Introduction
A study was carried out at Sharjah International Airport to determine why a new Indian lady had a conflict with one of the workmates at the workplace. The study revealed that the lack of information on their cultural differences was the major cause of the conflict.
Organizational Background
Sharjah International Airport is located in the United Arab Emirates. It is situated in a strategic location between Dubai and the other Northern Emirates. It was set up in 1932 when it was used as a stopover point. Sharjah is well known for its culture, heritage and tourist attractions.
UAE use the Arabic language as the main language. English is also a common language in business. There are also a good number of people who speak Hindu from India because of the many workers who come to the UAE for work (Asiarooms, 2011, p. 1). Indians on the other side use Hindu as their national language. This was because the Hindu language was favored by its association with India’s independence (Daniel, 2000, p. 1).
Case Description
Communication breakdown arising from traditions often occur when people do not understand well the traditions of others. In the organization in question in this paper, the lady once got into trouble in the course of chatting with a colleague at the workplace. The two were friends who worked in the same office. They were part of the special staff who welcomed the guests as they arrived at the airport. On this particular day, they were taking their lunch after a very busy morning. The lady started talking about her family, her children and her husband. The man, however, did not talk anything to do with his wife and she asked him why he never talked about his family.
The Indian lady was concerned that the gentleman had not yet married at the age of 35 and did not seem to be in a hurry. She decided to enquire from the man why he was not getting married. The Arab man replied politely and said it was because of dowry. The Indian lady had so far viewed her colleague respectfully and could not understand why he had this attitude. The lady replied in a question form; do you not think that is being greedy? This made the man feel so upset and stopped talking with the Indian lady for a while because the question offended him.
Dimensions of Culture
India and AUE have close results of PDI, IDV, and MAS. The difference comes in their UAE and LTO. UAE and India have a high power distance of 81 and 78 respectively (Hofstede’s, n. d, p. 1). This means that in both cultures there is a disproportionate distribution of power. Those at the highest rank are wealthy and highly respected. This is why the Arabic man could not afford to pay dowry. Individualism is low in both countries meaning that the two cultures value group work and most decisions are made from higher authorities.
Marrying to the gentleman is not a personal decision but it is a decision made by the family. The masculinity of India and UAE are also close ranging from 53-56. This means that there is a relatively higher number of men compared to women in workplaces. However, UAE working conditions are characterized by stringent laws, regulations, and procedures. This makes UAE have a higher uncertainty avoidance index (UAI) than India where there are fewer rules and regulations and employees enjoy the freedom to perform their duties. This is also related to their communication style. According to Edward hall, three spaces surround individuals: “The intimate space, social and consultative spaces and also public space” (Brown, 2009, p. 1).
The Indian lady could socialize to the intimate level of asking if the Arab gentleman was married. However, her understanding was different. Indian ladies pay dowry for their husbands. The Indian lady thought that the gentleman was looking for a lady who could pay a huge amount of money while the Arabian man was offended because he thought that the Indian lady was teasing him for not having managed to gather enough money for a dowry. This means that communication is highly determined by the closeness of human relationships, well structured social hierarchy and strong behavioral norms (Nishimura, Nevgi, & Tella, n. d, p. 785). India values its culture and thus it tends to have a long term orientation (LTO) (Zenith, 2009, p. 1).
The conflict in communication occurred between the Indian lady and the male employee of UAE origin because of their cultural differences. The two did not know each other’s perspectives. The two were open to each other but they had an opposite understanding of each other. The two had different norms and values. Sensitivity to each other is thus an important factor because such misunderstandings can lead to hatred.
Solutions and Recommendations
Diversity training in such a multicultural workforce such as at the airport is important. This informs employees about the values of different cultures. When people appreciate other people’s cultures, they will effectively communicate thus helping in conflict management. Diversity training of working personnel would break the communication barrier and the organization would be able to formulate appropriate policies.
People moving into a new working place with other cultures should find out about the culture of communication in that area so that they don’t become confused. If the Indian lady was well informed of the Arab man culture she would not have asked such an annoying question and falsely judging him of being greedy. It is also important to know the organizational structure and understand the key leaders in the organization, especially where status and titles ought to be stated during communication (Communicaid, 2007, p. 3).
Active listening is a good way to help in understanding each other. A person can confirm if what the person said was what he meant to say. To understand the main idea of the speaker the differing viewpoints. Seeking evidence is also a way of understanding what the other person is communicating. This means if only the gentleman asked what she meant, he would make it clear to the lady. The lady would understand that it is not out of greed, but rather about where he came from. Intermediaries who are well informed about both cultures can be used to convey messages between people from different cultures (Colorado, 1998). If only there was a third person who was informed on both cultures, he would make it easier for the two. He would intervene and explain who pays the dowry in each community.
Conclusion
A successful cooperation between different cultures in a global organization depends on the good understanding of the norms and the values in the other culture. Having a good understanding of other cultures makes it easier to build good international relationships between countries without misunderstandings and misperceptions.
References
Asiarooms. (2011) UAE Language. Web.
Brown, N. (2009) Edward T. Hall: Proxemic Theory. Web.
Colorado. (1998) Cross Cultural Communication Strategies. Web.
Communicaid. (2007) Doing Business in the UAE/ UAE Social and Business Culture. Web.
Daniel, A. (2000) Information on India. Web.
Hofstede’s, G. (n. d).Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. Web.
Nishimura, S., Nevgi, A., & Tella, S. (n. d). A case study of Finland, Japan and India. Web.
Zenith. (2009).Power Distance Index. Web.