Personal, Cultural Reflection: On the Impact of Culture (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

Name Tutor Course Date Personal, Cultural Reflection: On the Impact of Culture Our daily decisions and choices are influenced by numerous external factors that come into play; culture is one of the aspects that significantly direct one’s personal and professional life. From a personal standpoint, I believe that culture and upbringing influence the way we react, act and our choices in life whether on a personal issue or professional one. Many research studies look into the effects of culture and its influence on personal and professional lifestyles. Heggertveit-Aoudia points out that culture, as a way of life, is the basis of daily interaction, thus, communication and with the globalization of businesses since people of different beliefs and values, the possibility of conflict exists. The overall effect of culture is seen on a daily basis with every individual being affected directly or indirectly; this is either his or her personal and work life. Culture plays an important role in ensuring that I make the right decisions to make my career in global business management an interesting path to take. In retrospect, culture maters since it fabricates human relationship, people have divergent value and beliefs concerning every aspect of life-based on their background. Hofstede states that in business, setting individuals have different management and leadership styles and thus, its importance since the diversity generates multiple of ideologies that are unique (35). From a personal perspective, culture represents how we interact with one another, in a business perspective, the importance of diversity is vital, and school group works are the simplest example of such instances. The overall importance of cultural beliefs has always influenced my personal interaction both consciously and subconsciously. Intercultural Communication Ting-Toomey, Stella, and Leeva assert that relationship between culture and communication by pointing out on its role. The culture is quite distinct when matters of communication come into play. Various studies disagree on the influence of culture on intercultural communication. However, I feel that culture has a great role and aspects such as language influence how intercultural communication is conducted in diverse cultures have different verbal and non-verbal communication that significantly differ. In a professional setting, especially for global businesses, the role played by intercultural communication is key to its success. Jameson points to the need for an understanding of cultural diversity before setting out into intercultural communication; businesses’ understanding of the distinction and differences in cultural values is an important factor (199). When dealing with people of different cultures other than ours, the type of intercultural communication we are likely to have is determined by the cultural beliefs and values. One is cannot intercultural communicate effectively without knowledge of the others' beliefs, norms, and values. Jameson proposes the expanding of individual knowledge on cultural identity to avoid stereotypical conclusions (205-206). From a personal experience, there are instances that I have witnessed people's stereotypically concluding on factors base on misinformation and equating of the culture of a country. The importance of understanding cultural identity is vital for one to have an intercultural communication since it removes the barriers and prejudices involved in the process. According to Franko, intercultural interactions have been neglected by studies due to its complexity as an aspect of culture. The expansive nature of cultural interactions expands, the need for clear understanding from numerous perspectives. Self-awareness Having an understanding of one's culture is vital to the overall understanding of others and their decisions. I associate with people based on different cultures and subcultures, and my understanding of my personal culture and its impact on decisions I have made would enable me to create a better knowledge of others' choices. Deardorff point to the importance of self-awareness for one to achieve cultural competence, since it promotes one's knowledge of different cultures and their significance to though and decision-making processes (241). From experience in school and through interaction with different studies with diverse cultures, I have come to understand the importance of examining how it influences us subconsciously. Research studies point to cultural competency as the main factor towards the success of globalized businesses. On this aspect, I find it valuable not only for global businesses, but also important for daily communication and interaction. Having a sense of self-awareness and cultural competence is a value that is desirable for leaders to possess. Globalization has led to the internationalization of businesses, and anyone can work in any country. With a personal ability to recognize how my beliefs and values influence my decision would affect my decision-making skill, since I would be able to make unbiased choices. Self-awareness helps to deal with prejudice and stereotype that are a result of personal culture. Cultural Divergence We are all are the same despite our different believes, norms and values that we share based on the kind of upbringing we had. However, culture creates a deep difference between the decisions we make, it also controls our personal interactions and communication in society. Business communications are also affected by cultural divergence that exists and thus, a disadvantage to the internationalization of enterprises. As Jameson indicates that, the understanding of cultural diversity is important for business success (218). I, on the other hand, having cultural diversity have no importance, but is a negative aspect that affects communication and relationships. However, it is notable that awareness of the divergence plays a great role in problem solving and decision-making. Differences in cultures do matter when it comes to decision-making since it has a way of informing our decision even without us realizing. Although, based on various studies it is quite possible for leaders to form interpersonal communication skills that are cross-cultural and vital for business. From a personal perspective, I tend to find the divergence of culture as a barrier to effective communication and interaction and have possible consequences such as conflict. The aspect of self-identity and awareness are proposals for better understanding, although the ultimate factors remain about the ability to achieve cultural competence. Since we share different beliefs and are breaded under different norms, it is only fair for managers to understand the background of individuals. Limitations Just like any other human being, I have limitations, dislikes and prejudice towards some aspects of cultural diversity. I, personally like the idea of interacting with people from different cultures, learning their ways of life, and getting to understand how it affects their choices in life. Exploring ...