Prelim'Week'2'Notes'

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CHAPTER'3'
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Shipboard'situation'and'Informal'social'structures'on'board'
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Objective:'
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Describe!common!informal!structures!with!multi3cultural!crew.!
Explain!informal!structures!need!to!be!recognized.!
Describe!actions!to!improve!cross3cultural!relationship.!
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Social'Structure'
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!The!relationship!of!definite!entities!or!groups!to!each!other;!enduring!patterns!of!behavior!by!
participants!in!a!social!system!in!relation!to!each!other,!and!institutionalized!norms!or!cognitive!
frameworks!that!structure!the!actions!of!actors!in!the!social!system.!(Lopez!and!Scott!2000).!
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!In!social!sciences,!"social!structure"!is!the!patterned!social!arrangements!in!society!that!are!both!
emergent!from!and!determinant!of!the!actions!of!the!individuals.!The!notion!of!social!structure!
as!relationship!between!different!entities!or!groups!or!as!enduring!and!relatively!stable!patterns!
of!relationship!emphasizes!the!idea!that!society!is!grouped!into!structurally!related!groups!or!
sets!of!roles,!with!different!functions,!meanings!ore!purposes.!One!example!of!social!structure!is!
the!idea!of!"social!stratification,!which!refers!to!the!idea!that!society!is!separated!into!different!
strata!(levels),!guided!(if!only!partially)!by!the!underlying!structures!in!the!social!system.!
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!The! formal! organizational! structure! is! a! structure! in! which! all! roles! are! specifically! defined.!
Formal! structures! are! typically! detailed! in! writing,! leaving! little! room! for! interpretation.! The!
informal!organizational!structure!consists!of!tine!social!structure!of!the!organization,!including!
the! corporate! culture,! behaviors,! interactions! and! social! connections! that! occur! within! an!
organization.! Many! organizations! have! both! a! formal,! written! structure! and! a! more! informal!
cultural!structure,!
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Actions'to'improve'crossEculture'Relationships'
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The!globalization!of!business,!increased!diversity!in!the!workplace!and!multicultural!emphasis!in!
society,!cultural!awareness!has!become!one!of!the!most!important!business!tools!in!almost!every!
industry,! including! shipping.! Understanding! the! cultures! of! those! around! you! will! enhance!
communication,! productivity! and! unity! in! the! workplace.! Formal! cross3cultural! awareness!
training!is!very!helpful!for!problem!solving!on!multicultural!business!teams,!but!there!are!several!
cultural!awareness!techniques!you!can!use!in!the!meantime.!
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'Improve'your'Cultural'Knowledge'
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!One!of!the!easiest!ways!to!understand!your!multicultural!coworkers!is!by!researching!cultures!
on! your! free! time! and! increasing! your! cultural! knowledge.! Reading! books! and! searching! the!
Internet!are!the!most!accessible!sources!of!relevant!information.!Although!you!might!not!ever!
put!to!use!most!of!the!knowledge!you!accrue,!you!will!still!be!able!to!better!understand!those!
you!work!with!and!international!clients,!
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Put'Cultural'Knowledge'to'Use'
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If!you!learn!something!interesting!about!a!co3worker’s!culture,!ask!about!it!or!mention!it!in!a!
relevant!situation.!This!might!seem!uncomfortable!at!first,!but!your!coworkers!will!recognize!your!
effort!to!educate!yourself.!Using!acquired!information!as!it!comes!up!will!serve!to!break!down!
multicultural!barriers,!help!everyone!on!your!team!to!be!more!comfortable!around!each!other!
and!teach!others!about!different!cultures.!
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Listen'Up'
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!Effective!listening!is!something!that!most!cultures!have!in!common.!Listen!to!your!coworkers!
actively,!displaying!positive!body!language!and!affirmation!during!the!listening!process.!Listening!
intently!allows!you!to!read!between!the!lines,!pay!attention!to!the!way!your!coworkers!say!things!
and! ask! questions! if! anything! is! unclear.! They! will! recognize! your! willingness! to! listen! and!
appreciate!being!asked!to!explain!an!unclear!point.!!
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Overcome'Stereotypes'!
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!Stereotypes!and!preconceived!ideas!are!difficult!to!overcome,!especially!if!they!have!been!part!
of!your!thinking!since!childhood.!Putting!to!use!the!above!mentioned,!educate!yourself!about!as!
many!different!cultures!as!you!can!and!treat!everyone!the!same.!Your!knowledge!of!their!culture!
will!give!you!the!confidence!you!need!to!overcome!the!stereotypes!that!have!been!engraved!in!
your!memory.!This!newly!found!knowledge!will!replace!your!negative!stereotypes!with!positive!
knowledge.!
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!Source:!(Culture'Awareness'in'the'Workplace'by'Mitchell'Holt,'Demand'Medial'2009)!
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