Analyzing Cultural Safety And Capability In A Workplace Scenario - An Essay.

Explain what the report will focus on, including what video, what particular scenes you will be discussing, and if the example depicts a safe or unsafe space.

Identify the behaviours and scenarios in the video that are evidence of the cultural safety issues and cultural capability displayed in the video. These observations should confirm your statement in the introduction about whether the space is safe or unsafe.  Some of the things to look for and describe are: physical factors (size and layout of space, position of people in the space), communication factors (body language, voice, words), signs of inclusion or exclusion, and displays of or lack of cultural intelligence. It is a good idea to include a Table to set out your observations.

In this section you should demonstrate your understanding of the key concepts covered in the unit. Using relevant literature, together with your observations in section 2 of elements within the video clip, analyse whether chosen scenes are a safe or an unsafe space and explain why. Support your claims about whether each scene is a safe or unsafe space with readings and definitions of the concepts that comprise cultural safety including cultural intelligence and cultural capabilities. For example, you might write something like this.

This example shows how the student has:
?Identified an example of cultural intelligence from the video clip
?Integrated a definition of cultural intelligence from one of her readings
?Explained how the behaviour in this example relates to the definition and the broader question for the report

Before writing: Brainstorm connections between developing cultural capabilities and creating safe spaces.
?Write down the connections you identified in assessment 2 about cultural intelligence, and cultural self-awareness as they relate to developing cultural capabilities.
?Think about what you have learned about cultural judgments: how do effective cultural judgments create productive safe spaces?
?Some initial questions to prompt your thinking might include:
oWhat is the relationship between cultural judgments and cultural empathy?
oHow do we negotiate and create safe spaces?
oWhose responsibility is it to create and sustain these spaces?
oWho could take an action to improve the situation being represented?
?Jot down some key points (with references).
?Review what an analysis is. Apply this technique to your video and readings to identify the links between, for example, cultural empathy and safe social and work settings.
?Consider how the literature can help to explain and analyse your chosen film scene relating to work or social space applications.
  

Summary and Observations

A healthy and functioning workplace considers cultural capabilities as fundamental to successful operations of the business. For maintaining a safe and social space for work, it is important that organizations are well-equipped with cultural intelligence, capabilities and self-awareness (Thomas, 2016. Page: 78). High-profit organizations often earn a notorious reputation in society for failing to look out of the cultural concerns of workers, and focusing only on growth and expansion of business, ignoring the individual interests of the laborers. The report takes a selected scene from the TV series FRIENDS and analyzes, after observation whether the characters in the scenario are demonstrating effective cultural capabilities and maintaining a culturally safe space. The discussion in the report describes and examines the interactions between the characters with respect to cultural capabilities and provides recommendations in the conclusion for creating or sustaining a culturally safe space.

The video clip has been taken from the famed American TV series FRIENDS, the particular clip is a fragment from Season 4, episode 9. The scene is set at a workplace and exhibits every instance of an unsafe corporate space. The video features the interviewing of an assistant for the post of a buyer/distributor, co-conducted by the boss/supervisor of interviewee. Her boss, Joanna, who keeps gas lighting the authorities regarding her skills and potential to make progress in the fashion industry, constantly talks down Rachael, a candidate with seemingly excellent potential. Joanna is evidently bossy and uncouth, exercising undue dominance over her employees. Rachael shares her ethnicity with Joanna, the boss but she is placed at an unfavorable position due to her limited experience in the industry. After pouring cold water on her (Rachael) feeble efforts at forming an impression on interviewees, Joana makes sure that all her shots at a promotion are blown off with the indication that Rachael has a drinking disorder and that she can engages in sexual indulgences with her clients. The latter half of the clip features a direct confrontation between Racheal and Joanna, with the former demanding an explanation of Joanna’s attempts to coaxing the managers so that she does not get hired. It is revealed that Joanna was not willing to lose a “perfectly good assistant” and her coaxing was triggered by the desire to keep her in the office. A notable point in the video is when Joanna calls in Sophie, one of the workers in the office while having the conversation with Rachael, and insults her blatantly for no rhyme or reason. (Youtube.com., 2013)

Analyzing the Scenario

Table 1: Observations of the given video clip

Cultural awareness, competency, safety and capabilities refer not only to doing something the right way in a given corporate circumstance, they are rather more about learning and reflecting on the practices of the self, and being empathetic to people are not positioned in the same level. The behavior displayed by Joanna clearly indicates that she has very little or rather no concern of the interest of her workers. She keeps goading the hiring authorities against a perfectly efficient candidate, only to secure her comforts. Rachael’s work experience and position in the organization equates her difficulties with those of the indigenous or marginal. It is almost as if Rachael is made to encounter a superior from a dominant culture, at rendered powerless at the face of her corporate hold. Joanna lacks the basic sense it requires to be a culturally intelligent manager of an office. Instead of motivating her workers she either exploits their skills or insults them unashamedly out of evidently personal issues. This practice is highly unprofessional and may lead to harmful consequences, both for her career and for her firm (Beirne and Hunter., 2013. Page: 595). Another thing to note in this context is the physical setting of the circumstance (Weaver et al., 2014, page: 58). Ideally the interview should have been conducted in a closed room, without the presence of any of the interviewee’s acquaintances (Milberg et al., 2000, page: 35). Joanna’s presence might make Rachael nervous and she may not be able to speak as freely and as effectively with her interviewers in the looming presence of her manipulative boss. She is clearly not given the closure she required. The situation is unsafe in ways more than one; the candidate feels personally attacked by her boss on account of the superior high-handedness she exercises with so much ease and the influence her word of mouth has on the higher authorities of the management. The interactions between the characters indicate that lack of professionalism and understanding between the different designations in the management. Something as unprofessional and detrimental as this would not arise in organizations that have a well-regulated HR policy (Frenkel et al., 2012. Page : 4913). Sophie appears to be a perennial victim of verbal abuse at workplace, while Rachael, though a personal favorite of her boss, gets exploited of her abilities as her boss hinders all possibilities of growth in the industry. The topic of cultural awareness must be referred to in this context (Pieterse et al., 2013, page: 190). It is common in the US for workers and managers to develop relationships outside the office premise, and it is suggested that Rachael might have had affairs or friendly terms with clients, managers, co-workers of the organization. Had Joanna been a culturally self-aware person, she would not bring up the matter of Rachael’s personal life whilst she is appearing for a professional interview. Cultural self-awareness refers to a person’s ability to understand the cultural values, perceptions, beliefs of others and see things from their perspectives. The way Joanna reacts to the circumstance suggests that she lacks the minimum degree of cultural self-awareness, intelligence and capability (Hook et al., 2013. Page: 353) required to manage an organization and the people working in it. She perceives people and their circumstances according to her personal take on business, focusing only on her convenience and material gains. It can be asserted with suitable reasons that one of the reasons why Sophie is not as efficient a worker as she ought to be is because Joanna keeps demotivating her on account of her personal dislike towards Sophie, for indeterminate reasons. Joana’s lack of cultural capabilities have created an extremely unsafe and inefficient workplace and the workers working under her, might be suffering in their social life as well on account of her constant gaslighting and amoral practices.

Apart from the obvious fact that Joanna needs to educate herself in cultural intelligence and capabilities, the company needs to establish a proper HR policy so that the problems of the workers are duly addressed7 ‘n[. All employees deserve to voice their opinion and it is their corporate right to have their interests safeguarded by the authorities. Joana needs regular sessions on cultural awareness and her behavior must be regularly inspected. Moreover, the higher authorities of the company must keep direct contact with the workers, so that problems like these have lesser tendencies to arise. In case of interviews, presence of third parties should not be allowed compulsively in all circumstances.

Conclusion 

The scenario of the selected video clip clearly demonstrates an unsafe working environment and social space for the workers. For marinating harmony within the office premises and increasing efficiency of the workers, it is required of Joanna that she cultivates in her an acute sense of cultural awareness, intelligence and most importantly, sensitivity to those who are placed at a less privileged position than she is. Demotivation and manipulation like the one seen in the video are primary reasons for staff dropout and poor turnups in offices. It also affects the worker’s productivity and acquires a notorious reputation for firms. An instillation of cultural values and self-awareness will help Joanna become a better person and be more effective as a manager.

References and Bibliography:

Beirne, M., & Hunter, P. (2013). Workplace bullying and the challenge of pre-emptive management. Personnel Review, 42(5), 595-612.

Flanja, D. (2009). Culture shock in intercultural communication. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai. Studia Europaea, 54(4), 107.

Frenkel, S., Restubog, S. L. D., & Bednall, T. (2012). How employee perceptions of HR policy and practice influence discretionary work effort and co-worker assistance: evidence from two organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(20), 4193-4210.

Holley, L. C., & Steiner, S. (2005). Safe space: Student perspectives on classroom environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1), 49-64.

Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington Jr, E. L., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural humility: Measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(3), 353.

Milberg, S. J., Smith, H. J., & Burke, S. J. (2000). Information privacy: Corporate management and national regulation. Organization science, 11(1), 35-57.

Pieterse, A. L., Lee, M., Ritmeester, A., & Collins, N. M. (2013). Towards a model of self-awareness development for counselling and psychotherapy training. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 190-207.

Spencer-Oatey, H., & Franklin, P. (2012). What is culture. A compilation of quotations. GlobalPAD Core Concepts, 1-22.

Thomas, D. C. (2006). Domain and development of cultural intelligence: The importance of mindfulness. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 78-99.

Van Lier, L. (2014). Interaction in the language curriculum: Awareness, autonomy and authenticity. Routledge.

Weaver, R. R., Lemonde, M., Payman, N., & Goodman, W. M. (2014). Health capabilities and diabetes self-management: the impact of economic, social, and cultural resources. Social Science & Medicine, 102, 58-68.

Youtube.com (2013) The One Where Rachel's Boss Doesn't Want to Lose Her - Friends Season 4 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuyGLDvve-A [Accessed on: 30-10-2018]