Paper Sample on Cross-Cultural Training

Introduction

Cross-cultural training is a technique for managing diversity within an organization. According to Wyatt and Silver (2015), it has been a primary method for facilitating effective communication and interaction among people from different cultures and backgrounds. Notably, cross-cultural training is a procedure and practice used to increase a person's ability to cope with cross-cultures and perform exemplary in a new environment. Cross-cultural training leads to the employees' increased ability to understand the culture of other people, their values, and ethos. It is significant as it fosters interest in understanding employees from different backgrounds and cultural heritage. Therefore, this article contains a proposal on cross-cultural training and includes a plan outline, implementation techniques, presentation, and next steps.

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Plan

Organization Name

The name of the organization is Mexican Dishes. The restaurant is large and has its presence in over five states in the United States and Mexico. The company belongs to the hotel and hospitality industry. Currently, the company is making plans to open a website. However, the primary focus is cross-cultural training of the staff members to enhance positive interactions and communications among diverse employees.

The Rationale for the Workshop

Mexican Dishes is an organization that employs employees of different cultures and traditions. Communication and interaction among the staff members from different cultures is challenging. The workshop's rationale is that it will help the Mexican employees working in the United States to adapt to the cultural practices in the area and vice versa. Issues concerning collaboration among individuals working on a project are imminent in the workplace. Cross-cultural training will help in fostering collaboration among the workforce hence increasing productivity.

Workshop Title, Goals, and Learning Objectives

The title of the workshop is cross-cultural training. The training aims to teach the workforce of Mexican Dishes Corporation about the interaction and communication techniques among people of different cultures and backgrounds. The objective is to improve customer service, workplace communication, and relationships among the employees, and foster compliance with equity laws and policies.

Intended Audience/Number of Attendees and Facilitators

The selected audiences in this workshop are all employees at Mexican Dishes. Approximately the workshop will have about 400 employees. Besides, the number of facilitators is 30. The duration of the workshop is about two weeks.

Date and Location/Advertising Channels

The workplace will commence on 1 October 2020, and the period from now up to then will be used to communicate with the employees about the training and its importance. The learning will occur in Mexico and the United States since the organization is located in the two countries. The first week will be designated to training workers in Mexico while the other in the United States. The channels used for advertising are the media and newspapers.

Implementation

Accordingly, Wyatt and Silver (2015) stipulated that cross-cultural training poses significant challenges for designers and facilitators. In cross-cultural learning environments, different values and viewpoints are raised based on their background. When implementing the cross-cultural training workshop, four factors will be considered. They include the global mindset, knowledge, delivery, and design. Introspection is the first step in delivering cross-cultural; training among employees (Taylor & Brodowsky, 2012). The audiences of this workshop will include people of varying values, beliefs, management perspectives, and upbringing. Evaluation of their perceptions is essential for the success of a training program. In some cultures, addressing one's boss or manager by their first name is wrong, while it is a routine in the United States. Understanding the mindsets of the audience will be critical for the success of the training workshop.

Knowing the audience also entails familiarizing oneself with the language skills of the audience. In this case, English will be the primary language used in training. Therefore, the management and program organizers will start by confirming that the target audience speaks English. Follow-up questions are essential in fostering a better understanding of the audience. If some attendees are unfamiliar with the English language, a translator or interpreter will be considered.

The workshop's design aspect will involve different skills, such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple language, handouts, and PowerPoint with extra context and content will be considered. Short sentences will be employed to ensure that all attendees understand whatever is taught during the training process. Lastly, when delivering training, the facilitators must create a comfortable atmosphere since it fosters understanding among the attendees. Rehg et al. (2012) asserted that flexibility and adaptability are valued characteristics of a facilitator in a cross-cultural training workshop. The facilitators will not just provide lectures but display their knowledge on the subject being facilitated.

Sample Workshop Activity/Presentation

The workshop will be divided into three sessions. The first section of the training entails necessary cross-cultural training awareness. In this program, the attendees will get to understand the meaning of culture and its influence on individual and group behaviors. The employees will receive training on the relevance of the code of conduct, rights, responsibilities, and ethics and their relationship to cross-cultural communications to foster effective communication among the staff members. Essential cross-cultural awareness also entails teaching the employees on the techniques of appreciating cultural differences and the impact it could have on the workforce. Taylor and Brodowsky (2012) asserted that enhancing the understanding of basic cross-cultural training is essential since it sets the foundation for the importance of a cross-cultural training workforce.

The second section of the workshop will be in-depth cross-cultural training. Primarily, this entails recognizing cultural diversity in the workforce and responding appropriately. Employees will receive training on multicultural understanding, which entails developing an appreciation for a multicultural environment. Besides, Rehg et al. (2012) argued that multicultural experience involves fostering knowledge on social practices and their influence on service delivery. In a situation where language hinders effective communication, interpreters will be considered to enhance better service delivery.

The third aspect of the workforce is training for managers of multicultural teams focusing on indigenous groups. In this session, the managers will be taught the importance of understanding the different social hierarchies existing among the various cultural groups and their possible impact on the working environment (Taylor & Brodowsky, 2012). They will also learn ways of navigating issues arising from the differences in social hierarchies. The session will teach managers communication techniques to use when giving directions to staff members of different cultural backgrounds. Primarily, this session's motive is to teach the use of different leadership styles to foster intercultural management and effective management of diverse teams. After the three sessions, the attendees' knowledge and skills will be evaluated. One of the techniques that will be employed includes putting the staff in real situations. Some scenarios will be outlined for them, and they will work in groups to solve the case based on the knowledge and skills attained from the workshop. Further, the attendees will be required to provide their feedback based on what they have learned throughout the program. Feedback is a tool that would help the management to ensure that the staff members have sufficient skills to proceed with their duties effectively (Chavis, 2019). The technique also aids the managers to understand more about the employees and their needs as well.

Next Steps

Consolidation of learning is critical in ensuring the effective transfer of knowledge, skills, and behavior. Expanding training to more audiences requires the integration of cross-cultural understanding as a part of the core curriculum. In the organization, customer and client service is a critical skill hence showing the importance of including cross-cultural training as a curriculum. Further, Kaufmann et al. (2013) indicated that the development of cultural competence is a lifelong process. Mainly, this implies that the training is attuned to an organization's needs and the development of techniques to facilitate support for employees and managers, hence enabling them to continue learning and apply the knowledge in communities and workplaces.

Conclusion

Cross-cultural training is essential in organizations since it enhances collaborations among teams. It allows team members to work together hence fostering productivity regardless of the existence of diversity. The workshop will be subdivided into three sections including understanding the audience's mindsets, knowing them, design, and delivery. The primary objectives of this workshop are that the attendees will understand the importance of diversity in workplaces, and they will understand and appreciate the cultural differences of their colleagues. By the end of this training, the employees will learn to interact and communicate with others from different backgrounds hence showing the importance of cross-cultural training.

References

Chavis, D. A. (2019). The challenge of cross-cultural training in China. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 100(5), 1012–1014. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207578.2019.1681748

Kaufmann, H. R., Englezou, M., & García-Gallego, A. (2013). Tailoring cross-cultural competence training. Thunderbird International Business Review, 56(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21594

Qin, C., & Baruch, Y. (2010). The impact of crosscultural training for expatriates in a Chinese firm. Career Development International, 15(3), 296–318. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431011053758

Rehg, M. T., Gundlach, M. J., & Grigorian, R. A. (2012). Examining the influence of crosscultural training on cultural intelligence and specific selfefficacy. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 19(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527601211219892

Taylor, R. L., & Brodowsky, G. H. (2012). Integrating cross-cultural marketing research training in international business education programs: It’s time, and here’s why and how. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 23(2), 145–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/08975930.2012.718706

Wyatt, J., & Silver, P. (2015). Cross-cultural crisis intervention training via videoconferencing. International Social Work, 58(5), 646–658. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872815581062