Outsider Culture

The definition of culture in this context can be deducted from Trompenaars (1998): “The essence of culture is not what is visible on the surface. It is the shared ways groups of people understand and interpret the world.” (p. 3). From this statement we can extract that people with different cultures see and interpret the world in their own way. Thus, to motivate employees with different cultural backgrounds it is necessary to understand the interpretation the employees have of certain norms and values.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable? Do you feel like an outsider? Myself, being an outsider, has made me realize society does not appreciate the reasons why we are different. We need to embrace who we are and celebrate what makes us an individual. As high school and college students, many feel pressured into being accepted such as being religious and also being pressured into being in an unhealth relationship such as an age gap.

All Organisations posses a distinct form of culture with some having more than a single culture. This culture is usually very difficult to measure, change and most especially change.

The reading did provide a description of the custom and norms, but I do not know how accurate it was. I have not been to Costa Rica nor have I learned about the Nacirema, but I am certain that Latin American cultures have a strong belief in the supernatural. I believe that the description was accurate. I would however like to do more research before deciding how accurate the descriptions of the norms and customs were. While the text mentions several rituals, I do not feel I fully understand them in their entirety, but it did provide the reader with a bit of insight on the culture of the Nacirema. But I do believe it does accurately state what the norms and customs are of the Nacirema.

Argument Essay Humans strive to fit into a world cluttered with chaos and disorder. Disasters such as wars have started over arguments from someone with a different perspective. Everyone has experienced the feeling of being an outsider at least once, whether it's through having a different opinion or the experiences they've gone through. Webster's Dictionary defines an outsider as, a person who doesn't belong to a particular group. The experience of being an outsider is universal because everyone has gone through experiences that have made them feel like an outsider and everyone’s viewpoints are different from one another.

Outsiders are those who are misjudged and misunderstood. They are misjudged and misunderstood because people in our world can not accept people who are different from themselves. Also people have certain expectations for people. The last reason is that people come from different backgrounds. They are raised differently, so that has an affect on how they are.

No matter where one goes on this dismal chunk of rock, one will probably encounter an outsider. In high school lunchrooms there is always at least one poor, sad teenager who has the unlucky seat next to the trash can. In parks and school playgrounds there is always that one melancholy kid that provides a stark contrast from the joyful shouts and screams coming from the other playing children. The experience of being an outsider is an inescapable universal condition that can be caused through social class, appearance, or other factors.

Almost every organization, whether public or private, on paper or in practice, has a culture that fairly dictates its everyday functioning. The term culture has many

Culture within an organisation is a system of shared values, beliefs and norms of individuals in the organisation and how the value consensus creates a way in which people behave. The shared values have a strong influence on the individuals in the organisation and dictates how a person acts, dresses and performs in their job. A unique culture is developed and maintained by an organisation which provides guidelines and boundaries, through informal means, for the behaviour of the people within the organisation.

In our world, almost everyone can be grouped as either an outsider or an insider; they may lose insider status, but one’s society makes it nearly impossible to lose outsider status. This theme is represented in Nathanial Hawthorns novel, The Scarlet Letter, as well as the articles, “The First White President,” by Ta-Nehesi Coates, and “American Schools Are Failing Nonconformist Kids, Here’s How” by Elizabeth Weil. Some may disagree with the idea that culture reinforces one’s stutus, as shown in Weil’s article’s support of the idea that society could change the struggling students state of being an outsider. In reality, one’s status is directly caused by their society, for example in The Scarlet Letter, Hester is demoted to the outside when she violates the strict Puritan doctrine, which prohibits adultery. Similarly, Coate’s article tells that his society’s support of the white supremacist leader, President Donald Trump, is a major contribution to African American’s permanent outsider status. In all, as shown in these sources, it can be seen that the zeitgeist of the people in a particular period has a profound effect on people’s classification as an insider or an outsider.

An organization’s culture shapes the attitudes and behaviors of its employees by defining boundaries, providing a sense of identity and stability. It also establishes a standard in regards to what employees should say and do. Culture can be transmitted via stories, rituals, material symbols and language. Culture within an organization is no exception.

The fourth chapter in the textbook focuses entirely on culture. Culture is defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization, and can be categorized in two different ways: folk and popular. Folk culture is shared usually by a smaller group of similar people, and diffuses slowly with limited connections (Rubenstein, 2014, 108). A classic example of Folk culture in Spain would be the

An insider would have greater awareness and discernment of the internal cultural elements and subcultures within an organization. Furthermore, an insider would know how organizational activities interweave and how members interact. Within an organization, a tenured insider would also understand what underlying values, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions are important. In comparison, an outsider would have an insufficient awareness level of underlying cultural values simply due to the nature of being external to the organization. Although, by interpreting the visible elements an outsider may be able to determine what underlying cultural attributes are important to an organization. In observing the visible symbols, dress codes, structure, power relationships, and other tangibles of culture, an outsider would be able to see the social system and activities in action. As a result, an outsider would also be exposed to underlying organizational culture. Consequently, the outsider would then be able to discern if the internal

Although there is no standard definition of culture, the term has been embedded in human history. Terpstra and David (1991) define culture as members of a society with similar ideas, customs and social behaviours that distinguishes one group from another. Their work identifies several characteristics that make up culture, it is imperative that members should have a unified set of values and beliefs towards a common purpose where lessons are learnt and passed on from one generation to the next. Culture can be unique and used to differentiate one group from another and that it’s established to provide solutions to challenges that all individuals face. Furthermore, evidence suggests that cultural differences are becoming increasingly more apparent in todays current economic climate for organisations and the extent that local norms and values

Culture is made up of a number of building blocks, which provide a much fuller understanding than what is distinctly national (Wild and Wild 2016, p.73). These components are: aesthetics, values and attitudes, manners and customs, social structure, religion, personal communication, education and, physical and material environments (Wild and Wild 2016, p.73). Values are ideas and beliefs to which people have an emotional attachment; they affect work ethic and materialism (Wild and Wild 2016, p.74). Attitudes are influenced by underlying values and are positive or negative reactions towards ideas or objects (Wild and Wild 2016, p.74). Attitudes are more flexible than values and often change over time as people mature and have different experiences. Aesthetics are what a culture considers good taste in the arts. It includes the use of colour, symbols and materials (Wild and Wild 2016, p.74). Manners involve what are considered appropriate ways of dressing, speaking, and behaving in a certain culture (Wild and Wild 2016, p.75). It is of particular importance when conducting international business. Customs are specific patterns of behaviour in particular circumstances, which have been passed down through the generations of a culture (Wild and Wild 2016, p.75). Customs may either be from folk culture or from popular culture (Wild and Wild 2016, p.75). Social Structure represents the primary organisational system of a culture, encompassing social groups, social status, and