It is often argued that working in a multinational company is an ideal way to understand foreign cultures. Frimly, I partly disagree with this opinion.
On the one hand, there are many benefits of being employed at an international company in enhancing knowledge of other cultures. Firstly, daily interaction with employees from different countries helps people understand their customs and values. This is because these conversations help people absorb cultural norms without going to an official class. This improves their awareness of the employee’s desires in communications, so that they can avoid some awkward mistakes and build trust with the team. Secondly, each culture has an approach to work and other difficulties, so this is the way to broaden one’s worldview. By the way, looking at their employee solving their problems, people can understand cultural backgrounds. As a result, this helps them make better decisions and avoid conflict in a team.
On the other hand, there are other solutions that bring knowledge about the foreign culture in total. The one solution is traveling or living abroad. This is because it brings a more complete immersive experience, whereas the office environment just brings a more complete immersive experience. We can experience the local daily life, local food, and soon, that is a more authentic, day-to-day form of immersion. Another solution is learning foreign languages and literature. This is because language serves as a window into a culture’s values and history. This helps people understand cultural nuances clearly than in an office.
In conclusion, for the reasons I have mentioned above, I believe that learning about other cultures by working in an international office can be beneficial to some extent, but a range of alternative measures are effective in gaining insight into other cultures.