10.16.2021 Week 5: Culture Miscommunication

 

Culture Miscommunication

     Communication in our world is our means for understanding one another. Any team, group, church, staff, class, etc. understands the importance of clear effective communication. We simply would not be able to accomplish anything without clear communication. 

    Is there such a thing as miscommunication because of differences in culture? 

    

    Our differences make us unique and exciting as people. We have different ways of speech, dress, behavior, tradition, and many others. Our differences make us who we are. These differences, however, are also often the cause of confusion, hurt, or even anger if not properly addressed. In a work environment in the United States, for example, there may be certain rules and regulations that each employee is expected to adhere by. These regulations may include: a dress code, a punctuality/attendance policy, and appropriate speech. In a workplace in the United States, there may be employees with many different cultural backgrounds. These differences in persons do not change the before mentioned regulations. Everyone is expected to show up on time, wearing the specific dress code required, and to speak with proper language. 

    

    In my workplace and being in an elevated position, I have known several situations with employees of different cultural backgrounds who experienced cultural miscommunication. In one particular example, there was an employee from South America that had a very hard time waking up early and would come into work 15-30 minutes late nearly everyday. She also had a hard time following the dress code. She did not think that there was anything wrong with the way she was behaving because in her experience, it was completely normal. However, due to the nature of her job, she was fired by the upper management of the office. She had been given several chances to change her behavior and follow the rules that were laid out, but instead she insisted that the management were all just "racist" and were judging her unfairly. In this sad example, we can see how there was miscommunication from both parties that led to misunderstandings, anger towards one another, and eventually a negative departure. 

    I think that it is very important to take these experiences and to learn from them. We need to expect cultural miscommunication to happen, because it will, and be ready to combat the confusion and hard feelings with patience and love. 

References: Cultural Miscommunication Brother John Ivers

https://content.byui.edu/file/1f252424-e7fc-42a2-a0ba-8d8564ac3571/1/Cultural%20Miscommunication.html