In the midst of a breezy Sunday
evening walk, my sight got struck at Kishan sitting alone at the YIH plaza. He
seemed exasperate. The unusual frown in his eyes gave away that something was
wrong. His quivering voice raised curiosity in me to know what was bothering him.
Hence I decided to be an empathetic listener like ES2007s had taught me.
He was regretting the bad experience
while working in a CCA. Although he had been working sincerely for more than a
year, he was still not able to get along with the members from other
nationalities which had resulted in not getting a fair share of votes in the election. From his
perspective, it was the cultural difference that did not allow him to break the
odds.
Cross cultural communication would therefore
require knowledge about other cultural practices and a strong understanding
about the parties involved.
This is one of the most common issues
encountered with professionals working in MNCs. Working in such multi-cultural
environment would require more intercultural communication skills. Moreover
studies reveal that international students from Asia encounter these issues
especially in countries like Canada where the cultural divide is very high.
Such problems arise when people tend
to stick to their own cultural identities and refuse to adapt in a new cultural
setting. Retaining cultural identity is imperative. However being open towards
learning other cultural practices through interactions with people from different
nationalities would help widen our horizons.
A good start will be appreciating different
cuisines or watching international movies.
