I have a lot of business associates in San
Francisco and Silicon Valley. I get a chance to talk to them about cultural
differences.
For example, David who lives in Silicon Valley owns a high-tech company and he
has around 20 nationalities working for him.
He always says people from Eastern Asia are not straight forward and dishonest.
I was shocked because honesty is a big issue for these countries. If you watch
Asian movies you would see people killing themselves for honor or to keep their
word.
Many times, more so than in American culture, honesty is important. Obviously,
there are some mistakes but I hear over and over that this kind of problem
exists in the workplace. I was asked to come to the company to solve the
problem.
Many times people from East Asia are trained from a young age to solve the
problem on their own and be responsible when they grow up.
There is a possibility that they are trying to fix the problem on their own and
report a good result to the boss. In general, their culture is honest and that
is important to them. That is why cultural diversity education is playing a key
role in the global education market.
Here are five solutions for a better understanding of cultural awareness:
1. Put a diversity education program in the workplace for everyone including
senior management.
2. Encourage positive attitudes for management is key to success.
3. Build trust with your employees. Say what you mean. Be open and honest.
4. Put yourself in their shoes. Remember when you were in a foreign country what
it felt like.
5. Encourage people to voice their opinions.
Cultural diversity education is the key to success in a global company. Building
trust among employees will remove this problem.
Remember, You Are a Superhero!
Jinsoo
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