After completing the quizzes, address the following questions in a 3-page essay:
� Which quizzes did you take?
� Include your actual results in an Appendix at the end of your paper.
� Were you surprised at your score?
� What strengths do you think you have in the area of inter-cultural awareness?
� What weaknesses are you able to identify?
� If there were gaps between your assessment results and your own thoughts about your level of cultural awareness, why do these gaps exist?
� Create a plan of specific, concrete actions you can take to build on your strengths and improve areas of weakness so that you improve your cultural awareness.
� Why is it important for managers to increase their levels of cultural awareness?
� Optional Reading
� Center for Creative Leadership Website. (2015)
� McNamara, C. (2017) All about Leadership. In Free Management Library.
I took the cultural awareness quiz that centered on the area of working globally across cultures present on the Commisceo global.com website. The test covered different cultures, and the passing score was set at of 85% on the site, and it was to be taken within 5 minutes. I managed not only to get a high score but also completed the test within a time frame of 1 minute 42 seconds. I passed the test with a score of 90%. The score did not surprise me but affirmed to me that the lessons in class and my online research had expanded my knowledge in the different cultures around the world(Working Globally Across Cultures, 2017).
In the area of intercultural awareness, I can say that my strengths are adaptability and curiosity. I have a high, curiosity especially when it comes to interacting with people from different cultures. I have taken a trip before to Hawaii an area that is visited by people from different cultures around the world as a holiday destination. I was presented with an opportunity to interact with people from different cultures, and my curiosity was the driving force that held me to establish contact. My adaptability did play a role in enabling me to make new friends from Nigeria, China, and Mexico. I was able to accommodate their differences, and this created a friendly environment for all of us to share the various aspects of our cultures.
Additionally, I am certain that I have a niche for languages and this has enhanced my communication skills. When I was in my undergraduate level, I did a part-time job in a cafe within the city as a cashier. I got an opportunity to interact with people from different cultures who frequented the cafe due to the cultural meals offered. This experience enhanced my communication skills and level of understanding of the messages and interpretations of body language from people in different cultures. Furthermore, I can easily change my accent when I am communicating with people from a particular region, this makes them feel at home and creates an opportunity to build long-lasting relationships.
My weakness is centered on the sensitivity aspect. According to O’Riley (2013), cultural sensitivity is crucial in ensuring that connectivity is established among people from different cultures. The connection provides a chance for the members involved to achieve beneficial relationship when working on an international level. I can attribute my insensitivity to my curiosity, at times I want to understand the difference in different cultures that I end up annoying the people.
Based on the results of the assessment and my thoughts, I am certain that there is a gap in my level of cultural awareness. The assessment test was limited in scope since it had only ten questions and this is not enough when it comes to determining if a person has mastered the subject on intercultural awareness.
Also, based on my interactions with people from different cultures, people in the same culture often tend to behave differently as a result of their different personality. Therefore, carrying out a wholesome assessment of people from different cultures does increase the ability of one stereotyping them. This is a negative attribute that may limit the chance of establishing beneficial social and business relationships.
In cultural awareness, one has to take different steps to enhance their strengths and reduce their weaknesses. The first step that I will take is to continue learning about the different cultures. O’Riley (2013), states that cultural awareness requires commitment from an individual to comprehend the different facts about the way of life of people in different continents. This does involve being knowledgeable about their economic, interests, social and political environment that influence their behaviours.
The second step is accommodating and awareness of people from different cultures this will reduce my insensitivity. It will help me understand the various boundaries that I need to set in order not to infringe on their personal space when I am being accommodating. O’Riley (2013), suggests that in enhancing comprehension of cultural awareness practical knowledge is important. The practical awareness provides one with a chance to experience the visible and invisible disparities that are present in the different cultures in the world. The last step deals with increasing my socializing with people from different cultures through the various social network sites and those in my immediate environment.
According to McNamara (2017), managers are in a leadership position and play a vital role in creating a friendly environment that enhances the employee interactions. Cultural awareness enables the managers to create inclusive policies and procedures that will facilitate the achievement of the organization objectives. Secondly, it is essential in selecting the right people who will be able to fit into the organizational culture. In the multinational corporations, the issue of cultural awareness plays a vital role in the hiring process. Managers ensure that despite, the different cultures the employees they hire can work towards achieving the goals of the organization.
Lastly, cultural awareness enables managers to improve their negotiation skills especially when they are handling business deals with people from different cultures. It does provide them with an upper hand when it comes to winning contracts that will benefit them (Center for Creative Leadership, 2015).
In conclusion, the assessment shows that I have a good comprehension of cultural awareness as I managed to pass the test. It also highlighted my weakness which I will work upon to enable me to be able to interact with people from different cultures effectively.
References
Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)l Results That Matter. (2017). Center for Creative Leadership.
McNamara, C. (2017). All about Leadership. In Free Managementhelp.org.
O’ Reily, C. (2013). Why is cultural intelligence important?
Working Globally Across Cultures. (2017). Commisceo-global.com.