The best way to understand other cultures is to work for a multinational organization? Do you agree or disagree

 The best way to understand other cultures is to work for a multinational organization? Do you agree or disagree

Do you agree or disagree

Yes the best way to learn about foreign cultures is to engage professionally with an MNC 

• People come in touch with others from disparate backgrounds and learn about their ways of life 

• They know about festivals and other occasions through holidays and other celebrations 

• When these people travel to offices in other locations for their work, they interact with their colleagues 

No

• People take up jobs to just fulfill their professional aspirations and earn money, and seldom bring culture into the picture 

• They rarely socialize with others and maintain an arm’s distance 

• Most are dealing with their overseas counterparts through online resources and there is hardly any shoptalk or exchange of personal views  

 

As per a common perception, working in a multinational organization can help one familiarize themselves with disparate ways of life from across the world. In my view, this notion needs to be critically analyzed. 

Those  aligning themselves with this perception find support in the assumption that the environment in such organizations afford opportunities to interact with colleagues from overseas locations and enrich the knowledge of workers in terms of language, attitude, festivals and customs, to name a few. It has been seen that those employed in such establishments are exposed to their counterparts through regular associations being effected with the help of video conferencing, or traveling to  offices in other locations. Such contacts help inform people about various ways of life prevalent  in the world.

Having said that, the former view has certain flaws. It is hard to discount the fact that the majority are inclined to keep their professional and personal lives apart, and rarely dilute them. Their primary objective of joining any organization, including a transnational corporate, is to earn a livelihood to support themselves and their kin, and in these establishments they get better paid, and knowing about other cultures is neither on their priority list nor they are afforded such chances due to their hectic work schedule.

 

Similarly, professional engagements with the multinational can at best render global visibility to professionals but enlighten them about customs and beliefs populating this world since due to a great difference in aspirations most are wary and rarely have trust on each other, impeding cultural exchanges between them. 

Overall, even though this notion might hold some relevance, it can hardly be concurred with since those employed in companies with global presence have tight schedules and rarely have faith in their overseas colleagues.