Cross-Cultural Case Blunders
Introduction
People all over the world identify with different cultures, which define their lifestyles in different ways. Lewis (2005) thinks that people all over the world have different views towards life, and while others coincide, others are very different. Dealing with people from different cultures can be quite challenging since they possess different mindsets. Trompenaars (1998) points out “many managers understand that cultural differences affect the process of doing business, but many underestimate by just how much.” How then, do you embrace and identify with different cultures? How do you coincide with colliding cultures?
My Example
An NGO employee invited his colleagues to attend a traditional wedding in Africa, in a certain village in Kenya. Upon arrival, scantily dressed traditional dancers who made it obvious that they needed some form of appreciation, welcomed them with dances, songs, and ululations. They advanced some dollars to them as a form of gratitude but their positive gesture was met by angry faces who took off in dismay. It was later realized that it was a total bridge of culture for visitors to offer money to the iconic dancers. According to the hosts’ culture, it was perceived as a gesture of misfortune, greediness, disrespectfulness, and misconduct; so much that it required some cleansing ceremony to be conducted for the visitors. The cleansing ceremony was of such high magnitude that it overshadowed the original wedding ceremony.
It is clear that the invitees were clueless on the hosts’ culture, probably due to mere ignorance, the difference in nationality, difference in traits and traditions and probably a leadership gap since the person inviting should at least have given them some key information on the hosts. On the other hand, it can be assumed that the hosts are traditionalists, preservatives and keepers of their culture, so much that they would not give anything in exchange. Such, they had no slightest idea of what happens in other parts of the world.
Response to Cross-Cultural Case Blunders Three
In response to question number three, it is quite clear that participants have quite different lifestyles probably because of the difference in their cultures and traditions. Thus, it is imperative to first understand other people’s lifestyles, cultures, and attitudes, particularly if coming from different parts of the world. This gives one a chance to appreciate and integrate all the participants freely and without any of them feeling left out. An interactive and sociable preamble would help to have a clear understanding of the participants’ backgrounds, objectives, timelines, and motives. According to Lewis (2005), “international teams are increasingly common and international leaders must learn to work effectively coordinating and being members of diverse teams.”
Conclusion
The culture of people is one of the iconic features that give people identity and a belonging thus, people have to adopt it, embrace it and live with it. Cross-cultural blunders, on the other hand, are experienced globally, and the magnitudes of the challenge they pose affect all spheres of life. Human beings are naturally socializing beings globally and they integrate at different sectors. It is therefore important for people to learn how to cope with each other’s culture, for peace, harmony and better understanding.
NGOs in Africa
Introduction
The history of the development of NGOs in Africa dates back to 1973 after a global recession, which brought about issues of massive unemployment and retrenchments. According to Dee (1997), most African governments became practically handicapped and could not handle the development and welfare issues of all their citizens. Poverty levels of people especially in the third world countries grew alarmingly, as most people gradually turned into destitute. Acute shortage of goods and services characterized most countries in the underdeveloped world.
This ultimately led to the emergence of NGOs who came in as development partners, in support of governments. With time, they slowly rendered most governments redundant, as they could not offer what the NGOs would. Other governments, though, made it a choice to depend on aid from NGOs and chose not to offer their citizens with necessities. Yet still, other governments lost faith in their development plans and strategies and wholly embraced radical changes, brought about by the NGOs and the private sector, and with that, the spread of NGOs was inevitable. Ever since the NGOs have taken over development and welfare issues in most countries.
Willets (1996), describes an NGO as “non-commercial, and therefore should have a non-profit making aim, and non-political organization that should not openly engage in violence or advocate violence as a political tactic and that they should be able to raise funds from their members or voluntary contributions.” NGOs can be categorized into various groups. Concerning development, Kabanda groups NGOs as funding NGOs, which raise funds for aid from their governments; technical intervention NGOs that undertake development projects; support NGOs, which primarily offer support to people; and field or action level organizations, which play the roles of representation and management of people at the community level.
NGOs play various vital roles in Africa, more so in the fields of offering humanitarian support and medical care, socio-economic empowerment, service delivery, and food distribution, as monitors and innovators of developments, policy formulation, government pressurizes, and partners of governments with a solid aim of improving welfares and making peoples’ lives better. According to Moroso (2004), NGOs have been the main stake in policy formulation, development of plans and strategies in most countries, with an assertion of the financial and technical endowment.
They are also neutral bodies that pressurize regimes on the implementation of development plans and strategies. NGOs, also offer services to the people including community infrastructure, health services, and better means of waste management, among others. Moroso (2004) says that NGOs link the people to the government, acting as the voices of the voiceless. They as well monitor the usage and distribution of public resources by governments and offer advice as appropriate. They collaborate with governments in various issues including financial and technical support, planning and implementation, acting as a link between the poor and the government among others.
Conclusion
NGOs have proved to be very vital all over the world. Their efforts in improving lives and welfares have received positive global recognition and appreciation. They give hope to those who have lost it and act as avenues for public outcry. Culturally, NGOS integrate people from diverse cultures, who learn to embrace and appreciate each other despite their differences.
References
Trompenaars, A. & Hampden, C. (1998). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in global business. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Lewis, D.R. (2005). Cultures collide: Leading across cultures: A major new edition of the global guide. London, LDN: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Dee, R. J & Henkin, B. A. (1997). Non-profit Management and Leadership. Winter Jossey, WJ: Bass Publishers.
Kabanda, P. The role NGOs in the 3rd world countries. Web.
Moroso, D. (2004). The role of NGOs in Africa: The case of Uganda. Web.
Willets, P. (1996). The conscience of the world: The Influence of non-government organizations in the UN system. London, LDN: London Hurst and Company.