Cross Cultural Management in Singapore

Cross Cultural Management (BMGT2004S)

Assignment 1 – Individual Reflective Learning Journal

Living in a Multicultural Society: the Case of Singapore

Singapore is well known for her vibrant cosmopolitan population, and is usually described as a “multicultural kaleidoscope”. Besides the four major races – namely the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians, expatriates from countries as diverse as North America, Australia, China, and India contributes to Singapore’s multicultural composition.

Geert Hofstede defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes members of one human group from another” (Steers et al., 2013). Culture plays a vital role in many aspects of our lives. It affects the way we perform our jobs, our relationship with people and our view of authority and leaders.

Singapore often prides itself to be a harmonious and multicultural society, where there is little or no racism and discrimination. One of the government’s attempts to promote racial integration and prevent ethnic enclave formation is the Ethnic Integration Policy (Housing & Development Board, 2014), which warrants a balanced ethnic mix among the various ethnic communities living in public housing estates. Racial Harmony Day is also celebrated in schools to teach students to embrace diversities (Ministry of Education, Singapore, 2014).

However, being a Singaporean myself, I have observed that Singapore is a minefield of cultural sensitivities. It is easy for one to encounter misunderstandings and trigger negative emotions unintentionally, and experience anxieties and doubts of another culture. The media often broadcast more serious multiethnic issues such as riots in other countries, but this may cause Singaporeans to overlook on real and existing racial issues happening in our daily lives.

An American journalist, Walter Lippmann, first introduced the word “stereotype” as a representation for a mental image people form based on cultural...