Analyzing Cultural Capabilities: A Video Clip Report for CUC107

This report analyzes a video clip from the TV series "Friends" to assess the cultural capabilities of the characters and the creation of a safe workplace environment. The analysis focuses on the interactions between a mentor (Joanna), her assistant (Rachel), and other senior members during an interview. The report examines instances of both effective and ineffective communication, highlighting the impact of cultural intelligence and cultural capability on employee morale and workplace safety. It identifies instances of bullying, humiliation, and a lack of respect, as well as examples of positive interactions that foster a supportive environment. The report also provides recommendations for improving cultural safety in the workplace, emphasizing the role of leaders in acknowledging employee dedication, preventing career stagnation, and fostering empathy. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and reinforcing the importance of cultural intelligence and capability in creating a positive and productive work environment.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
Summary and observations:.............................................................................................................2
Analysis:..........................................................................................................................................4
Recommendations:..........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................8
References:......................................................................................................................................9

2
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Introduction:
Cultural self awareness, cultural capability as well as cultural intelligence are important
requirements for creating safe spaces. Safe spaces can be developed when individuals in the
particular settings can actively participate and engage in positive ways. Safe spaces are often
defined differently by various people (Ang et al., 2015). A healthy workplace can be explained
as an organizational climate which not only makes the environmental modifications to ensure no
accidents. It should also help in developing an environment where employees feel supportive,
respected and are given the freedom to complete their responsibilities. It is important for the
leaders as well as mentors to contribute in building a workplace which relies on trust and mutual
respect ensuring no tolerance to bullying, misconduct or blame games (Livermore et al., 2015).
When individuals do not feel that they are not working in a healthy workplace, the costs related
to absenteeism, low morale and unproductively increases. In the assignment a video clip would
be analyzed which contains a scene of interview being conducted by two new professionals in
the presence of mentor Joanna and the interviewee is Rachel who works as assistant to Joanna.
This video clip shows a perfect example of an improper unsafe space where the employee Rachel
was bullied as well as humiliated that affected her morale and self confidence. This assignment
would be mainly analyzing the video clip depicting the arenas where improper communication
took place. It would also suggest the areas where improvement is needed to make it a more
culturally safe space.
Summary and observations:
The video clip that was selected was from a TV series called Friends. The scene is taken
from season 4 episode 9. The first scene is of a workplace where four members are conversing.
It is an interview where probably Rachel is interviewed by two senior members of the

3
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
organization probably on the basis of promoting het to a new level. The older professional and
the lady Purple was found to be quite impressed by work of Rachel. However, it is observed that
whenever they are praising of the responsibilities that Rachel had performed, Johanna who was
her immediate mentor tried to pull her down in front of the seniors by stating that she mainly
does petty works like carrying bagels and coffee for her every morning. To this Rachel had tried
to politely state that she does more work than Johanna stated. This picture completely showed
that Rachel morale was affected as she felt humiliated and disrespected by Johanna to the seniors
even when she performed to her best capabilities. This could be states as one of the example of
culturally unsafe space where employee’s morale gets affected. However, the behavior showed
by the two seniors was much professional which displayed respect and liking for the duties and
the dedication that Rachel shows to her work.
The second scene that needs to be summarized is the scene where Rachel was seen to be
highly upset about the humiliation that she faced from her mentor in the interview and visits her
cabin to clarify. She was emotional and on verge of crying. However, the tone of the voice of her
boss Johanna was like a satire. The careless body language that she displayed and the ways she
communicated with Rachel can be considered to be rude. She also tried to cut down the
conversation by calling Sophie forcibly and stating Rachel that she was making Sophie
uncomfortable. When Sophie told the truth that she was indeed not comfortable, Johanna found
her useless as she did not support her and immediately asked her to get away even summoning
her to be a good for nothing woman. Such behaviors and words can be considered by an
individual to consider the workplace to be unsafe (Warrick, 2017). This shows the lack of
cultural intelligence and cultural capabilities exhibited by Johanna towards both Rachel and

4
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Sophie. These forms of insults and humiliations might make the individuals disinterested in
working under the boss resulting in high level of job dissatisfaction.
The third scene showed Johanna to confess that she was doing so for her own benefits of
not losing Rachel as her assistant. Moreover, the way she acted to hold back Rachel was quite
unprofessional and does not go with professional ethics. Selfishness sowed by Johanna and
improper behavior trying to hold back Rachel by physically touching her and pulling her back is
also unprofessional. She was seen to bribe Rachel with better position and new assistant to hold
her back. This might be against the organizational norms and hence this can be considered as
another culturally unsafe attitudes and behaviors. However, the environmental arrangement was
found to be quite safe with each of the embers having their own cabins and where each operated
successfully.
Analysis:
Cultural safety can be explained as the concept where an environment in developed and
maintained in ways that is socially, spiritually as well as emotionally stable and even should be
physically safe for other people. Workplaces with high cultural safety ensure that there are no
assault challenges as well as denial of identities of the employees like who they are and what
they need (Garneau & Pepin, 2015). This concept explains about the importance of shared
respect, shared meaning as well as shared knowledge and experience of learning together.
Studies are of the opinion that culturally safe practices can be seen to include actions that
recognize as well as respect the cultural identities of others and thereby safely meet the needs,
expectations and rights. Alternatively culturally unsafe practices can be defined as those that
diminish, dis-empower or demean the cultural identity and well-being of the individual. Cultural

5
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
intelligence plays an important role in determining cooperation among the employees coming
from different corporate cultures, nationalities, traditions, disciplines, cultures as well as
functions. Studies opine that bridging the cultural differences can break or make a business.
Therefore, it is important for developing and enhancing cultural intelligence. it can be explained
as the process where individuals slowly gain a newer perspective and insight into the new
professional methods and language that would let the, develop better solutions when it comes to
solving different issues in the workplace (Landy & Conte, 2016). Another study defines it as
more than being culturally sensitive and culturally aware like the need to be mindful, to be
observant and thereby suspend judgment when encountering behaviors, customs and ideas that
are different from the individuals’ own. Cultural capability is seen to be mainly referring to the
knowledge, skills as well as the behavioral systems through which individuals can successfully
plan, support, improve and deliver services and communicate with others in a culturally
respectful and appropriate ways. This helps in developing a holistic workplace ensuring safety in
workers as their main goal.
In the first scene, both the seniors had been able to show cultural capability in making
employees feel comfortable in the present situation. They also have high level of intelligence as
their praising of the responsibilities of Rachel had helped her in feeling good because she felt
that her dedication had been acknowledged. The senior old male member praised her how she
maintains her file properly believing in her that she could maintain important documents
successfully. The old lady also praised of the responsibilities that she had taken as she believed
that she is perfect for maintaining relationships with designers. This had boosted her morale and
she felt that her hard work had been acknowledged. Such cultural intelligence among the leaders
help in retaining the employees making them motivated and encouraged to work beyond their

6
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
potential (Ali Taha et al., 2016). Therefore, this was an example of culturally safe spaces that
every workplace should harbor.
On the other hand, Johanna was seen to possess poor cultural intelligence and culturally
capability. She was seen to be cutting all the praises that the senior members had regarding
Rachel and was continuously remarking negative and humiliating comments about Rachel. She
made many insensitive comments like that she is only perfect for arranging folders putting
colorful labels on them or for bringing coffees or bagels for her. This made Rachel feel
humiliated and insulted. Johanna showed lack of cultural intelligence and cultural capability.
This form of behaviors make employees feel that their hard work and dedication are not
acknowledged and this affects their morale and job satisfaction (Terrell et al., 2018). Joanna was
even seen stating that she makes unprofessional moves towards designers. This form of
comments shows disrespecting the work of employees and exposing them to negative lights in
front of others. This makes workers to withdraw themselves from the organizations as they feel
that their work is not paid enough importance (Muls et al., 2015). The rude behaviors she
displayed to Sophie with insensitive comments also showed her that she lacked cultural
capabilities. She had impatient listening attributes. She tried to cut down in between the
conversation of the seniors and Rachel. When Rachel came back for clarification, she cut her
down even without listening what she wanted to tell and summoned Sophie. Inactive listening
skills not only results in miscommunication but also creates disrespect as employees feel that
their words are not given importance.
However, the third scene when analyzed gave mixed information. It showed that the boss
was completely selfish and tried to demean
Rachel so that she does not get promoted and workers under her as her assistant only.

7
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Obstructing the career-growth of other employees for own needs, can result in the development
of a culturally unsafe space by the boss (Lutchman et al., 2016). The way Johanna handled the
situation was also unprofessional where she ran and tried to pull back Rachel to prevent her from
leaving. However, later Johanna tried to fix up her mistake by telling the truth to Rachel and also
making up for her negative comments by allowing her a pay rise and better position with new
assistant. This helped in luring back Rachel ensuring a better culturally safe place for her to
work. So that last scene can be an argumentative one.
Recommendations:
In order to develop a culturally safe space in workplaces, leaders and bosses need to play
an important role in acknowledging the dedication and commitments that employees have
towards hard work. Individuals when praised feel motivated and their dedication towards the
organization increases (Azzopardi & McNeill, 2016). Their productivity also increases and they
try to work beyond their potential when their works are acknowledged. Johanna should have
never commented negatively about Rachel when she truly was a responsible worker. This
affected her morale and she decided to leave. Such lack of cultural capability and cultural
intelligence increases turnover, absenteeism, low dedication for work and lowered production
(Keller, 2016). Johanna’s actions also tried to prevent career growth of Rachel. Individuals when
see that they have no career growths pr that their bosses are not interested in guiding them
through such growths, they tend to get demotivated and try leaving the job. Therefore such
actions should be prevented. Moreover, when an employees is emotional, bosses should not be
judgmental and try to manage the situation with empathy and compassion. This makes them feel
that company wants their presence and cares for them (Dolan et al., 2015). This increases
employee morale. This was absent in Johanna when Rachel was on the verge of breakdown.

8
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Conclusion:
A video clip from the TV series called Friends had been taken for analyzing the concepts
of cultural safety, cultural intelligence as well as cultural capabilities. It helped in reflecting how
a manager should not behave in ways that affect the employees morale making a culturally
unsafe place. Johanna humiliated and disrespected her in front of senior members making her
feel disrespected and she wanted to leave her job. However, at the end Rachel was found to be
happy as her boss admitted all the truth and also provided her a culturally safe place where she
was happy with the new pay rise, a new position and new assistant.

9
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
References:
Ali Taha, V., Sirkova, M., & Ferencova, M. (2016). The impact of organizational culture on
creativity and innovation. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 14.
Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge.
Azzopardi, C., & McNeill, T. (2016). From cultural competence to cultural consciousness:
Transitioning to a critical approach to working across differences in social work. Journal
of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 25(4), 282-299.
Dolan, S. L., & Kawamura, K. M. (2015). Cross cultural competence: A field guide for
developing global leaders and managers. Emerald Group Publishing.
Garneau, A. B., & Pepin, J. (2015). Cultural competence: A constructivist definition. Journal of
Transcultural Nursing, 26(1), 9-15.
Kellar, E. (2016). 15. Wanted: Language and Cultural Competence. Immigration and America’s
Cities: A Handbook on Evolving Services, 63.
Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2016). Work in the 21st century, Binder ready version: An
introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Livermore, D., & Soon, A. N. G. (2015). Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to
success. Amacom.
Lutchman, C., Ghanem, W., & Maharaj, R. (2016). Safety management: A comprehensive
approach to developing a sustainable system. CRC Press.

10
ANALYSIS OF A VIDEO CLIP
Muls, A., Dougherty, L., Doyle, N., Shaw, C., Soanes, L., & Stevens, A. M. (2015). Influencing
organisational culture: a leadership challenge. British Journal of Nursing, 24(12), 633-
638.
Terrell, R. D., Terrell, E. K., Lindsey, R. B., & Lindsey, D. B. (2018). Culturally proficient
leadership: The personal journey begins within. Corwin Press.
Warrick, D. D. (2017). What leaders need to know about organizational culture. Business
Horizons, 60(3), 395-404.