People with different value systems that cause conflict in the workplace?
What are some examples of people from different cultures that have different value systems that work in the same company, and these different value systems become a potential cause for conflict in the workplace?
My ex was a Jewish woman who was a manager at a company, and she had a coworker who was a devoutly Muslim fellow from Palestine. He absolutely ABHORRED working under her and would arbitrarily disobey her because he couldn’t stand the notion of having a boss who was not only a woman, but a Jewish woman at that. There were a couple other Muslims who worked there who told him to chill out, but he refused. He even went to HR and said that he simply couldn’t obey her because his religion forbade it, which was of course shot down. Ultimately he got fired because his work was godawful, and they were basically paying him to come in and be angry and do nothing all day.
My family is Scandanavian, and we tend to be *very* dry. VERY dry. In addition, I was raised in a military household, so the only time that there was a ton of emotion in my house was when my E5 dad barked at me for doing something wrong. I was conditioned culturally (from the Scandanavian side and the military dad) that when I did something wrong and was chewed out, I stand there, deadpan, wait to answer, and answer in a clear, honest sentence.
At work, you’re generally expected to apologize profusely and gush about how wrong you were and you won’t do it again: I can’t do this. It doesn’t come naturally.
BOSS: *looks at watch* "Ten minutes? Jeez Tristan, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago! What’s going on?"
ME: "Sorry, sir. I got down to the subway just as the train was pulling away, and the next train had to sit on the tracks for a few minutes; I’m not sure why."
BOSS: "…that’s your excuse?"
ME: "It’s not an excuse sir, it’s what happened."
BOSS: *gets more upset and frustrated* "Ten minutes, Tristan. And see, this is what gets me: you just – you just don’t care. Look at you! You just stand there and you’re like ‘oh I missed the subway, sorry.’ You just don’t care!"
I *do* care, and I ended up explaining to my boss why I’m completely dry: I prefer to admit why, accept whatever may come, and move on, rather than be completely fake and act all drippy when I’m not.
Recommended Reading
- Conflict in Workplace: Your Good People Quit
- how personality is a component in many workplace conflicts?
- Do You Have an Innovative Organization?
- Diversity. What does it Really Mean?
- The Complete Guide to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
My ex was a Jewish woman who was a manager at a company, and she had a coworker who was a devoutly Muslim fellow from Palestine. He absolutely ABHORRED working under her and would arbitrarily disobey her because he couldn’t stand the notion of having a boss who was not only a woman, but a Jewish woman at that. There were a couple other Muslims who worked there who told him to chill out, but he refused. He even went to HR and said that he simply couldn’t obey her because his religion forbade it, which was of course shot down. Ultimately he got fired because his work was godawful, and they were basically paying him to come in and be angry and do nothing all day.
My family is Scandanavian, and we tend to be *very* dry. VERY dry. In addition, I was raised in a military household, so the only time that there was a ton of emotion in my house was when my E5 dad barked at me for doing something wrong. I was conditioned culturally (from the Scandanavian side and the military dad) that when I did something wrong and was chewed out, I stand there, deadpan, wait to answer, and answer in a clear, honest sentence.
At work, you’re generally expected to apologize profusely and gush about how wrong you were and you won’t do it again: I can’t do this. It doesn’t come naturally.
BOSS: *looks at watch* "Ten minutes? Jeez Tristan, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago! What’s going on?"
ME: "Sorry, sir. I got down to the subway just as the train was pulling away, and the next train had to sit on the tracks for a few minutes; I’m not sure why."
BOSS: "…that’s your excuse?"
ME: "It’s not an excuse sir, it’s what happened."
BOSS: *gets more upset and frustrated* "Ten minutes, Tristan. And see, this is what gets me: you just – you just don’t care. Look at you! You just stand there and you’re like ‘oh I missed the subway, sorry.’ You just don’t care!"
I *do* care, and I ended up explaining to my boss why I’m completely dry: I prefer to admit why, accept whatever may come, and move on, rather than be completely fake and act all drippy when I’m not.
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