Surname 1 Name: University: Course: 29 September 2015 Cultural Self-Assessment 1. What is the focus of your analysis? The focus of my analysis is on my childhood upbringing and relationship of male and female family members in a family context. I will also review how this relationship extends to the work environment. Through this assessment I would like to highlight my Indian culture, gender interactions and ethnicity. As I grew up, only my father would make unquestionable decisions about what his family should do. I have grown up to respect my parents and consider males as natural leaders, while females and women as nurturers. At the same time, when I have a problem, I have to try and solve it first and seek help from siblings or peers before I get to my parents, especially my dad. This was the accepted way of showing respect to elders. The Indian culture has taught me to respect elderly people and understand my position in society. 2. What is your rationale for this selection? A culture expresses itself mostly in families, and that is where individuals learn as they are growing up. People then interact in the same locality with others to strengthen their culture. By the time one gets to adulthood, cultural attributes are ingrained in the individual's personality. My childhood interactions at the family level feature prominently in my current interactions and understandings of culture. I see people like either good or evil and I like to identify myself with my family and my community rather than, an individual culture that expresses itself mostly in families and that is where individuals learn as they are growing up. People then interact in the Surname 2 same locality with others to strengthen their culture. My childhood interactions at the family level feature prominently in my current interactions and understandings of culture. I see people like either good or evil, and I like to identify myself with my family and my community rather than as an individual. 3. What analytical tools are you going to use to conduct your analysis? Be sure to explain your understanding of these theories, models, and concepts. In understanding culture, it is useful to apply universal analytical tools for ease of comparison with other cultures. Here, I am will using Hall's cultural factors and Nancy J. Alder's cultural orientations for management implications. In this analysis, I have incorporated the variables of the two analytical tools to explain my cultural orientation and to contrast it with other cultures in an interpersonal context. I come from a culture that has a contrasting orientation to the U.S. cultural orientation as described by Nancy J. Alder. I also have a high context, polychromic time as indicated my preference for looking at overall achievement and working on relationships as a priority, and a relatively high degree of territoriality compared to my country natives (Cowley 62). 4. What did you learn about yourself as a result of this self-reflective assessment? What did you already know and what surprised you because of this process? When completing the assignment, I was able to relate my behavior and reasoning to my Indian background understanding how my upbringing had a role to play in my eventual beliefs. I already knew that I am more focused on the gains of the community where I belong at any given time. I have always shared a common goal for teams and groups and prefer to follow teachings that have a communal policy for life. This has been my preferred mode of operating and interaction even when I deal with people from cultures that are highly individualistic like my Surname 3 friends from Western countries. I am always relating my life back to my family and its expectations of me. I know that I have a chance to work on my own and pursue my goals, but I find it hard to ignore my family altogether, especially my siblings' welfare and future concerns. This exercise has allowed me to calibrate my cultural orientation. As much as I am fond of using non-verbal communication and other forms of symbolic communication, I am less intense compared to my mostly elderly country counterparts. According to Hall's cultural factors, I am exhibiting characteristics of a high context society. Given that I am from India, the match is true. Other features that I exhibit, which this exercise has led me to realize their connection to a high context society includes the following. I tend to reserve my comments for public gatherings or group meetings and will only offer them after I am assured of confidentiality and a common purpose in the group. As much as I participate with opinions, I still withhold true emotions when in the company of strangers. For example, when I am out with friends and discussion social topics, I will feign agreement even when a particular topic is uncomfortable for me. 5. What features of culture, gender, and/or ethnicity shape your own style of business communication, from an individual perspective? And how do these feature either impede or facilitate effective business communication? I prefer to give orders when I am holding a management position and let others implement them. On the other hand, as a subordinate, I refrain from being unique in my approach and effort. Nevertheless, I understand that the fear of sticking out might be hampering my contribution and can be detrimental to a company that relies on employee innovativeness. In my culture, respect for authority is essential. Besides, men obtain preferential treatment in selection for leadership in my society, and this might be influencing my interaction with female and male colleagues or business partners. It can affect my presentation and the basis of my Surname 4 arguments. Otherwise, I tend to learn and assimilate very fast in new situations. My desire not to stick out causes me to be excellent at mimicking others. I imitate their communication style and cover my own such that it makes it easy for me to create rapport. It is, therefore, a useful attribute for business communication. 6. What are the implications of your findings for your approach to business communication in the global arena? I have discovered that my high priority for loyalty in a social relationship can be hindering my endeavor to communicate effectively in business interactions. Dealing with people from low context cultures will continue to appear problematic for me unless I adapt my reason according to Alder's cultural orientations. For example, rather than try to force my way with a person keen on doing things as a way to demonstrate commitment and progress, I should recognize that my limitation to share effectively is arising from a cultural preference of being rather than doing. I foresee cases where I will have to point out cultural differences in groups so that there is a better accommodation of differing options of interactions. On a personal level, I will have to use my cultural awareness to interpret teachings and social interactions from different parts of the world. I am planning to engage more in various cultures through art and movies to acquaint myself and avoid social disagreements especially in the perception of time and relationship to others. Surname 5 Works Cited Cowley, Catherine. The Value of Money: Ethics and the World of Finance. London: T&T Clark, 2006. Print