Culture shock is a pretty common issue in businesses that is tended to be overlooked. It occurs when people move to another country or face a new culture, which leads to confusion, anxiety, shock, astonishment, or feeling of uncertainty (Segal et al., 2021). Its importance does not have to be overlooked: it affects individuals and big organizations. It has many effects on business: it influences the level of productivity, effectiveness, and communication.
Productivity will drop due to a lack of understanding and cooperation. If workers do not understand each other’s culture, argue, and are not able to compromise, they will not do their work properly. Although ethnic diversity leads to a higher level of company success, workers have to unite and move toward goals together. Thus, misunderstanding can severely affect productivity, evoked by cultural shock.
Effectiveness is an essential thing in the business industry, which influences the outcome of the work. It can also be affected by this factor: “there is less efficiency in the business if the business culture is not understood” (All Answers Ltd, 2018). Diversity in workers is precious in business; however, the result will never be sufficient if they do not cooperate and use their cultural differences as a privilege.
Poor communication can occur when people lack understanding, respect, empathy, and other substantial feelings for each other. When cultures are not considered and respected, there can occur a “breakdown of communication” (All Answers Ltd, 2018). Building sustainable and kind relationships with respect and profound understanding between workers is fundamental for a company not to lose its productivity, effectiveness, and money.
In conclusion, culture shock has many effects on business: it influences the level of productivity, effectiveness, and communication. It can make a business less profitable and workers more unsatisfied with their work environment. This is a crucial issue in the industry that does not have to be overlooked and managed when it occurs for a good outcome and company’s success.
References
Effect of culture shock in the work environment. (2018). Web.
Segal, T., Khartit, K., Jackson, A. (2021). Culture shock. Investopedia. Web.