Intercultural Behaviour

It is often said that in a multi-cultural society like Singapore, that tolerance for another race’s practices and approach towards life in general is positively medium to high. This could be explained by the fact that most Singaporeans in the current generation of youth and the generation before, were born into a multi-racial, inter-cultural environment, thus making it a norm to live amongst a diverse range of cultural scenes.

It is interesting to note that even though there are many languages spoken in this society, there is a “non-verbal local language” that bridges the communication gap between local cultures. Somehow, conversations and situations at a coffee shop, community centre, office and even playgrounds rarely end up in a misunderstanding, because of a common understanding of the way things are done as a Singaporean.

However, change is inevitable. The past decade has seen a high influx of immigrants into Singapore, many of which have taken up citizenship as well. The societal environment has changed. What doesn’t come with citizenship or permanent residency, however, is that “non-verbal local language” or common understanding that can only be learnt by living in any particular society. This is where intercultural conflict creeps in.

Recently, I was on a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and there was a stop-over at a rest point. I wanted to purchase a meal at a certain stall, with certain customizations, so I tried to explain to the staff what I wanted, but she could not understand what I was saying. I tried to look for diagrams to point but unfortunately there wasn’t any. I was trying for at least two minutes, and eventually, she just shook her head in frustration, waved her hand in a manner gesturing me to leave the counter, and went back into the kitchen – I figured she had no time to waste and had to prepare meals for other customers. Not a very good experience, but I was simply too tired to even get angry, and so I just went to another stall to get myself a hot cup of Milo.

So let’s assess the situation. From her accent, I knew she was not from the South-East Asian Region (an immigrant). I knew also that she was not frustrated initially because she greeted me with a smile. A difference in spoken language would have definitely had a part to play in the conflict, but I would like to go further and say that, even if there was a language barrier, there could have still been communication of my wants using gesturing and other non-verbal methods.

What was missing was that “non-verbal local language”, because I have had similar situations in Singapore with Singaporean stall owners, and they could understand what I had wanted when certain requests were made. She was frustrated at failed attempts in understanding, and decided that it just wasn’t worth her time or money.

One way to resolve a situation like that would be to get help from a third party who could understand both languages or at least know how to communicate the information better. Of course, I was too tired to even think of that at the time, and besides, she had already given up in frustration. Milo seemed like the better option anyway.

Application Letter

Caleb Raj Mahendran

BLK 405 Pasir Ris Drive 6

#05-481 Singapore 510405

Contact: 9321 3217

calebraj11@gmail.com

8 February 2011

Mr. K.K. Poon

Sato Kogyo (S) Pte. Ltd.

149 Rochor Road

#04-14/15, Fu Lu Shou Complex

Singapore 188425

Dear Mr. Poon,

Engineer, Job Reference No. JSG400003000333840

            I am enclosing my resume in response to the job advertisement for the above post that appeared in JobsDB.com.sg on 8^th February 2011. As mentioned in my resume, I have recently graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering, and wish to begin my Engineering career at your esteemed organisation.

            I have experience in leadership and have worked with many different kinds of teams; two skills which I think will definitely help me excel at this job. My leadership roles in National Service as an Officer have helped me hone my leadership skills, particularly my roles as Platoon Commander and Company 2^nd-In-Charge at Basic Military Training School (BMTC). A key event that tested my leadership was my task to be Event Organiser for the Unit Level Games Day. I am certain that my leadership experiences in National Service and elsewhere will enhance my experiences at Sato Kogyo.

Another key set of skills that I think is vital is team-work. Having the privilege to attend courses such as Outward Bound School (OBS - Singapore) and being in the Executive Committee in the Hockey Club have helped hone these team-work skills. Furthermore, having worked on projects at NUS with a variety of student characters have helped me understand and blend with most kinds of people well, and I believe these team-work skills can and will help me blend in with the working culture at Sato Kogyo without hassle.

            I have no doubt that my interest and passion in Civil and Structural Engineering will enhance my working experience at Sato Kogyo. I am looking forward to putting my knowledge and best ideas forward in ensuring Sato Kogyo upholds its reputation as being the foremost in technological expertise and innovative construction techniques.

Yours Sincerely,

Caleb Raj

How would YOU settle this Interpersonal Conflict?

Conflicts are bound to happen in any relationship and team setting. They arise due to differences in opinions, and the inability to settle the matter in a positive manner. Resolving these conflicts takes experience, time, and some Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

 The important thing to note is that in different scenarios, there are different ways to solve conflicts – there is no ‘sure-win’ way. Even the most obvious of solutions can backfire and worsen the conflict situation.

So here’s a hypothetical conflict scenario:

The scene takes place in an office. Mike the manager needs to form a team, including himself, for a certain project his department is tasked with. Mike looks through the list of employees he has in his department, and concludes that the best two people for the job are John and Nancy.

John has been in the company for 10 years, and has formed a close rapport with Mike; they are close friends, and he has the most experience on the job. Nancy has only been in the company for almost a year, but she has brought contemporary and challenging ideas to the department. Mike also has a fancy for Nancy (he likes her, and she seems to be reciprocating too).

After a few months into the project, John and Nancy begin to clash in terms of ideas and opinions. Over a few weeks, the disagreements get worse and turn into massive arguments. All this while at the meetings, Mike always sits back and just let’s things play out; he doesn’t want to take sides. However, the deadline for the project is looming, and not much has been done because of the conflict.

One day, the argument gets so bad, that John and Nancy both tell Mike that they will walk out if they have to continue working together, and force Mike to make a decision to get one of them off the team.

Question: With the relationship that Mike has with John and Nancy, he is having difficulty deciding on whom to boot off the team. He decides that it is too close to the deadline to boot someone off. He decides instead to attempt to resolve the conflict. If you were Mike, how would you do so?

Why is effective communication important for me?

Communication, on its own, can be defined as the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. There is always a desired outcome to communication; and reaching that outcome in the simplest way possible, is in my definition, effective communication.

Effective communication is important to me because first of all, I do not like being misunderstood. When misunderstandings occur, a lot of energy, time and emotions have to be invested to make matters clear. Often times, they even result in the end of a relationship, thus cutting of all further communication efforts to make the wrong a right.

Secondly, being able to effectively communicate to/with someone boosts my self-confidence. When people understand me easily, it doesn’t have to result in finding other avenues of bringing a point across.

Lastly, effective communication is vital because it makes me understand people and the point they are trying to bring across more easily. When I communicate with people who are not as effective in communication a point, being able to listen and understand well helps to ease the tension and make the conversation or exchange more fruitful and worthwhile.

Effective communication is therefore not just how well one brings a point across to the other party/parties, but also, how well the exchange of ideas and thoughts is carried out. It definitely does NOT boil down to one party, but to all parties in that exchange.