VI. Creative Assignment Focus on Culture
Read Steve’s chapter insert, and answer all the questions posed. Then write a one-page reflection on what you think about the issue and how it pertains to your communication experience. Please refer to at least THREE concepts from the chapter in your response.
THE MODEL MINORITY MYTH
Karen Chan had worked in the finance department of a midsize retail chain for seven years when a new supervisor was hired. Karen was shocked when he talked about her ethnicity.
“My boss would make comments like, ‘I can always count on you to get the budget right, because I know Asians are good with numbers.’”
Her supervisor’s downward communication began to influence the perception of other department heads, who sought Karen’s input on complicated financial questions. “I actually majored in English, and when I chose finance as a career, it wasn’t because I was a quantitative expert. I knew I had an eye for detail, and I appreciated the foundation finance would provide for a long-term career in business.”
Chan decided to confront her boss. She quickly learned that her boss was behaving out of ignorance. “He didn’t mean to deliberately hurt me, but I didn’t want him to continue doing it. I may want to make a switch to operations or marketing, and my boss’s comments were cornering me into a finance career within the firm.”
They both agreed to communicate about these slips as they occurred.
Many Asian Americans, like Chan, are victims of the model minority myth, the belief that certain immigrant groups have overcome all the barriers to success and are self-effacing, reliable, hardworking, and technically proficient (Asian American Career Center, n.d.; Hyun, 2005). Writer Jane Hyun (2005) of the NAACP encourages workers who feel they are being stereotyped as “model minorities” to discuss the matter directly with their supervisors, much as Karen Chan did.
Importantly, you should not try to combat the stereotype by acting irresponsible, loud, or wild. Most employers value workers who are reliable, hardworking, and technically proficient, so you don’t want to behave in ways contrary to these attributes.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• How does your culture shape your supervisors’ downward communication with you?
• What impact does this communication have on your work? On your workplace satisfaction?
• How do the stereotypes you possess shape your downward communication with subordinates?
Film: The Exam
8
candidates for a top job for a mysterious company gather in a
windowless room after having surpassed some previous levels. They are
sat in front of a piece of paper which in one sides says "candidate
1", "candidate 2", et cetera. The invigilator (Colin
Salmon) arrives, and gives out the rules for the test: inside the
room, there'll be no other law that what the company's rules, and -
as it's a very important company, it'll be able to do whatever it
wants -, the candidates cannot try to communicate with the
invigilator himself or with the guard, they cannot spoil the paper
and they cannot leave the room for any reason. If they break any of
the rules, they would be disqualified. The test would consist in
answering only one very simple question. The invigilator asks the
candidates whether they have any questions, he sets the clock at 80
minutes and leaves the room. 
Please read the assignment carefully and write a good paragraph in response to each of the questions, referring to at least ONE concept in each of the paragraphs.
What elements of the communication process influence the participants’ communication the most?
What strategies do they use to deal with uncertainty?
What organizational climate issues they have to deal with?
What cliques do they form, and how does this help/not help them?
What lessons can you draw from the film to use in your own life?