Coworker Interview Essay
Turnitin Score: 7% similarity
An Analysis Based on AdlerUniversity of Maryland University CollegeAn Analysis Based on AdlerIntroduction
In today’s global business world, great emphases is placed on the demand for managers who are skilled at working in a diverse cultural environment. (Adler, 2008) In the following exercise, “How well do I know my international colleagues?” I will offer lessons learned based on an interview conducted with a coworker from India. Interview questions are focused on family background, career background, and culture. For the purpose of this assignment, my coworker will be named C.R.K.
Family Background
C.R.K. was born in India in the early 60s, has three older sisters and is the youngest of four children. Her mother died six years ago and her father died when she was 11 years old. In her younger years, C.R.K. grew up very poor by Indian standards. By the time she was a teen her family moved up to the …show more content…
middle class. Her family was no different than the average Indian family, therefore her family wasn’t highly respected in the community.
As a child, C.R.K. grew up in the Lutheran faith but did not become a Christian until 1987 when she came to the United States. Religion is very important to her and she believes in one God; God the father and God the son, Jesus, are one. She adheres to the teachings of Christianity which lays the foundation for how she relates to people regardless of ethnicity, economic background, gender, or sexual orientation. Because of her faith, she feels it’s important to respect everyone she encounters. C.R.K. is a person who is very approachable, accommodating, and always eager to share her experiences or offer advice.
Before she came to the United States, C.R.K. studied pre-med. She explained in India, high school ends in the 10th grade and then students move on to advanced studies or college. College is free and entrance into college only requires desire and determination, but only a quarter of the population completes high school. As a child, she never attended private school and that wasn’t an option for her. After leaving India, C.R.K. earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree, and is currently working on a doctorate degree. She feels that in the fields of engineering and science, India offers education far more superior to the United States.
C.R.K. married an Italian American in 1999 and they have one child together. Due to her career in the U.S. Army, her husband’s family does not influence where she works. Her family unit is very close and she places great importance on family bonds. Her faith in God is first in her life, her family is second, and her career is third. She would never consider sending her daughter away to boarding school because she has an active role on her daughter’s development.
She feels it is her and her husband’s responsibility to raise their daughter until she is 18 and ready to move on to college. She lives in a quiet neighborhood, has a modest home in a rural community and is quite satisfied with her surroundings. She only lives with her husband and daughter.
C.R.K. places great importance on the teachings of the Holy Bible. She feels it is important to treat everyone the same regardless of their sex, where they come from, and even their religious background. The teachings of the Holy Bible guides her in all aspects of her life.
Career Background
C.R.K. is currently a Southern Baptist Army Chaplain. She was also a pastor for 12 years before commissioning in the U.S. Army. She came into the ministry out of pure desire to help people. She sees brokenness in the world and feels God’s word is the one that can fix people. She has no family in the ministry and her family has always been supportive of her career path. Her desire to become an Army Chaplain was influenced by the opportunities she’s had living in the United States. By serving in the Army, she has the opportunity to give back and feels a sense of pride when she wears the U.S. Army uniform. She works for pure satisfaction and does not worry about career progression. She does the best that she can and if a promotion comes, that is great, but if not, she sees this as God’s will and purpose. She lives to serve and takes great pride in what she does.
In her culture, those who work and travel internationally are not average performers; they are the most driven, the elite workforce, educationally advanced, and are highly regarded
Culture
C.R.K. has great respect for American culture but feels it is currently decaying. She feels America is a country full of opportunity for those who seek it. It saddens her to see the cultural shift in American society and feels America was once a great country and people once relied on history as a source of strength. She feels when she came to the United States, people stood for something and the present generation has no regard for what has been done in the past. It concerns her that her daughter may not enjoy the same America she experienced 27 years ago; but she remains hopeful old values will return to the American culture.
She also feels that the current American generation does not have regard for spirituality, are more self-reliant, and are growing up empty.
In her opinion, when individuals are inside and do not have a solid spiritual foundation, it is easy to break during difficult times. She sees an increase of emotional and mental problems in this country and feels it stems from having too much and a lack of experience with hardships.
She feels that Indian culture is ahead of American culture because people of India possess a strong hunger for success and they are driven. The average Indian does not have all the opportunities Americans have. Indians push their children to advance their education and in the United States, educational opportunities are taken for granted. She feels the American culture is ahead in innovation and industry, and the Indian culture is also ahead in engineering and science. She believes in cultural synergy and believes all cultures have something special to offer to the global business world.
Reflections on Lessons
Learned
Prior to my interview with C.R.K., I had no prior knowledge of her family background, career or culture. The only question I could truly answer was about her faith and religion. My greatest surprise after meeting her was the fact she is a Southern Baptist Chaplain. I assumed maybe she converted to Christianity while living in the United States. I am aware Christianity is practiced all over the world but never thought it was practiced by Southern Asians.
Although this short questionnaire only scratches the surface of who C.R.K. is, I gained much insight of who she is and how she feels about the American culture. I also realize there were several individuals in my organization to choose from for this assignment, and I do not know any details about their families, cultures or career history. I was only concerned with what I perceived my culturally diverse colleagues offer to the work environment. Honestly, I view them as fortunate to live in the United States and reap the benefits of all this country has to offer; I never even imagined the benefits I could reap from taking the time to learn about who they are, and the unique qualities their differences bring to the organization.
In my actions with colleagues from different cultures in my work environment, I automatically assumed they were “Americanized,” as far as their conduct in the workplace. Adler describes my actions as projected similarity. Projected similarity is the perception that other people’s circumstances or situations are like my own while failing to realize our true differences. (Adler, 2008)
Hamsanandhi Seshan, Director of Communications, Global Delivery at IBM, takes time to study cultures of people she deals with internationally and analyzes how their traits match up to her own before conducting business. (Mithel, 2012) By studying IBM’s cultural guide administered to employees, Seshan was able to close a deal by convincing employees in a Dutch organization that their cultures were matched well. (Mithel, 2012) I realize I do not have to wait to adopt an approach to cultural synergy; I can start now by researching and learning about different cultures, recognizing our differences and similarities, taking time to learn more about my colleagues, and use gained knowledge as a resource. (Adler, 2008)
References
Adler, N. J. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behavior (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.Mithel, M. (2012, June 24). Adapt to conquer. Business Today, 21(13), 124. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=a3894a15-704e-4666-b7a4-2b79855e38f5%40sessionmgr110&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=76926391
An Analysis Based on AdlerUniversity of Maryland University CollegeAn Analysis Based on AdlerIntroduction
In today’s global business world, great emphases is placed on the demand for managers who are skilled at working in a diverse cultural environment. (Adler, 2008) In the following exercise, “How well do I know my international colleagues?” I will offer lessons learned based on an interview conducted with a coworker from India. Interview questions are focused on family background, career background, and culture. For the purpose of this assignment, my coworker will be named C.R.K.
Family Background
C.R.K. was born in India in the early 60s, has three older sisters and is the youngest of four children. Her mother died six years ago and her father died when she was 11 years old. In her younger years, C.R.K. grew up very poor by Indian standards. By the time she was a teen her family moved up to the …show more content…
middle class. Her family was no different than the average Indian family, therefore her family wasn’t highly respected in the community.
As a child, C.R.K. grew up in the Lutheran faith but did not become a Christian until 1987 when she came to the United States. Religion is very important to her and she believes in one God; God the father and God the son, Jesus, are one. She adheres to the teachings of Christianity which lays the foundation for how she relates to people regardless of ethnicity, economic background, gender, or sexual orientation. Because of her faith, she feels it’s important to respect everyone she encounters. C.R.K. is a person who is very approachable, accommodating, and always eager to share her experiences or offer advice.
Before she came to the United States, C.R.K. studied pre-med. She explained in India, high school ends in the 10th grade and then students move on to advanced studies or college. College is free and entrance into college only requires desire and determination, but only a quarter of the population completes high school. As a child, she never attended private school and that wasn’t an option for her. After leaving India, C.R.K. earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree, and is currently working on a doctorate degree. She feels that in the fields of engineering and science, India offers education far more superior to the United States.
C.R.K. married an Italian American in 1999 and they have one child together. Due to her career in the U.S. Army, her husband’s family does not influence where she works. Her family unit is very close and she places great importance on family bonds. Her faith in God is first in her life, her family is second, and her career is third. She would never consider sending her daughter away to boarding school because she has an active role on her daughter’s development.
She feels it is her and her husband’s responsibility to raise their daughter until she is 18 and ready to move on to college. She lives in a quiet neighborhood, has a modest home in a rural community and is quite satisfied with her surroundings. She only lives with her husband and daughter.
C.R.K. places great importance on the teachings of the Holy Bible. She feels it is important to treat everyone the same regardless of their sex, where they come from, and even their religious background. The teachings of the Holy Bible guides her in all aspects of her life.
Career Background
C.R.K. is currently a Southern Baptist Army Chaplain. She was also a pastor for 12 years before commissioning in the U.S. Army. She came into the ministry out of pure desire to help people. She sees brokenness in the world and feels God’s word is the one that can fix people. She has no family in the ministry and her family has always been supportive of her career path. Her desire to become an Army Chaplain was influenced by the opportunities she’s had living in the United States. By serving in the Army, she has the opportunity to give back and feels a sense of pride when she wears the U.S. Army uniform. She works for pure satisfaction and does not worry about career progression. She does the best that she can and if a promotion comes, that is great, but if not, she sees this as God’s will and purpose. She lives to serve and takes great pride in what she does.
In her culture, those who work and travel internationally are not average performers; they are the most driven, the elite workforce, educationally advanced, and are highly regarded
Culture
C.R.K. has great respect for American culture but feels it is currently decaying. She feels America is a country full of opportunity for those who seek it. It saddens her to see the cultural shift in American society and feels America was once a great country and people once relied on history as a source of strength. She feels when she came to the United States, people stood for something and the present generation has no regard for what has been done in the past. It concerns her that her daughter may not enjoy the same America she experienced 27 years ago; but she remains hopeful old values will return to the American culture.
She also feels that the current American generation does not have regard for spirituality, are more self-reliant, and are growing up empty.
In her opinion, when individuals are inside and do not have a solid spiritual foundation, it is easy to break during difficult times. She sees an increase of emotional and mental problems in this country and feels it stems from having too much and a lack of experience with hardships.
She feels that Indian culture is ahead of American culture because people of India possess a strong hunger for success and they are driven. The average Indian does not have all the opportunities Americans have. Indians push their children to advance their education and in the United States, educational opportunities are taken for granted. She feels the American culture is ahead in innovation and industry, and the Indian culture is also ahead in engineering and science. She believes in cultural synergy and believes all cultures have something special to offer to the global business world.
Reflections on Lessons
Learned
Prior to my interview with C.R.K., I had no prior knowledge of her family background, career or culture. The only question I could truly answer was about her faith and religion. My greatest surprise after meeting her was the fact she is a Southern Baptist Chaplain. I assumed maybe she converted to Christianity while living in the United States. I am aware Christianity is practiced all over the world but never thought it was practiced by Southern Asians.
Although this short questionnaire only scratches the surface of who C.R.K. is, I gained much insight of who she is and how she feels about the American culture. I also realize there were several individuals in my organization to choose from for this assignment, and I do not know any details about their families, cultures or career history. I was only concerned with what I perceived my culturally diverse colleagues offer to the work environment. Honestly, I view them as fortunate to live in the United States and reap the benefits of all this country has to offer; I never even imagined the benefits I could reap from taking the time to learn about who they are, and the unique qualities their differences bring to the organization.
In my actions with colleagues from different cultures in my work environment, I automatically assumed they were “Americanized,” as far as their conduct in the workplace. Adler describes my actions as projected similarity. Projected similarity is the perception that other people’s circumstances or situations are like my own while failing to realize our true differences. (Adler, 2008)
Hamsanandhi Seshan, Director of Communications, Global Delivery at IBM, takes time to study cultures of people she deals with internationally and analyzes how their traits match up to her own before conducting business. (Mithel, 2012) By studying IBM’s cultural guide administered to employees, Seshan was able to close a deal by convincing employees in a Dutch organization that their cultures were matched well. (Mithel, 2012) I realize I do not have to wait to adopt an approach to cultural synergy; I can start now by researching and learning about different cultures, recognizing our differences and similarities, taking time to learn more about my colleagues, and use gained knowledge as a resource. (Adler, 2008)
References
Adler, N. J. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behavior (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.Mithel, M. (2012, June 24). Adapt to conquer. Business Today, 21(13), 124. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=a3894a15-704e-4666-b7a4-2b79855e38f5%40sessionmgr110&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=76926391