Cultural Analysis of Friends TV Series

This assignment requires a critical analysis of the TV series 'Friends' focusing on its cultural safety. Students need to examine specific episodes, highlighting situations that demonstrate cultural barriers, misunderstandings, and potentially harmful representations. The analysis should consider concepts like cultural self-awareness, intelligence, and shock, ultimately arguing whether 'Friends' provides a safe space for diverse viewers.

Running head: CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CAPABILITY
Cultural Intelligence and Capability
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Background............................................................................................................................2
Aim.........................................................................................................................................2
Scope......................................................................................................................................2
Summary and Observations.......................................................................................................3
Summary................................................................................................................................3
Summary of the Video clip....................................................................................................3
Observations...........................................................................................................................4
Analysis......................................................................................................................................5
Recommendation........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
Background
Cultural Intelligence is referred to the effectiveness of all the aspects of culture, which
include generational, national, ethnic, organizational dimension and ideology of culture.
Culture deals with diversity and it is being revealed from different researches that four
capabilities generally exist within effective individuals among the diversified culture (Quappe
& Cantatore, 2015).
Aim
The report throws light on cultural intelligence and its capability, an analysis of the
safe and unsafe processes and recommendations to improve the safety of the space. Creation
of the safe spaces needs cultural safety and self awareness, cultural capability and also
cultural intelligence. The assignment focuses on a specific episode of ‘Friends’ to promote
the fundamentals of safe spaces and workplace effectiveness.
Scope
The report highlights the points of cultural intelligence and capability. It mainly
focuses on a specific episode of the TV series ‘Friends’, which portrays workplace issues.
The report discusses regarding the particular scene where Rachel’s boss doesn’t want to lose
her and makes her look bad in front of the interviewer of a new job where Rachel has applied.
It specifies about workplace politics which may hamper a person’s growth and progress and
how the workers are exploited by the employers for their own benefit (Fullepisodes.biz, F.
2017).

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Summary and Observations
Summary
Safe spaces are created in the culture when each and every one in the society is given
the authority to engage themselves in particular activities. Being more specific, safe space in
a society refers to the creation of an atmosphere or environment, which allows all the
members of the society to involve in the societal activities accordingly. It is crucial for any
society to create a safer place, so that each and every individual can reside without any
commotion or issues. It is essential for their betterment and progress. The need for safer
spaces becomes apparent when the individuals face several difficulties while adapting the
cultural diversities and differences. It is considered to be very crucial to avoid the unsafe
spaces which exist within the societies. This particular thing can only be done when safer
spaces are created in the society for the individuals’ betterment (Doutrich et al., 2012).
For instance; if an individual wants to create a safer space for interacting online, in
order to avoid conflicts and confusions with other people, he/she needs to focus on creating a
safe online space, which further includes some factors related to his/her safety. Moreover, as
it is crucial for the society to create a safer space for psychological as well as physical safety
of the individuals, it is also important for the individuals to maintain peace and harmony
among the society (Dyne, 2012).
Summary of the Video clip
The video clip is being chosen from the popular TV series Friends, season four and
episode number nine. The episode entitled “The One Where They’re Going to Party” was
aired in the year 1997, December 11. One of the protagonists of the TV series, Rachel wants
to opt for the job of Assistant buyer, but her boss is not happy with her decision. She does not
want to lose Rachel as she is a good assistant and intentionally makes her reputation bad in

4CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CAPABILITY
front of the interviewer. This makes Rachel mad as she couldn’t make it through the
interview because of her boss Joanna. Rachel wants to quit her present job, but her boss then
reveals the fact of how she doesn’t want to lose a good assistant like Rachel, and that is the
main reason of her boss maligning Rachel’s reputation in front of the interviewers
(Fullepisodes.biz, F. 2017).
Seeing Rachel mad and horrified at the whole situation, her boss Joanna tries to ease
her by offering the position of assistant buyer at Joanna’s department. This included a raise in
her salary; she would get her own office and an assistant of herself. Happy and satisfied with
the offer, Rachel accepts the deal and changes her decision of quitting the job. However, her
wish of becoming the assistant buyer of Joanna’s department will not probably get true as
Joanna meets with an accident and dies. She was about to get promoted but unfortunately a
tragedy strikes. Therefore, the situation became unfortunate and she might not get promoted
as nobody else knew about their agreement, at the workplace (Flanja, 2012).
Observations
Cultural self awareness, therefore, refers to the communication’s foundation, which
involves the ability of understanding as well as becoming aware of the cultural beliefs,
perceptions and values. Cultural safety includes the actions which proves the fact whether a
society is safe for the individuals or not. The video gives evidence of the society being unsafe
as the boss died after meeting with an accident. The untimely death of Joanna brings in
cultural shock and questions the cultural safety. Moreover, the factor of workplace safety also
comes into play. Rachel might not get promoted because of her boss’s unfortunate death. This
also proves the factor of communication lack between the organization’s employers (Holley
& Steiner, 2015).

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Cultural intelligence became apparent as Rachel was ready to work in a different
work culture and environment, but unfortunately her boss stops her. Moreover, it gives an
idea regarding workplace politics, as Joanna intentionally maligned Rachel’s reputation in
front of the interviewers, just to stop her switch her position. However, Rachel failed to
understand her boss’s motive and interpersonal skills in the beginning, but she got her facial
expression as well as voice tone later. This gives evidence regarding the communication gap
between Rachel and her boss. The cultural shock occurred when her boss died and she was
doomed (Quappe & Cantatore, 2015).
Analysis
To critically analyze the season 4 episode 9 of the ‘Friends’ sitcom, it can be said that
the scene between Rachel and her boss is the most important part of the whole episode. In
that part, it is seen that Rachel wanted to apply for a post higher in ua in her office and asks
permission to apply for the post from her boss. At that moment it was seen that her boss was
happy about it but her body language was not appropriate and she even discouraged Rachel to
some extent. The next moment again Joanna, the boss again encouraged Rachel to go for the
interview and wishes her all the best for the interview and let her know that she will be
present at the interview board. Quite astonishingly at the interview table, Joanna does not
help Rachel, and even she is seen trying to ridicule her in front of the other board members at
the time of interviewing Rachel. Joanna breaks the barrier of professionalism and invaded the
personal space of Rachel disclosing her personal life and influencing the panel not to consider
her as a potential candidate for the post (Wambui et al., 2013).
Later in the video, it is seen that enraged Rachel visits Joanna’s office and breaks
down to tears as she felt utterly humiliated in front of the interviewing panel and she made
her mind to quit the job. When she was trying to talk about the matter with Joanna, Joanna

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tried to stop the conversation and to do that she even humiliated another office assistant and
made her an object of joke. After that Rachel was determined to leave the job and when she
started packing her things, Joanna said that she will create a post in her department to retain a
good responsible employee like Rachel and she confessed that she has done all the wrong
things at the interviewing time as she did not want to lose an important assistant from her
department as she cannot depend on the other assistant she has. Joanna even offered Rachel a
personal office space and an assistant and gave her the position of an Assistant buyer with a
raise.
The main point in the story is Rachel was ridiculed in front of the higher authorities of
her organization for nothing and her boss Joanna made a lot of foul comments involving
Rachel’s personal life in front of the higher officials and that is grossly inappropriate. At the
time when Rachel asked for the permission to apply for a higher post from her boss, she
showed perfect cultural intelligence and it was evident by her ways of communicating with
Joanna. At that moment the viewers can get a notion that Joanna can create some problems
for her. Joanna’s body language was to some extent very slothful when she was asked for the
permission and that clearly indicated that she does not want Rachel to get the higher post. At
the interviewing time Rachel got a shock at t interview table when Joanna started suddenly
ridiculing her in front of the higher authorities and she was very shocked and mentally
dismantled into pieces as she did not expect something like that to happen. Rachel was so
shocked that she burst into tears and she confronted Joanna for some clarifications and there
she got to know that as Joana does not want to lose her from her department, she stopped her
promotion (Bowles & Cooper, 2012). One thing that is not at all accepted that in this situation
that Joanna talked about Rachel’s personal life and about her drinking issues. For these kinds
of comments the reputation of Rachel could have crumbled down to pieces and Joanna did
not even consider this fact at all (Lea & Nicoll, 2013).

7CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CAPABILITY
The way Joanna ridiculed Rachel, that part is completely against the norms and
Joanna broke the code of professionalism there and what she did was completely unaccepted
and no one should treat an subordinate employee like that. Rachel was told that she would
expect one familiar face at the time of interview and Joanna would be present there and that
would make her comfortable, but, when the time came, Rachel got a shock to find that Joanna
is the one who is blocking her promotion and projected her as a drunk women who gets
overly friendly with the clients of the organization and that clearly ended the hope of Rachel
to get the promotion.
It is a fact that what Joanna did to Rachel is completely unethical and unjustified. She
could have told Rachel that she does not want to lose an important employee like her and
solve the issue. At the interviewing time little did Rachel knew that Joanna would be pulling
the strings and become a barrier to her getting a promotion. The shock Rachel got due to this
situation was not at all accepted though Joanna gave her a new post in her department. These
kinds of behaviors can potentially ruin a career for individuals in real life situations (Jack,
2014).
Recommendation
From the given video, it is seen that Rachel was shocked due to the turn of events at
the interview table and that deeply hurt her and even she wanted to resign. These kinds of
behaviors from the higher authorities are clearly not acceptable and thus no one should
practice these kinds of behaviors in workplace. In workplace, the management must not
forget the fact that it is the duty of all the employees to maintain the right culture within the
organization and the higher authorities must take care of the subordinate staffs and help them
if required. It should be the duty of the management of the organizations to maintain an
appropriate office culture within the workplace so that all the employees get motivated and

8CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CAPABILITY
remains loyal towards the organization. As a senior employee what Joanna did, can easily be
considered as a bad example of behavior within the organization and with a valid reason that
culture shocked Rachel and in real life situation that can potentially harm the employees
(Kirmayer, 2012). Thus it is highly recommended that every individual must be aware of the
cultural safety and security while conversing or getting engaged in any social activities be it
in the workplace or someplace else.
Conclusion
To conclude, the report focuses on the safe cultural spaces and intelligence. It
includes the factors related to workplace safety and politics, how the employers can malign
someone’s reputation intentionally. In regards to the TV series, Friends, it depicted that the
society is unsafe through various communication and physical factors as discussed. It also
revealed how workplace lacked communication at that time, which hampered a person’s
growth. However, the TV series portrayed all these situations in a very hilarious way, these
situations give evidence of the cultural barriers which were faced at that time. This gives an
overview of cultural self awareness, intelligence and capabilities. Details of cross cultural
communication and cultural shock are also portrayed. Therefore, this report suggests and
effectively promotes that the TV series is culturally not a safe space.

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References
Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage
Publications.
Bowles, D., & Cooper, C. (2012). The high engagement work culture: Balancing me and we.
Springer.
Doutrich, D., Arcus, K., Dekker, L., Spuck, J., & Pollock-Robinson, C. (2012). Cultural
safety in New Zealand and the United States: Looking at a way forward
together. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 23(2), 143-150.
Dyne, L. V. (2012). Cultural Intelligence. Retrieved from Michigan State University:
http://www.linnvandyne.com/cq.html
Flanja, D. (2012). Culture Shock in Intercultural Communication. Retrieved from
https://ereadings.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:22117/doc.pdf
Fullepisodes.biz, F. (2017). Friends S4E9 - Season 4 Episode 9 - The One Where They're
Going to Party! - S04E09. Fullepisodes.biz. Retrieved 16 October 2017, from
http://fullepisodes.biz/watch-free-friends-tv-show-season-4-full-episodes-friends-
s04e09-season-4-episode-9-the-one-where-theyre-going-to-party-
s4e9_34b4b02b9.html
Holley, L. C., & Steiner, S. (2015). Safe Space: Student Perspectives on Classroom
Environment. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
sid=89ba220c-1d07-4934-9171-9e3648d2bb8e%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=117
Jack, A. A. (2014, June). Culture shock revisited: The social and cultural contingencies to
class marginality. In Sociological Forum(Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 453-475).

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Kirmayer, L. J. (2012). Rethinking cultural competence.
Lea, M. R., & Nicoll, K. (Eds.). (2013). Distributed learning: Social and cultural approaches
to practice. Routledge.
Quappe, S., & Cantatore, G. (2015). What is Cultural Awareness, anyway? How do i build it?
Retrieved from The Culturosity Group LLC:
http://www.culturosity.com/articles/whatisculturalawareness.htm
Wambui, T. W., Wangombe, J. G., Muthura, M. W., Kamau, A. W., & Jackson, S. M. (2013).
Managing Workplace Diversity: A Kenyan Pespective. International Journal of
Business and Social Science, 4(16).