Theory

Communication Theory HCS 220 May 24, 2010 Gender and culture comes with many differences when it comes to communication. Gender and cultural differences can impact an organization in several different ways. Usually when you work at a certain job there are many people with different ethnicities which means that there will most likely be people from different cultures. When working for a company, communication is one of the keys to having a successful company, and since there may be large groups or small groups of people at a particular job, which could mean that it is possible to have someone of a different gender or culture. When working at a job, it is important to have great communication with your co-workers, because again that is a great asset to have a successful company. It is also good to be aware and be respectful to people of a different gender. I believe one of the reasons why it is important to be respectful to others of a different gender on a job is because there can be a lot of gender discrimination, and that is one issue that needs to be avoided in the workplace. According to www.referenceforbusiness.com, “gender or sex discrimination in the United States has a long tradition, partaking of a much wider phenomenon of discrimination against women that is both ancient and global”. Therefore, making sure that communication is properly used and there aren’t any problems amongst genders would help out any company and settle any differences. Cultural difference is also another topic that can be really difficult to communicate in the workplace. Many workplace relationship challenges stem from the differences in a way I believe that cultural differences are most often difficult to communicate with other, because most people consider it to be a very touchy subject. Some people are easily offended about anything dealing with their culture or simply by anything mentioned about their culture. In the workplace it is very important to have great communication and respect for anyone with the same cultural background or a different cultural background, because you never want to offend anyone or disrespect anyone in the workplace. “Inconsistent or even contradictory ethical perspectives of different cultures challenge the workplace ethics of people conducting international business.”(Jones 2009). I believe this is true in many different ways. Cultural or ethnical difficulties are some of the most problematic issues in a workplace, which often are hard to settle. Because there are so many people in this world with different beliefs, some that people do not believe in can cause a lot of confusion. Having an open-mind and knowing that it will be different people of different backgrounds present in the workplace, is something that you don’t have to deal with, but it is something that you definitely should be willing be at least coping with for the sake of the job. There are definitely improvements that can be made to improve the communication in the workplace. Although there are many way to make improvements in the workplace, I think that the most important ways improvements can be made is by giving constructive feedback to each other and building effective organization communication can really have a great affect on everyone in the workplace. Being courteous and having respect for one another is a great way for good communication to be effective. It is also important to overcome communication barriers. This is essential because there are always some kind of hidden obstacle and challenges and with the right communication, those things can make communication a lot easier. Because gender and culture are such huge topics in the workplace, making the necessary steps to improve the communication on these topics, can settle many differences. I would definitely recommend that all employees have an open-mind. There will always be someone with a different gender and culture background and while you’re in the workplace it is appropriate to have an open-minded and acceptant of others. I would also recommend that employees be very considerable of other employees to be very respectful and mindful. References Gwen E, J. Differences in the Perceptions of Unethical Workplace Behaviors among Chinese and American Business Professionals. Competition Forum, 7(2), 473. Retrieved from ProQuest: ABI/INFORM Complete database. www.referenceforbusiness.com. Gender discrimination. 2010