MANAGEMENT Management Name of the Student Name of the University

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MANAGEMENT
Week 11 - Adjusting to a new culture
Cultural adjustment can be defined as the cognitive, emotional as well as behavioural
changes an individual undergoes when fitting into a completely new environment. Working in a
culture that is different from one’s own culture can be frustrating as well as exhilarating.
Surviving efficiently in a different culture in workplace leads to great personal growth. I have
been working in an organization where majority of the employees are Americans. One of the
employees, whose origin is from Oman, faces several cultural issues in the workplace. For
instance being a Muslim he prefers to stay away from alcoholic drinks. However in several office
parties his colleagues often force him to drink. According to Gouttefarde (1992), psychological
outcomes of cultural adjustment are double edged since it involves short tie pain like anxiety,
stress as well as frustration along with long time gain like enhanced cultural awareness, cognitive
complexity as well as creativity and problem solving ability. For instance in the above scenario,
it is crucial for the employee to communicate properly with his American college while politely
refusing to drink. According to Presbitero (2016), in several situations, it is possible for an
employee to experience cultural shock that includes the feeling of stress, anxiety as well as
psychological disorientation that is often induced by linguistic as well as behavioural signals that
are highly difficult to interpret. This may be faced by the employee in this scenario. To overcome
cultural shock mental stability and determination is needed.

2MANAGEMENT
Reference List
Gouttefarde, C., 1992. Host national culture shock: What management can do. European
Business Review, 92(4), pp.1-3.
Presbitero, A., 2016. Culture shock and reverse culture shock: The moderating role of cultural
intelligence in international students’ adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural
Relations, 53, pp.28-38.