SFieldhouse

INCA Survey Results and Reflection Paper

HRMN 302 6980 Organizational Communication (2152) Professor Robinson
March 8, 2015


Intercultural INCA Questions for Score Based on your score,
Competence each Intercultural Add your results enter Basic,
Competence for the 3 questions Intermediate or Full
from the INCA 34 = BASIC
Survey 57 = INTERMEDIATE
89 = FULL
Communicative Q13 7 INTERMEDIATE
Awareness
Knowledge Q46 7 INTERMEDIATE
Discovery
Respect for Q79 8 FULL
Otherness
Empathy Q1012 8 FULL
Tolerance of Q1315 7 INTERMEDIATE
Ambiguity
Behavioral Q1618 7 INTERMEDIATE
Flexibility

The results of my INCA survey were spot on with how I feel and react to the different cultures
around me. In general, culturespecific or not, Im a very intuitive person with lots of respect and
empathy toward others. I seek to understand people, processes, procedures and cultures before
speaking or acting out of turn. When faced with a new situation I wait a bit, absorbing as much
knowledge as I can, before stepping up into the conversation or situation. I want to make sure my
actions align with the situation. Ive often times found others around me much less accepting of
change and new situations. Sometimes they speak with the knowledge of their culture only and
apply it to the context of the moment. This shocks me since we should be trying to at least learn
from others or hear what they have to say without bias.

Intercultural communication can be very tricky especially if there is a language barrier. That starts
the conversation off on a rough note. If the languages can be understood between the people then
the next hurdle is how cultures approach different situations. Like the scenario with Mr. Parker
and Mr. Wang, they were able to understand each others language, but neither of them seemed to
bear in mind the different backgrounds each were approaching the circumstances with. Had either
of them taken a little more time to research or get to know a little more about the American
culture versus the Chinese traditions and attitudes, they wouldve had a smoother meeting
realizing each have different agendas for a business discussion. It appeared that Mr. Wang was
trying, unsuccessfully, to engage Mr. Parker in one of his traditions and values by getting to know
Mr. Parker on a more personal manner and avoiding business discussions over breakfast. Mr.
Parker ignored the signs of this and became increasingly frustrated.

To seek out knowledge of another person to further be accepted by them or accomplish a task
with them, whether personal or business oriented, is something we all should do. This also goes
handandhand with tolerance of others who are different than you. Stereotypes and assumptions
could be thrown out all together with just the extra step of knowledge. Keeping an open mind goes
a long way. Learning the language can be a long process and difficult at times, but it will most
likely be the best source of understanding another culture. The Internet is a great tool to get you
familiar with a different country or area as we saw in this weeks discussion. I continue to try and
learn as much as I can about others and their cultures whether its a foreign country situation or
just a new group of people to hang out with.

Respecting others should be something you learned in preschool, but yet is something that almost
seems to whittle away as we age. If you want respect, you give respect. The person or persons you
may be dealing with might not be just like you or from the same background as you, but you
should respect their views nonetheless even if you disagree with them. Empathy also goes with
respect, but is hard for some people to do. At least that is what Ive found in my own cultures.
Sympathy seems to be easy for most, but to actually put yourself in the shoes of others and
understand their struggle is harder for people to experience. Again this is a chance to learn from
what others in the different culture you are experiencing.

The INCA survey discussed a couple situations about minorities being excluded because they are
an ethnic minority or the new person at work. I would bet that both of these situations have been
experienced by at least 95% of us in this class at one point or another. It is always nice to feel
included and weve all experienced that feeling of being the outsider. I can relate because my
entire elementary school life was the outsider. I never fit in and was picked on (its called
bullying now) a great deal. It seemed I could never get into any group. Eventually I guess I made
my own group and did my own thing. We see this scenario on the news a lot. A kid is bullied and
they are on the outside of all around them except for one close friend and the next thing they have
went into school and shot it up or have killed themselves. Just think if there might have been one
empathetic person who included them, would they have felt differently? Just taking the time to
understand where someone is coming from can go a long way for that person and their wellbeing.

Ambiguity is something a lot of people are uncomfortable with. They do not like the unknown and
can actually trigger panic attacks in some. Of course Id rather know everything up front and
before I make any move or speak, but that just isnt how the world works. We have to wait until
the known presents itself or seek it out ahead of time. I try to be okay with uncertainty and tell
myself that if Im patient I will get my answer. Ambiguity does take patience.

Being flexible in general can help ease a lot of tension for yourself and others. You dont have to
change all your habits, likes or dislikes just for another culture, but being openminded helps.
Trying new things can open your mind up and you never know when youll love something
different. I always think of food for this. I was an extremely picky eater for half of my life. I
attribute this to coming from a small, country town where country and comfort food reigned and
there was not a lot of variety in food choices. However, one culture my family always was a part of
for food was Chinese restaurants (when they used to bring out the dishes in the silver stands with
lids, even that internal culture of those restaurants has changed). Im not sure why, but that was
one different food my family loved. It wasnt until I moved to DC at age 30 where I was
bombarded by cultures of all kinds. This is where my eating habits changed significantly. Slowly
and surely I started to eat different foods and came to love them, all because I opened my mind to
trying new things.

All of these aspects go back to the seven axioms of uncertainty from Charles Berger and Richard
Calabrese. Our levels of uncertainty are very high at first in a new environment or around new
people. This dissipates over time as our verbal and nonverbal communication increases while we
are seeking more information.

Ive experienced multiple culture changes throughout my life, as have most of us. I grew up in
Ohio, moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when I was 17, then onto my current residence of
Northern Virginia when I turned 30. Ive been married and divorced, no children, an aunt, a sister,
a friend, a best friend, a daughter, a student, an international traveler, and all other labels that
associate me with a culture. Sometimes I would acclimate quite easy to the difference and onto
acceptance quickly and other times it was more of a struggle. Each and every situation I have
learned and grown from and have kept an open mind throughout it all. I believe this is what most
people need to do to grow within themselves and be accepting of others lives and situations. Its
always felt good when someone else has taken me in and not excluded me. We should all try and
do the same.