Cultural awareness is one of the necessary principles of the effective interactions in multinational companies. Cultural awareness of employees and managers helps to overcome all the possible cultural barriers which can prevent the company from the efficient realization of its business goals (Deresky, 2011).
The question of cultural awareness and intelligence is rather problematic for those corporations which are based in the USA, but their companies can be located in the countries of Middle East and North Africa. FedEx is an international company which is situated in Dubai, UAE. To contribute the effective cooperation of multinational employees in the company, it is necessary to work out the definite training program.
The Cultural Awareness Goals
The strategic goals of the company are directed to broadening the territories for spreading its logistics services in UAE on the base of Dubai. That is why it is important to pay attention to the peculiarities of intercultural communication of the company’s employees (Green, 1999).
Thus, the training plan for the employees and managers can be concentrated on developing the understanding of the fact that people of all the nations can exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviors, and it is important to admit some definite social and cultural variables which can influence the ways in which people speak and behave (Kohis & Knigh, 1994).
The focus on certain cultural peculiarities, national and religious traditions and habits is also among the goals of the program. Thus, it is significant for the employees to become aware of definite conventional behaviour according to the traditions and norms of Arab culture and American culture.
Moreover, local and expatriate employees should participate actively in the projects which can help to decrease the cultural barriers between the representatives of American and Arab cultures in the company.
The Main Issues
The main issues which are influenced by definite intercultural conflicts and the low level of cultural awareness can be connected with such aspects as the tensions between American expatriates and Arab local employees. They are often the result of the lack of the knowledge associated with cultural and religious aspects.
Moreover, it is also necessary to give the expatriates and their families the opportunity to learn more about the peculiarities of the country in which they work and communicate with the local population in order to get rid of stereotypes and cultural barriers. The question of the difference between the peculiarities of business communications in Arab and American cultures also remains rather controversial.
There is the necessity of conducting definite trainings. Furthermore, the peculiarities of the culture do not allow women to become the leaders in the companies. Thus, this question should be solved according to the Arab norms.
Many problems also can depend on the features of the political and economical situations in the countries. The visions of the issues can be different for Arabic people and Americans. The training program can help to realize the cultural differences and act according to the rules which should be worked out to satisfy two sides.
Possible Solutions to the Problem
To organize the effective cooperation between the representatives of different cultures, it is significant to learn the characteristic features of religious, social, and cultural life of the local and expatriate employees. The information can be presented in encyclopedias, Internet and media resources, articles form journals and newspapers.
The Assessment of the Plan
To assess the program’s goals, it is necessary to explain the positive perspectives of the changes in the company which can be the results of the trainings. Managers should accentuate the necessity of the development of cultural intelligence for the effective realization of the company’s aims.
FedEx as the multinational company in Dubai should take into account the cultural diversity and reach to the cultural intelligence of the employees. That is why it is necessary to organize special programs for breaking down cultural barriers and stereotypes. These programs can be helpful for the development of the effective communication.
Reference List
Deresky, H. (2011). International management: Managing across borders and cultures. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice.
Green, J. W. (1999). Cultural awareness in the human services: A multi-ethnic approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Kohis, L. R., & Knigh, J. M. (1994). Developing intercultural awareness: A cross-cultural training handbook. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, Inc.