The best way to learn about other cultures is to work in multinational organisations. Do you agree or disagree?
ESSAY #19 FROM OUR BOOK
It is believed by some that multinational companies have given the employees an exposure to different cultures. I believe that although working in a multinational organisation is a good way to understand and learn about another country’s culture, it cannot be deemed as the best method.
There is no doubt that working in a large MNC presents some opportunities to learn about other cultures as employees deal with colleagues, businesses and clients from different parts of the globe. For example, in some cultures it is normal to address clients and bosses by their first name, whereas in others it is considered disrespectful. Similarly, countries like Japan and Germany are sticklers for punctuality and people are expected to arrive on time for meetings but in other cultures being a few minutes late is acceptable.
Having said that, working in an MNC is definitely not the best way to learn about a culture and there are better ways than it. One way to experience and understand other cultures is to actually travel to those countries and live their lifestyle. Travelling lets one experience all aspects of a culture like food, language, customs, festivals etc. However, in an MNC, employees are restricted to just corporate aspects of a culture. Also, travelling lets you meet people from different work backgrounds and not just the corporate world.
There are other ways that are more fun and effective in learning about other cultures. For example, watching a foreign language movie, trying a new ethnic food recipe from another country and learning a foreign dance form online. These methods are stress free and entertaining, whereas corporate culture is so stressful that people do not get time to learn about other people’s cultures.
To reiterate, working in an MNC is definitely a good way to know about another culture, but it is certainly not the best.
