BY
JACOB WAISWA
PEACE AND CONFLICT CENTER
P.O. BOX 7062,
MAKERERE-UNIVERSITY
KAMPALA-UGANDA
Working is multicultural environments offers unique and every challenging experience. In it different etiquettes come into play facing different degrees of resistance or liking. The challenges faced in multicultural environments go beyond office politics –where decisions of the day-to-day management of the organization are based on rumors and gossips. Both management and staff can have an excellent listening ear for who is saying what to who about who for who and against who.
It can all begin with a conflict between two people who widen each other’s suspicious mind of each other, perceiving each other as having negative intentions directed towards one another. This conflict is then shared by friends of each –both intersectional and respective ones, and at different levels within and outside the organizations.
And in the cases of bullying and teasing any reaction by the victim is later used against him or her. Depending how management interprets the dynamics of the workplace conflicts, the situation can either be exacerbated or resolved to allow continuity.
And depending on management competence in regards to group dynamics, sooner it can be revealed whether they are perpetuator of workplace disharmony through divide and rule –where one group is used by the management to eliminate the other. Affected individuals will be torn into three parts; quitting the organization to find peace, brave a challenging period of joblessness, and persisting or coping.
In all those options ability to excel on any of them vary from one person to another. Where no option can be reach for continuity and harmony with self and others, the affected person faces acute stress, chronic depressions, panic attacks, psychosis among other possible psychological implications.
In multicultural environments, what is be perceived as crazy in one cultural group can be very normal in another and vice-versa. Also there can be concerns of superior-complexity or conflict of extremes influenced by education (and learning institutions attended) and culture.
Regardless of how satisfied and proud one group can be about its culture, the ‘invading’ one will fail to appreciate and cooperate with the ‘inferior’ one –which in return is received with a lot of bitterness and anger –an insult and provocation which will demand pay-back from those offended.
At work places suspicion and mistrust will characterize relationships between two different cultures. Both false and true information will be bundled and taken to top management –who share similar culture or race for action. Extremes of ideology can most be found among young people –who if they belong to different cultural groups will crash into each other and cause disharmony within the organisation.
Because one group has shared culture with management, it will time and again report their suspicions, assumed intentions (in the negative sense) of another group to the management to have other members eliminated from the organisation. And since one group is considered to be of a higher social status by the management –a label that soon influences the group to think and act same way; in all ways and in all social interactions that will be showed before other groups.
When allegations and accusations are made against a member of another cultural group, no consultations are made across cultural groups for possible evidence of the presented ‘truth’ in the report. Information is taken and considered in its row form by the management.
The verdict is not even shared with the accused but kept secret as permanent record for future reference in case another transaction with the accused arises. Definitely such transaction will be aborted with immediate contact between the two. In one scenario of 30 visiting volunteers in Uganda only one –the youngest of all crossed over the cultural boundary to seek the truth and relay conclusions made in his group to another. This shows how secretive yet antagonistic one cultural group can be against the other.
If mentally toxic issues are not amicably and credibly diffused, they can cause serious damage to the personality of individuals –who may resolve to dislike people of another race or even escalate into violent actions for the injustice against him or her.
And because of the continued emphasis of the label against one member of another cultural group, accused individual may begin to behave consistently with the label so that he or she goes on to wreck havoc in the community against the same ethnic or racial group.
But thanks to the education system more so one that is relevant to the current global problems and peace and conflict studies, one can sit down to analyze content and reach realities of the matter –which become the rule rather than the rumor or gossip around town. Once found to be false, statements can be thrown out and social climate cleaned of ‘pollutants.’
There are specific behaviors that can be inappropriate to a given community yet very appealing to the visiting group like wearing skimpy dresses and sitting in a way that exposes knickers. That is some kind of sexual harassment or abuse in some communities.
In another group (mainly members of the opposite sex), teasing in a way that is sexual and touching are culturally normal part of culture and life yet to a visiting group those are horrible and forms of sexual harassment.
Of course where one is touched matters; shoulders, arms, head and probably the back can be justified to be okay. Such misfiring can only be reduced or rid of field groups through sensitizations and freely communicating dislikes across groups and cultures.
Most of those issues can be resolved in the field without having to burden management with lots of cases to solve that nobody –even team leader could solve. But by the time reports indicate: unresolved problems at administrative level, then it will seem final to the management –as verdict.
In conclusion, it is important that employers grasp the dynamics of maintaining harmony and stability in a multicultural work environment well-aware that personal feelings could be drown in staff conflicting alliances based on race and culture. And the same time entry and orientations in organizations should put into consideration intercultural and cross-cultural competences.
Having realized that everyone within the organizations will be in position to cope with the sharp differences in culture or race and instead focus on organizations development issues. As a product of that, productivity will be high and less of burn-outs and resignations or serious mental-health concerns, or psychological violence arising from organization staff.
Showing posts with label WORLD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WORLD. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Monday, November 17, 2008
UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPMENT: IS IT NOT A MULTIFACETED THING?
Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com
Development is widely defined as the quantitative and qualitative increase of goods and serves over a given period of time. It characterizes both periods of abundance and improved welfare and/or standards of living. At that time people would probably complain less and so would be the talk of harmony, peace and stability.
Development too could entail the natural, evolutionary cycle of human beings go through mentally, physically and emotionally, which characterizes specific changes in different periods of time. For example; 0 to 3 years, 4 to 13 years, 14 to 20, 20 to 50 and 50 onwards -could show different events in a person’s long his or her development path. Some people could go through the entire cycle successfully, while others not –depending on several scientific or medical explanations reached after comprehensive analysis of a given developmental disorder or problem.
Depending on the dimension one presents him self in, he or she should be ready to tell us -as to what extent have the successes been. The cultured ones could, for example, talk of cultural development rather than its degeneration. The politicians could, on the other hand, most likely, think of political development -mainly about how long they have stayed in power and the many years to come -celebrating comfortable status quo. And so would be the economists, medical personnel, religious leaders among others –in their attempt to measure success and attain it as by their sector missions.
Here, thus, is a revelation that sub-systems interact within a system in a given period of time, and positive trends observed or felt –showing progressive shifts from one positive step to a more advanced one. The sub-systems would tend to work at equal efforts towards change, where in absence of any part, progress would stall, turn slower.
Of course these sub-systems could be natural by their existence such that they evolve into something strange again and again, especially if one was not involved and keenly observed such changes as he or she ensured checks and balances. Lack of human involvement and extreme aggression tendencies could break the balance, and at an increased likelihood, lead to a disaster –as part of system break down.
Indeed, unless equal effort was placed about a human and/or ecological challenges, problems like un-balanced development-led violence or unequal amount of influence-led aggression-potency, human aggression-led famine and drought, religious and cultural break down-led out-of-control immorality etcetera.
Understandably, development, as well, could be viewed in terms of perceptually different out-looks considerable as indicators of development and positive strides taken over time along specifics and/or specialized schemes people often form. We would then be required to divide the resultants of people’s quests by the nature of effort incurred.
It is important to note that some people could develop poor philosophies, dangerous beliefs, self-defeating principles and anti-development ideas –while others form positively rewarding values and ethics of work applicable to achieving positive development.
Any misjudgment in the areas of decision and policy making could, as a consequence, lead to misery in different forms. For example; extremism-related violence, socio-economic structural break-down, positive cultural and moral erosion, population explosion-led scarcities, environmental pollution and out-of control pandemics.
Using words likes intellectual poverty and behavioral poverty –as used by renowned authors like Professor John C. Munene, would not only explain development paralysis but also help summarize all about the relationship between specific perceptions and development.
Looking at the basics that determine welfare like having positive attitude to development (as could have been learnt from fore-fathers or inherited), successes attained against poverty, social support (richly obtainable from health family relations, friends, and international partnerships), social services and infrastructure (including provision of clean water, health services, good transport networks etcetera), and pro-people legislations and policies (that empowers people with practical knowledge and skills through education and/or vocational training): development challenges could be managed.
In bid to address key development problems, important steps determined by policy analysts could be taken -to ensure human and ecological security or survival. Research, for instance, would be an important area that could be exploitable to help solve human and ecological problems and as a basis for policy formulation processes.
Besides, promotion of education has been linked by several authors as one way to delay marriages and subsequently early or unwanted pregnancies. Real education would also help dissolve self-destructive cultures for the better ones. Unfortunately, some people do waste a considerable number of years in schools and colleges without ever learning anything –mush as they might have scored highly in tests and exams.
As the saying would go, “an educated fool could be harder to transform than the uneducated.” They (uneducated fools), surely, could be a source of lasting underdevelopment firstly to themselves, and later, to the community. Definitely, such elements should never be given attention and room to stand in the way of development.
Much though the communities approach to development could hardly leave them behind. World over people are complaining of high food prices and recession. If these were held concerns under communities approach to development, probably, the population pressure-led land conflicts, environmental and reproductive health problems would be checked.
But poverty could limit one’s ambitions like attainment high education. This too could be addressed through initiatives as upgrading farming systems, repairing roads for market accessibility and expanding vocational and entrepreneurship training for those who need it. Meanwhile, it would be injustice to leave out the vulnerable or special needs category. National resources and planning authority must consider them. And of course, gender-wise, mutual respect should be the rule.
In any intervention by development planners, government and non-government organizations, a community (ies) approach would be best used -without biases linked political inclinations, tribe, sex or race. Community problems –be it at international level could be addressed concertedly to get comprehensive results. People or countries, whether small or big must, thus, be mobilized against development distracters in the name of anti-development people, diseases, ignorance and poverty.
In addition, policies and legislations must be development-friendly, while sustainability at every developmental step gets taken as a value -in order to create a human-ecological balance for future generation to survive. In fact, man must co-exist with natural environment, while ensuring, concern, understanding, responsibility and particularly renewability of resources under utilization.
Community participation and mobilization should, therefore, not serve as merely vehicle for political support and individual achievement. Instead, be understood as multifaceted lines of engagement that may have to do with economic development, socio-cultural development, health human and environment sustainable interaction determined by choice and decision making.
Situation Health Analyst
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com
Development is widely defined as the quantitative and qualitative increase of goods and serves over a given period of time. It characterizes both periods of abundance and improved welfare and/or standards of living. At that time people would probably complain less and so would be the talk of harmony, peace and stability.
Development too could entail the natural, evolutionary cycle of human beings go through mentally, physically and emotionally, which characterizes specific changes in different periods of time. For example; 0 to 3 years, 4 to 13 years, 14 to 20, 20 to 50 and 50 onwards -could show different events in a person’s long his or her development path. Some people could go through the entire cycle successfully, while others not –depending on several scientific or medical explanations reached after comprehensive analysis of a given developmental disorder or problem.
Depending on the dimension one presents him self in, he or she should be ready to tell us -as to what extent have the successes been. The cultured ones could, for example, talk of cultural development rather than its degeneration. The politicians could, on the other hand, most likely, think of political development -mainly about how long they have stayed in power and the many years to come -celebrating comfortable status quo. And so would be the economists, medical personnel, religious leaders among others –in their attempt to measure success and attain it as by their sector missions.
Here, thus, is a revelation that sub-systems interact within a system in a given period of time, and positive trends observed or felt –showing progressive shifts from one positive step to a more advanced one. The sub-systems would tend to work at equal efforts towards change, where in absence of any part, progress would stall, turn slower.
Of course these sub-systems could be natural by their existence such that they evolve into something strange again and again, especially if one was not involved and keenly observed such changes as he or she ensured checks and balances. Lack of human involvement and extreme aggression tendencies could break the balance, and at an increased likelihood, lead to a disaster –as part of system break down.
Indeed, unless equal effort was placed about a human and/or ecological challenges, problems like un-balanced development-led violence or unequal amount of influence-led aggression-potency, human aggression-led famine and drought, religious and cultural break down-led out-of-control immorality etcetera.
Understandably, development, as well, could be viewed in terms of perceptually different out-looks considerable as indicators of development and positive strides taken over time along specifics and/or specialized schemes people often form. We would then be required to divide the resultants of people’s quests by the nature of effort incurred.
It is important to note that some people could develop poor philosophies, dangerous beliefs, self-defeating principles and anti-development ideas –while others form positively rewarding values and ethics of work applicable to achieving positive development.
Any misjudgment in the areas of decision and policy making could, as a consequence, lead to misery in different forms. For example; extremism-related violence, socio-economic structural break-down, positive cultural and moral erosion, population explosion-led scarcities, environmental pollution and out-of control pandemics.
Using words likes intellectual poverty and behavioral poverty –as used by renowned authors like Professor John C. Munene, would not only explain development paralysis but also help summarize all about the relationship between specific perceptions and development.
Looking at the basics that determine welfare like having positive attitude to development (as could have been learnt from fore-fathers or inherited), successes attained against poverty, social support (richly obtainable from health family relations, friends, and international partnerships), social services and infrastructure (including provision of clean water, health services, good transport networks etcetera), and pro-people legislations and policies (that empowers people with practical knowledge and skills through education and/or vocational training): development challenges could be managed.
In bid to address key development problems, important steps determined by policy analysts could be taken -to ensure human and ecological security or survival. Research, for instance, would be an important area that could be exploitable to help solve human and ecological problems and as a basis for policy formulation processes.
Besides, promotion of education has been linked by several authors as one way to delay marriages and subsequently early or unwanted pregnancies. Real education would also help dissolve self-destructive cultures for the better ones. Unfortunately, some people do waste a considerable number of years in schools and colleges without ever learning anything –mush as they might have scored highly in tests and exams.
As the saying would go, “an educated fool could be harder to transform than the uneducated.” They (uneducated fools), surely, could be a source of lasting underdevelopment firstly to themselves, and later, to the community. Definitely, such elements should never be given attention and room to stand in the way of development.
Much though the communities approach to development could hardly leave them behind. World over people are complaining of high food prices and recession. If these were held concerns under communities approach to development, probably, the population pressure-led land conflicts, environmental and reproductive health problems would be checked.
But poverty could limit one’s ambitions like attainment high education. This too could be addressed through initiatives as upgrading farming systems, repairing roads for market accessibility and expanding vocational and entrepreneurship training for those who need it. Meanwhile, it would be injustice to leave out the vulnerable or special needs category. National resources and planning authority must consider them. And of course, gender-wise, mutual respect should be the rule.
In any intervention by development planners, government and non-government organizations, a community (ies) approach would be best used -without biases linked political inclinations, tribe, sex or race. Community problems –be it at international level could be addressed concertedly to get comprehensive results. People or countries, whether small or big must, thus, be mobilized against development distracters in the name of anti-development people, diseases, ignorance and poverty.
In addition, policies and legislations must be development-friendly, while sustainability at every developmental step gets taken as a value -in order to create a human-ecological balance for future generation to survive. In fact, man must co-exist with natural environment, while ensuring, concern, understanding, responsibility and particularly renewability of resources under utilization.
Community participation and mobilization should, therefore, not serve as merely vehicle for political support and individual achievement. Instead, be understood as multifaceted lines of engagement that may have to do with economic development, socio-cultural development, health human and environment sustainable interaction determined by choice and decision making.
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