Cross-Cultural Observation
Cross-Cultural Observation: Macy’s Department Store
In order to observe the interactions between individuals from different cultural background, my partner: Gina Nguyen and I went to the Macy’s department store, located downtown Boston. We selected this store because of the size and their reputation of having a diverse workforce. Gina and I started our observation at 3:30pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 and finished it at 4:20pm. We were observing the interactions between the coworkers, as well as the ones between the staff members and the customers.
Before we started our observation, we read the assignment together, just to make sure we were on the same page. After that we selected some spots in the store where we were able to observe the interactions between coworkers. First we went in the shoes section, where we found couches to sit on while observing a group of employees at the cashier. There were around six employees. For the second part of the observation we moved close to a fitting room, where we observed the interaction between two ladies. We also walked around the store, in search for more interaction between employees.
The main cultural differences I personally expected to identify and which I examined are: the employees approximate cultural background, the languages spoken, the attitudes towards coworkers, the emotional stage and the formality of the interactions. I tried to keep this in mind every time I noticed some type of interaction.
Just to put in perspective the information I am about to give you, I want to describe my first impression of the environment. The store seemed to be well organized, relaxed and friendly for the customers. I observed that there were employees at their stations ready to offer help to customers, which suggest the fact that there is a strong set of rules that they have to obey by. On my way to the first observation sight I passed by a number of employees which from my cultural judgment, were part of different
In order to observe the interactions between individuals from different cultural background, my partner: Gina Nguyen and I went to the Macy’s department store, located downtown Boston. We selected this store because of the size and their reputation of having a diverse workforce. Gina and I started our observation at 3:30pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 and finished it at 4:20pm. We were observing the interactions between the coworkers, as well as the ones between the staff members and the customers.
Before we started our observation, we read the assignment together, just to make sure we were on the same page. After that we selected some spots in the store where we were able to observe the interactions between coworkers. First we went in the shoes section, where we found couches to sit on while observing a group of employees at the cashier. There were around six employees. For the second part of the observation we moved close to a fitting room, where we observed the interaction between two ladies. We also walked around the store, in search for more interaction between employees.
The main cultural differences I personally expected to identify and which I examined are: the employees approximate cultural background, the languages spoken, the attitudes towards coworkers, the emotional stage and the formality of the interactions. I tried to keep this in mind every time I noticed some type of interaction.
Just to put in perspective the information I am about to give you, I want to describe my first impression of the environment. The store seemed to be well organized, relaxed and friendly for the customers. I observed that there were employees at their stations ready to offer help to customers, which suggest the fact that there is a strong set of rules that they have to obey by. On my way to the first observation sight I passed by a number of employees which from my cultural judgment, were part of different