Reference no: EM132671312

Question: Adapting to Another Culture for Managers:

The Reflective Manager's Practice Sheet

The adaptation process for leaders, international business people and students is long and complex. There has been a dramatic rise in the number of people transferring to different regions in their own country as well as overseas, along with the increase in international students, immigration and migration. As a future manager, WE need to learn how to work with people who are going through the adjustment process in a new country, city, region or culture. We may lead teams with individuals who are going through different stages of the adjustment process and need to provide advice or support as they perform their work responsibilities while adjusting to the new country, company and system.

Great leaders reflect on their past experiences and learn from them. They look into their experience and learn what they did and how they may improve in the future. This continual improvement through reflection ensures we learn from our experiences. Managers with experience of cultural adaptation can be better leaders to their staff so their staff can better understand and deal with the transition they are going through. As a person who has moved and adapted to another culture, you have experiences, insights and strategies you can recall and use to support others. In this we will use stages of the W-Curve to reflect on aspects of your personal journey and then we provide some advice about how we would approach cultural adaptation differently if you could do it again.

Pre-Arrival

1. we have to Write the reflection of this stage. Here are some questions to help us focus on what we have to written about:

a. Before we arrived what did you do to prepare for adapting to your new location/Canada?

b. What did we do to ensure you were ready for your goals of successful work/study?

2. What do we now realize we could have done differently or could improve on?

Honeymoon period

1. Write reflection of this stage. Describe the honeymoon period for someone. How long it lasted, and the things he/she found most interesting, different or exciting?

Culture-Shock

1. Write reflection of this stage.

a. What were the things that started to feel uncomfortable for someone when he/she started to feel culture shock begin (explain what made it uncomfortable)?

b. What aspects of his/her school life or work life were the most challenging when he/she were experiencing culture shock? (If we moved to a new culture, what Hofstede dimensions were most similar and most different?)

2. What would we advise someone who was going through the culture shock experience so that they could better understand what they are experiencing?

Initial Adaptation

1. Write reflection of this stage. Here are some questions to help us focus on what to write : (ma

a. How did anyone recognize that he/she were starting to leave culture shock?

b. What ways did friends and/or family play in helping his/her move out of culture shock into a better adaptation?

2. What did someone do to start to better adapt and adjust to living here so that he/she could move out of culture shock (new skills at school, at work, in life)

Link to your life as a Leader

When someone become a manager he/she will have staff who are experiencing culture shock. Explain how he/she will use his/her knowledge and experience with culture shock and the adaptation process to be a better leader to staff who transfer internationally?