Identify your chosen scenario and conflict
I have decided to do the Workplace for my scenario (Scenario 3). The conflict concerns collaborating with a coworker on a different shift. I am currently situated in the United States, while my collaborator is in India, 10. 5 hours ahead. It is hard for me to synchronize work, and mostly, our deadlines are missed, or everybody feels irritated. The content that should be included in this guidebook focuses on social justice, cultural competence, and communication skills related to managing this time zone-related conflict.
Part One: Social Justice (Complete this section in Module Two.)
Explain the difference between justice, fairness, and equality in the scenario.
As stated in the scenario, justice means that all the employees have equal resource access regardless of time zone differences. Equity entails altering the schedules to suit these disparities so that you and your colleague can perform optimally (Uhde et al., 2020). Equality treats all employees equally, but at the same time, equality does not guarantee equal results because of the huge difference in time zones between you and your colleague.
Describe how bias can influence your perception of social justice in the scenario.
Self-prejudice may compel one to assume that the colleague is idle and does not take work seriously, which may be because they are only available during your working hours. It may also lead you to fail to notice daily rhythms such as time zone differences, framing these challenges as individual failings rather than systemic issues, thus twisting your perception of injustice at the Workplace.
Describe how different narratives in society can impact your perception of social justice.
Societal culture frames can affect social justice in different ways by elevating working hours preferences from Western countries while discriminating against employees from other countries (Reisch & Garvin, 2016). Such narratives may bias your assessment of your colleague’s productivity and commitment to work, directly contributing to prejudice and disregarding organizational barriers. It becomes imperative to raise awareness of such narratives and combat them to promote and establish employment equity that is non-discriminatory based on working conditions and cultural differences.
Describe the core principles of social justice in the scenario.
The social justice principles that are relevant to the scenario include equity, where the work arrangement has been changed in order to balance time zones; access, which means that all employees must have the tools and opportunities to work; participation, where the international group must be included in the decision-making process; and rights, which means that all employees should be able to work in an environment that allows them to work while respecting the different time zones.
Part Two: Intercultural Communication and Collaboration
Describe how you would demonstrate cultural fluency in the scenario. (Complete this section in Module Three.)
I would show cultural relations by being fully aware of my colleague’s time zone and working schedule. I would plan meetings at times that are better for both parties, avoid the confusion of cultural holidays, and be specific at the same time as being polite. Finally, since a lot of conflict results from cultural differences in the Workplace, I would learn more about my colleagues to prevent conflict and instead embrace teamwork and multicultural acceptance.
Describe how cultural fluency benefits your self-awareness. (Complete this section in Module Three.)
Cultural competence improves my cultural sensitivity since it helps me to identify my own culture and how it may be influencing me. Such thinking makes me think about how my experience affects my communication and approach to the work (Danso, 2018). This awareness assists me in identifying these areas and working towards improving them to avoid compromising relations with people of different cultural orientations, hence improving relations between me and others, improving relations with my superiors and fellow workers, and enhancing teamwork.
Describe how an awareness of other cultures can benefit interpersonal communication with people in the scenario. (Complete this section in Module Four.)
Understanding other cultures helps interpersonal communication because it brings out tolerance and appreciation of different ways of working and thinking. In the context of the given case, knowledge of the cultural background as well as preferred mode of communication assists in minimizing conflict and developing better working relationships with a coworker. It helps me better understand different people and circumstances and makes my interactions with colleagues more efficient despite the time zones.
Describe how exposure to diverse backgrounds can positively influence communication in the scenario. (Complete this section in Module Four.)
Multicultural communications make me flexible and accepting of other cultures and ways of life. The scenario reinforces my awareness of and sensitivity to my coworkers’ manner of communicating and functioning (Barker, 2016). It results in improved problem-solving, decreased cross-cultural issues, and an embrace of diversity. Thus, it enhances our teamwork and efficiency in delivering project assignments regardless of time differences.
Explain why an awareness of diversity is beneficial to collaboration in the scenario. (Complete this section in Module Four.)
Diversity awareness is important for collaboration since it promotes equal treatment for all members (Hajro et al., 2017). Thus, we can establish a more accommodating environment and acknowledge our different cultural experiences and limitations in the workplace. This allows for the building of trust and improvement of communication and diversity, which results in better ideas and, hence, better solutions to problems that arise from the difference in time zones when working on collaborative projects.
Part Three: Communication Strategies to Navigate Conflict (Complete this section in Module Five.)
Describe the components of the conflict represented in the scenario.
The problem in the scenario lies in the fact that the time difference between me and my colleague in India is quite substantial. This results in difficulty in organizing work, leading to time wastage and a lot of frustration. Major issues consist of challenges faced in trying to coordinate convenient working shifts, effective communication hampered by differing time zones, and its effects on project schedules and productivity. Managing these factors is crucial in overcoming the sources of the conflict and promoting cooperation.
Describe different interpersonal communication strategies that can be used in conflict resolution.
Some of the interpersonal communication patterns that may be used in conflict resolution are Active listening, which involves the parties giving their full attention to listen and understand each other; Empathy, which involves respecting and recognizing the status of each other; Assertiveness, which refers to civil and specific verbal communication of the needs and concerns of the parties; Collaboration, which involve two parties combining efforts to search for an amicable solution (Miller, 2018). These strategies foster healthy communication and serve to effectively deal with conflict within relationships.
Choose an appropriate communication strategy you would employ in the scenario. Include an explanation of why you chose that communication strategy.
In the given context, I would apply the technique of active listening as the primary means of communication. Through this activity, I am also able to listen to my colleagues and be aware of the problems they encounter having to work in different time zones. This approach fosters respect and understanding as the initial steps towards tackling emerging issues in society. Active listening also helps to ensure that everyone involved in conflict feels respected and this makes conflict-solving more constructive.
Describe the potential challenges of communication in the scenario.
The possible barriers to communication in the scenario include; time difference; this makes it difficult for the two parties to search for the time that both are available for effective communication at their respective workplaces. Another barrier is culturally related because people from different cultures translate received messages in a different way (Guirdham & Guirdham, 2017). On the same note, some of the challenges that may result into technology limitations include; slow internet connection or wrong type of communication technology. In order to respond to these concerns, there must be a disposition to adopt novel strategies that will improve the communication channels.
Describe the benefits and challenges of using restorative practices to navigate the conflict in the scenario.
The advantages of implementing restorative practices in the given context include the ability to encourage communication, address the damage caused by offenders to the victim, and facilitate appreciation of the value of other people and property. In this way, applying restorative practices and promoting a safe environment for people to communicate allows focusing on finding appropriate solutions that would ensure positive outcomes for a team (van Alphen, 2015). However, its application might prove difficult because it is time and resource intensive, and not all stakeholders would embrace it because they may not have prior knowledge about such methodologies.
References
Barker, G. G. (2016). Cross-cultural perspectives on intercultural communication competence. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 45(1), 13-30.
Danso, R. (2018). Cultural competence and cultural humility: A critical reflection on key cultural diversity concepts. Journal of Social Work, 18(4), 410-430.
Guirdham, M., & Guirdham, O. (2017). Communicating across cultures at work. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Hajro, A., Gibson, C. B., & Pudelko, M. (2017). Knowledge exchange processes in multicultural teams: Linking organizational diversity climates to teams’ effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 60(1), 345-372.
Miller, W. R. (2018). Listening well: The art of empathic understanding. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Reisch, M., & Garvin, C. D. (2016). Social work and social justice: Concepts, challenges, and strategies. Oxford University Press.
Uhde, A., Schlicker, N., Wallach, D. P., & Hassenzahl, M. (2020, April). Fairness and decision-making in collaborative shift scheduling systems. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-13).
van Alphen, M. (2015). Restorative practices: A systemic approach to support social responsibility. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 32(2), 190-196.
