Analyzing Cultural Capabilities and Safe Spaces: A 'Friends' Report

This report analyzes a scene from the TV show 'Friends' to assess the characters' cultural capabilities and maintenance of a culturally safe space within the workplace. It begins by defining cultural capability and the importance of safe spaces in diverse workplaces, referencing the increasing need for cultural intelligence due to globalization and workforce diversity. The analysis focuses on a specific scene where Rachel is interviewed, and her boss attempts to retain her services, highlighting instances where characters demonstrate a lack of cultural intelligence, such as interruptions, avoidance of eye contact, and negative comments. Recommendations include diversity training and seminars on basic office etiquette to improve cultural intelligence and promote a more inclusive environment. The report concludes that cultural intelligence is crucial for effective interpersonal interactions and career success, emphasizing the importance of observing and respecting individual cultural spaces. Desklib offers similar solved assignments for students.

Rachel’s Boss Doesn’t want to lose her
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Date

Table of Contents
Rachel’s Boss Doesn’t want to lose her..........................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Background............................................................................................................................4
Aim..................................................................................................................................................5
Scope................................................................................................................................................6
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................6
Recommendations............................................................................................................................7
Summary and Conclusion................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
This report seeks to analyze the different cultural capabilities and fundamentals at an
individual’s work place. The paper starts by knowing how diversity of the workplace has
evolved over the years. The paper then analyzes the scene from the show Friends season 4 where
Rachel is at an interview. The report then draws up recommendations and conclusions based on
the scene on how we should uphold cultural intelligence and cultural space.
1.1 Background
Cultural capability and safe spaces is one of the most talked about topics at the general
work place. This has been increasing due to the acceptance of the diverse nature of people in the
whole world. The presence of world freedom and improved transportation systems in the world
has enabled different individuals to move from one area to another and in the long run interact
with people that are from different origins as compared to them. The need for businesses to
compete favorably and in the process expand to other countries has led to the need to always
have the best quality of staff. This has further created the need to either outsource employees of
insource them. This has led to the diverse nature of current workplaces having people with
different cultures (Rockstuhl, & Annen,2011).
Culture can be defined as ideas and social behaviors that an individual has been brought
up by (Rockstuhl,2011). This means that there are very many people in the world that have
different cultural backgrounds due to how they have been raised. These individuals include
Europeans, Africans, and people from Asia. This is just a wider perspective. These different
individuals in some cases come to work together so as to achieve a specific goal for their

company. It is for that reason that a company therefore needs to create a safe work place for the
diverse natured workers that it has (Imai, &Gelfand,2010).
Aim
The main aim of this report is to give a description of an interaction that goes on in the
work place and the consequences that it brings to both the employer and the employee. For any
organization worldwide, there are a set of rules that are set in place so as to govern its workers on
how they can associate with each other. These items are mainly placed so as to reduce the rate of
differences that may result from the interactions between different people who originate from the
different backgrounds. Some of the policies that work places have adopted over the recent years
include the use of team building events that are mainly aimed at ensuring different cultured
people can work together so as to achieve a specified objective.
Some organizations even require employees to read and sign employee handbooks or any
amendments to the handbook. Organinzation’s human resource department should hold
mandatory company diversity training sessions that review the policies and explain the
ramifications (Rockstuhl,& Annen, 2011). Diversity at work includes people from different
cultures, viewpoints, backgrounds and ethnicity. It is crucial for organizations to create an
environment that’s inclusive to the above mentioned as it’s a prerequisite for success among the
employees. An example of common situations where diversity issues arise is when a managers
host one-on-one meetings with team members to role-play and review areas that might be
problematic. Another example is a lifestyle acceptance issue in the workplace, though this should
not affect any ones job performance. Sometimes gay and lesbian workers experience

discrimination and even disrespect from other employees, this kind of behavior eventually
affects the atmosphere and thus poor productivity.
Scope
The report will focus on the portrayal of an unsafe working space for employees and the
video that will be analyzed will be the interview in the program Friends Season 4 where
Rachael’s boss does not want to lose her assistance.
Analysis
The video of Friends Season 4 beginning from the scene at the interview room where
there is Rachel seated on one side and the other side is her boss, and two other interviewing
panelists (male and female). The scene describes how Rachel tries to explain her responsibilities
working for Joann while Joanne tries to put the activities in a jokingly way. By this everything
that Rachel says is ultimately discredited by Joanne.
In The second scene, Rachel comes into Joanne office and laments of how joanne
discredited her at the interview. Rachel then bursts out of the office as she goes towards her desk,
disgruntled and wanting to quit. However as they move to the next room Joanne explains that she
only did that so as to retain Rachel’s services.
The overall video shows different characters. Rachel who faces a mixture of reactions,
Joanne who tries to salvage her employee’s services and the other panelists. At the beginning
Rachel is seen to have excellent cultural intelligence. This is seen as she is interviewed and
answers all the questions promptly. Rachel maintains eye contact with all the panelists apart
from Joanne who tries to avoid eye contact with her. This is seen as she tries to convince the

other panelists not to hire Rachel. This is seen as Joanne constantly looks at the other panelists in
a manner to suggest that she is convincing her.
Rachel thereafter demonstrates a lack of cultural intelligence this is seen as she opens her
boss’s office before knocking the door. This is an accurate evidence of lack of safe space. The
lack of cultural intelligence among the character is further enhanced by Joanne as she tries to
avoid eye contact with Rachel. This however changes as she reveals the truth about what she had
done.
Their lack of self-space is also evident as there are constant interaptions.Joanne is seen to
be constantly answering the questions that were ment for Rachel. In addition to that she is
answering them negatively. This portrays the image of an individual lacking cultural intelligence
(Rockstuhl,2011).
Recommendations
Based on the above analysis it is evident that the characters on the video some instances
demonstrated the lack of cultural intelligence and the ability to uphold cultural norms. The fact
that characters in the short film fail to observe the basic rules of courtesy such as maintaining eye
contact when talking to people and the fact that it is rude to interrupt individuals when they talk.
This is in addition to the constant negative comments that Rachel receives from her boss. The
fact that her boss did not want her to go suggests that as much as her motives were good, the
execution was poor and it depicted the lack of cultural intelligence among the workers
(Rockstuhl,2011).
For the scenes analyzed I would suggest that the individuals be taken to a seminar which
they would be taught the basic office etiquette (Van Dyne,2010). This involves leaving and

entering someone else office. Interruptions and even maintaining eye contact with others when
talking to them and most importantly false discreditation of another employee.
Diversity at the work place is very important, it can bring about better financial results, a
competitive level in the global markets, cross cultural understanding and lastly creative and
innovative thinking are some of the benefits (Peterson,2011). It is advised that a company should
encourage diversity as it is beneficial to the company in the long run. We definitely can not
dispute the disadvantages that diversity bring forth but the advantages seem to take an upper
hand. The cons include difficulty in transitioning, creating a more diverse environment is hard as
there maybe issues of cultural collusion and many misinterpretations.
Summary and Conclusion.
In conclusion, cultural intelligence is a key aspect in the current life of human beings.
This is because the results of how we were raised and trained to believe will in one way or
another affect the way we interact with others and that this can either make or break someone’s
career in whichever field he or she is in. therefore it is paramount to notice and observe cultural
space of individuals because our body languages and how we handle different situations at the
work places determine a lot about what we do (Peterson,2011).
Further, cultural intelligence has become a become necessity to relate with people who
are culturally different in this twenty first century. Globalization is increasing fueled by dramatic
economic shifts in different countries and further by the technological advancement in
communication. We may not be able to travel but the world has come to us through the
technological medium of communication. Despite rapid modernization, culture is slow to

change. For the foreseeable future, cultural differences will remain a key factor in interpersonal
interactions.
References
Imai, L., &Gelfand, M. J. (2010). The culturally intelligent negotiator: The impact of cultural
intelligence (CQ) on negotiation sequences and outcomes. Organizational Behavior and
Human Decision Processes, 112(2), 83-98.
Peterson, B. (2011). Cultural intelligence: A guide to working with people from other cultures.
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Rockstuhl, T., & Annen, H. (2011). Beyond general intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence
(EQ): The role of cultural intelligence (CQ) on cross‐border leadership effectiveness in a
globalized world.Journal of Social Issues, 67(4), 825-840.
Rockstuhl, T (2011). Beyond general intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ): The role
of cultural intelligence (CQ) on cross‐border leadership effectiveness in a globalized
world. Journal of Social Issues, 67(4), 825-840.
Van Dyne, L., (2010). Cultural intelligence: A pathway for leading in a rapidly globalizing
world. Leading across differences, 131-138.