Report business across cultures.

Stereotyping overcoming
cultural barriers
Culture encompasses many aspects: religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our
language, marriage, music, what we think is right or wrong, how we treat our loved ones, and a
million other things. These cultural dimensions contribute to the character and success of an
organization, however, the cultural diversity of employees sometimes creates cultural barriers in
the workplace.
What are the cultural barriers?
Cultural barriers are challenges to intercultural communication within an organization. When
people from different cultures who may speak different languages, have different cultural
beliefs, or use different gestures and symbols to communicate, their cultural differences can
become barriers to success in the workplace. This is due to lack of cultural awareness,
knowledge and communication.
And here apear the stereotypes!!
WHAT ARE STEREOTYPES AT WORK?
Stereotyping is a prevalent way of thinking that exists in almost every aspect of everyday life.
Stereotypes are overgeneralized perceptions and beliefs about how an individual in a particular
group should or should not act. In the workplace, stereotypes can lead to:
• Prejudice: negative feelings towards an individual
• Discrimination: Behaviors towards an individual
Not all stereotypes are negative, but they do influence workplace dynamics. The groups most
affected by stereotypes usually come from marginalized and discriminated against communities
because of characteristics including:
• Race
• Gen
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Religious affiliation
In business, younger generations often criticize older, more established employees as being out
of touch or technologically challenged. On the contrary, younger generations are often criticized
for being self-indulgent and ungrateful. When these dynamics influence promotions and
management decisions, stereotypes cause a multitude of problems.
Employees who face constant criticism or who do not receive well-deserved promotions due to
stereotypes may lose motivation and interest in performing their tasks. This leads to lower
employee morale, productivity and retention.
The ability to access relevant and timely information is essential for business people to make
quick and accurate decisions and move forward. However, as many managers know, traditional
(static) reporting methods have a number of shortcomings. In this blog we will discuss some
key solutions to static reporting challenges.
In the work process, many challenges can arise that we have to face
So what challenges can arise and what are their solutions?
Challenge: Reporting takes too much time
Solution: Provide data access to end users
Challenge: Reporting doesn't give me the level of detail I need
Solution: Dynamic reporting
Challenge: I need to manipulate and combine reports in spreadsheets
Solution: A system that integrates data from multiple sources
Challenge: I have to be at my desk when creating reports
Solution: Mobile cloud data access
Challenge: My team doesn't act on information from business reports
Solution: Give employees (restricted) access to data

Understanding cultural diversity in business is important to interacting with people from

differing cultures while preventing problematic issues. If you know you'll be negotiating with
foreign businesspersons, for example, study in advance how their manner of doing business
differs from your own. You'll find that many Eastern cultures, like and expect to have lengthy
informative sessions before negotiations begin.

Don't be surprised if colleagues and customers in the UK and Indonesia are more reserved
with their responses and hide their emotions. Those in France and Italy, like the US, are more
effusive and aren't afraid to show their emotion.

Make sure, too, that your staff understands that cultural differences matter in business and can
easily be misunderstood by either party. Above all, when you encounter unexpected behavior,
try not to jump to conclusions. Someone who seems unimpressed with your ideas may
actually be from a culture where emotions aren't readily expressed. Potential cultural barriers
in business can be avoided simply by understanding the impact of culture on business
environment.