This is a paper about cultural awareness.
It also emphasis how important it is in businesses. Why is it important? Communication is important in all relationships, to include business relationships. To show my knowledge, I was instructed to utilize the Kwintessential Language and Culture Specialist website and to answer questions provided by the professor. These questions are to identify which test were taken, my feelings about my scores, strengths, weaknesses, how to improve, and conclude by explaining why it is important for managers to increase their levels of cultural awareness.This is a short paper discussing cultural awareness.
The Kwintessential Language and Culture Specialist is the website that will be used to cover the topic of cultural awareness. From this site, I will select two tests and address a few questions. In the body, I will need to annotate which quizzes were taken. Next, I will explain if the scores I achieved on the quizzes surprised me. What strengths do I think I have in the area of inter-cultural awareness? What weaknesses did I identify from the quizzes?Then, I will create a plan of specific steps I can take to build on my strengths and improve areas of weakness. Then conclude by explaining why it is important for managers to increase their levels of cultural awareness.
Let me start by identifying the quizzes that were taken by me. Once I entered the website, I seen several selections so I just picked from the top or first selection titled Quizzes on Cultural Awareness. Within the title identified, I picked cross cultural quiz 1 and dining etiquette (Cultural Awareness Quizzes, 2004).I picked the cross cultural quiz because it focused on business scenarios. I selected the dining etiquette because I assumed that it would be interesting.
Next, I will address if I was surprise by my results from the quizzes. After taking the test, I was surprise by my score containing the business scenarios. I scored a zero. The quiz was timed and my results were less than stellar. However, my sections were not that bad, due to the fact that I did not finish the timed test. I took the test a few times and I was pressed for times due to reading the long scenarios.
After my third attempt, I was able to finish the test and I scored in the seventy percentile. I was pleased on the dining etiquette quiz due to the fact that I missed only two questions. Then, I will identify the strengths I think I have in the area of inter-cultural awareness. My strengths are that I have traveled a lot and absorbed some of the cultures from around the world. I have done my share of traveling within the military. I do know that it helped that I was a part of the military before America was disliked.
It allowed me to travel freer than what is possible today.Next, I will identify the weaknesses identified from the quizzes. I did notice that business practices are where I have weakness. I never have been in boardrooms around the world.
My travel was mainly personal. Personal travel is very different than a business venture. Personal travel has you in more accommodating places where they understand your shortcomings. Business is about supply and demand. Businesses need communication to get a deal done.
From the quiz, I was regulated to guessing on quite a few questions from the business scenario topic.However, the dining etiquette was a practice that was pushed heavily so that you did not offend others in their country. We always called it, “being the ugly American”. Etiquette is very important in building rapport. Then, I will create a plan of specific steps I can take to build on my strengths and improve areas of weakness. I will initiate a three phase program and strategically attack each step.
The first step is to research and study up on all areas. These areas include my strengths and weaknesses.This way, I will not be ignorant, and have a greater knowledge. Step two, I will practice the techniques I learned doing the research phase. I just need to ensure that I can practice enough so that my research can become muscle memory.
The final step will be to implement what I studied and practice. I want my actions to be genuine and authentic when performing them. Doing these three phase program will enhance my strengthens and improve where I was weak. Finally, I will explain why it is important for managers to increase their level of cultural awareness.It is a must to have people with a high level of cultural awareness when working across borders and cultures. Rating cultural awareness as an optional skill can cost a company financially working globally (Importance of Cultural Awareness Skills for an International Workplace, 2010).
Cultural awareness is essential for all employees working across cultures. By equipping your employees with cross-cultural skills, you will help them avoid the risk of major miscommunication or international failure (Importance of Cultural Awareness Skills for an International Workplace, 2010).To sum it up, the Kwintessential website was thought provoking. The quizzes I selected were entertaining. The entertainment turned into embarrassment after I took the quiz.
That motivated me to take the quiz until I could achieve an acceptable score. The quizzes identified my strengths and weakness, and I was able to take steps on improving on both. Finally, I explain the importance of companies being global. Without cultural awareness skills, you can have miscommunication and lose potential opportunities. This is why cultural awareness is so important.
