convenience and
material gains. It can be asserted with suitable reasons that one of the reasons why Sophie is not
as efficient a worker as she ought to be is because Joanna keeps demotivating her on account of
her personal dislike towards Sophie, for indeterminate reasons. Joana’s lack of cultural
capabilities have created an extremely unsafe and inefficient workplace and the workers working
under her, might be suffering in their social life as well on account of her constant gaslighting
and amoral practices.

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Recommendations
Apart from the obvious fact that Joanna needs to educate herself in cultural intelligence
and capabilities, the company needs to establish a proper HR policy so that the problems of the
workers are duly addressed7 ‘n[. All employees deserve to voice their opinion and it is their
corporate right to have their interests safeguarded by the authorities. Joana needs regular sessions
on cultural awareness and her behavior must be regularly inspected. Moreover, the higher
authorities of the company must keep direct contact with the workers, so that problems like these
have lesser tendencies to arise. In case of interviews, presence of third parties should not be
allowed compulsively in all circumstances.
Conclusion
The scenario of the selected video clip clearly demonstrates an unsafe working
environment and social space for the workers. For marinating harmony within the office
premises and increasing efficiency of the workers, it is required of Joanna that she cultivates in
her an acute sense of cultural awareness, intelligence and most importantly, sensitivity to those
who are placed at a less privileged position than she is. Demotivation and manipulation like the
one seen in the video are primary reasons for staff dropout and poor turnups in offices. It also
affects the worker’s productivity and acquires a notorious reputation for firms. An instillation of
cultural values and self-awareness will help Joanna become a better person and be more effective
as a manager.

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References and Bibliography:
Beirne, M., & Hunter, P. (2013). Workplace bullying and the challenge of pre-emptive
management. Personnel Review, 42(5), 595-612.
Flanja, D. (2009). Culture shock in intercultural communication. Studia Universitatis Babes-
Bolyai. Studia Europaea, 54(4), 107.
Frenkel, S., Restubog, S. L. D., & Bednall, T. (2012). How employee perceptions of HR policy
and practice influence discretionary work effort and co-worker assistance: evidence from
two organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(20),
4193-4210.
Holley, L. C., & Steiner, S. (2005). Safe space: Student perspectives on classroom
environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1), 49-64.
Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington Jr, E. L., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural
humility: Measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling
Psychology, 60(3), 353.
Milberg, S. J., Smith, H. J., & Burke, S. J. (2000). Information privacy: Corporate management
and national regulation. Organization science, 11(1), 35-57.
Pieterse, A. L., Lee, M., Ritmeester, A., & Collins, N. M. (2013). Towards a model of self-
awareness development for counselling and psychotherapy training. Counselling
Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 190-207.
Spencer-Oatey, H., & Franklin, P. (2012). What is culture. A compilation of quotations.
GlobalPAD Core Concepts, 1-22.
Thomas, D. C. (2006). Domain and development of cultural intelligence: The importance of
mindfulness. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 78-99.

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Van Lier, L. (2014). Interaction in the language curriculum: Awareness, autonomy and
authenticity. Routledge.
Weaver, R. R., Lemonde, M., Payman, N., & Goodman, W. M. (2014). Health capabilities and
diabetes self-management: the impact of economic, social, and cultural resources. Social
Science & Medicine, 102, 58-68.
Youtube.com (2013) The One Where Rachel's Boss Doesn't Want to Lose Her - Friends Season
4 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuyGLDvve-A [Accessed on: 30-10-
2018]