Culturally Diverse Workplace: Understanding, Reflection, and Communication

Question 1  
a. Explain how you can self-reflect on your own social practices and beliefs on working with culturally diverse people.   
b. What would you do to improve on your ability to enhance social awareness and understanding of different cultures?   
Question 2  
List and briefly explain two (2) benefits you see for a practice when it understands that a ‘culturally’ appropriate workplace is beneficial to its success.    
Question 3  
a. Briefly explain why it is important to employ work practices that create a workplace environment that is conducive and safe for all.   b. How does being ‘culturally competent’ impact on the success of workplace practices?       
Question 4  
When reviewing or modifying work practices it needs to completed in consultation with others.  
a. Explain how a practice consults with and involves others from diverse cultural backgrounds.    
b. When communicating changes to workplace practices what do you do ensure the communication used shows respect for the cultural diversity of others, for example: coworkers, clients, family.   
LA020345 Assignment CHCDIV001 Ed 5  1  © New South Wales Technical and Further Education Commission, 2015 (TAFE NSW – WSI), Archive version 2, January 2016
    
Question 5  
Effective communication is critical in any business. Recognising cultural diversity when communicating is to know a client’s wants or needs or how best to offer care. However communicating effectively with people with whom you do not share a language can be very challenging.        a. Explain what a business would consider when working with people who are from culturally and linguistically diverse background to develop and maintain effective relationships, mutual trust and confidence.     
   b. From the list (below) of common areas of misunderstanding select two (2) and explain what steps were taken to remove potential language barriers and to make the communication effective.          Some common areas of misunderstanding are:  • polite forms of language • idioms • questions • compliment • dress • social customs • responding to good and bad news • space • time  
c. It may be necessary to seek assistance from interpreters or other persons. In which situation you will consider to get an interpreter.

Answer to Question 1:

A: in the diversified workplace I can perform satisfactorily. However, I do not have much awareness about the cultural value of different societies, but I prefer to learn them. Moreover, I have an unprejudiced view which helps me to mingle with the colleagues with different cultural backgrounds and they help me to understand their culture with enthusiasm.
B: For improving my understanding of different culture, I can opt for the strategy of reading books or make online research about the different expectations of people from diverse cultural backgrounds and how they tend to behave in the workplaces. Moreover, I can opt for interacting with people from different cultural background through social media platforms (Papadopoulos et al. 2016). It will help me to have an insight into the cultural differences of various societies.

Answer to Question 2:

Increased problem solving faculty and adaptability:
As mentioned by Tan and Li (2016) in today’s globalized world, a culturally appropriate organizational process needs to support creativity and diversity. It helps in creating adaptability in the strategies. Employees from diverse cultural background serve individual and unique talents and experiences in suggesting idea that are flexible enough in using different markets. It also helps the companies to understand the cultural issues in different markets.