Workplace Rituals

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the interaction between people in the workplace and focuses on some of the rituals taken for granted such as conversational rituals which can lead to cross-cultural misunderstanding. It also looks at the different ways that men and women actually function within the workplace and hints that the workplace of the future, presuming it becomes more diverse, will continue to experience differences in how each subset of individuals operates within it.

From the Paper:

"One common ritual, discussed at length by Tannen, is uttering the words "I'm sorry," in instances when no apology is necessary. This is often viewed as a self-deprecating type of saying because it pins blame on oneself in an attempt to make the other person feel better. Tannen points out studies that have indicated that women and men tend to use this conversational ritual differently: "Holmes found that women uttered the most apologies to other women and far fewer to men, while men uttered very few to other men and slightly more to women," (Tannen 47). This is a clue into the different ways that men and women actually function within the workplace, and a hint that the workplace of the future, presuming it becomes more diverse, will continue to experience differences in how each subset of individuals operates within it. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Byrd-Blake, Marie. "Female Perspectives on Career Advancement." Advancing Women in Leadership, spring 2004. Available: www.advancingwomen.com/spring2004/BYRD_BLAKE.
• Judy, Richard W. Workforce 2020. New York: Hudson Institute, 1997.
• Tannen, Deborah. Talking from 9 to 5. New York: William Morrow, 1994.

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