The Influence of Culture on Value Beliefs and Behaviors Describe the influence of culture on beliefs, values, and behaviors
The Influence of Culture on Value Beliefs and Behaviors Scenario
As part of an initiative to improve work-life balance and align the company to the values of its employees, Williams & Marshall LLC has made it an organizational priority to learn more about its employees. This means giving employees an opportunity to share what is important to them with their coworkers. By forming a better understanding of what its employees value, Williams & Marshall LLC hopes to create a workplace culture that is conducive to openness and productivity.
Your manager, Demita Williams, has asked you to lead a presentation and report back to her with recommendations on how to improve the workplace culture of Williams & Marshall LLC. In this project, you will examine your own culture, beliefs, and values and consider how they are similar or different from those of other cultures, including organizational cultures.
The Influence of Culture on Value Beliefs and Behaviors Directions
Part 1: Organizer: Culture and Values
As part of the initiative to build a healthy and culturally aware workplace, your manager, Demita Williams, wants you to lead a brief presentation to your team about culture.
She wants you to start by thinking about your own culture first. To put your thoughts together, use the Culture and Values Organizer to make a list of your culture’s beliefs, values, and norms. Be sure to answer all of the questions in the organizer.
Culture and Values Organizer
Competency: Describe the influence of culture on beliefs, values, and behaviors
Your manager wants you to lead a brief presentation to your team about culture as part of the initiative to build a healthy and culturally aware workplace. To help organize your thoughts, answer all of the questions below:
- Provide a detailed description of your own culture, beliefs, values, and norms.
Culture
With which culture(s) do you identify, and what makes you a part of them? What culture or cultures are most important to you? Why?
What are the material and nonmaterial aspects of your culture(s)?
How do you believe your cultural affiliations are represented in your workplace?
Beliefs and Values
What are some things that you believe based on your culture(s) and how those beliefs shape your actions? Does your culture share any beliefs with other cultures?
Which of your values are most important to you? How has your culture shaped those values?
How do your beliefs and values match those of organizations you have worked for or been associated with?
Norms/Expected Behaviors
What are some high-level norms or expected behaviors in your culture(s)?
What happens when members of your culture(s) do not follow these norms or expected behaviors?
Do people in your culture typically believe that everyone, even those from other cultures, should follow these norms or expected behaviors?
- Explain how your culture influences your attitudes and views toward different topics and workplace situations.
Attitudes/Views
Consider the demographics and attributes highlighted under the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
- Race
- Religion
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Physical ability
- Other cultures
How would you handle workforce situations when confronted with equal-opportunity scenarios? For example, what would you do if a person revealed a disability, you discovered your workplace is not inclusive, or you heard discriminatory language?
In what ways does your culture influence your response to handling these situations? What role do your beliefs and values play in shaping your attitudes and views?
The Influence of Culture on Value Beliefs and Behaviors Reflection
Consider your answers to the questions above: What positive and challenging experiences have you had with other cultures? Think of times when you might have misunderstood another culture or someone might have misunderstood yours, and how you navigated those moments.
Part 2: Slide Presentation: The Impact of Culture
Once you’ve completed the organizer, create a 5- to 7-slide presentation to share your findings of culture with your team. Mrs. Williams wants to save your presentation to train future hires, so she has asked you to record the presentation (3- to 5-minutes) or provide comprehensive speaker notes (700-750 words). If you choose to use speaker notes instead of recording, she wants the notes to reflect what you would say in an audio or in-person presentation. In your 5–7 slides, you may include a combination of graphics and text to support your message.
While creating your presentation, consider the questions in the organizer and think about how you can discuss your culture, values, and beliefs with the team. You should emphasize how personal cultural elements influence overall workplace culture.
Note: For this project, assume that Williams & Marshall LLC has the same workplace culture as your current or previous place of employment.
In your presentation, be sure to address the following:
In order to connect with your colleagues, Mrs. Williams wants you to start the presentation by talking about your own cultural background. Describe how the beliefs, values, and norms associated with your culture(s) impact your behaviors and decision making, providing relevant examples. Consider the following questions:
How do these elements influence the decisions you make at work?
How does your culture influence how you present yourself at your workplace?
What are some given behaviors associated with your industry or the job you perform? Think of the clothes you wear, how you organize your desk, how you interact with customers, and so on.
What cultural elements are conducive to maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
Next, she would like you to draw connections between workplace cultures and values and your personal culture, values, and beliefs. Consider how the values you outlined in your organizer connect with the overall workplace cultures and values:
What similarities and differences are there?
How does your own culture mesh or conflict with the workplace culture?
How are you perceived within the organization?
How could your cultural elements be misread?
What assumptions might people make about you?
Finally, provide some specific recommendations for improving workplace culture, including the rationale for recommendations.
Make three to five recommendations.
In your opinion, what values should be adopted by the organization to make it a great place to work?
