Becoming Interculturally Proficient When you talk about culture, you often make generalizations about a group of people. The major types of generalizations most people make fall into three categories: stereotypes, prototypes, and prejudices. To become culturally proficient, you need to recognize when you’re making assumptions about people and what type of assumptions you’re making. Choose the type of generalization being discussed. are perspectives that change when presented with fresh experiences. In order to avoid making rigid or ill-founded generalizations about a culture, you should practice tolerance and empathy. These attitudes are critical in a multicultural workforce. Which of the following characteristics are examples of tolerance or empathy? Check all that apply. Insistency Open-mindedness Distrust Rigidity Compromise Trust Part of being a tolerant and empathetic person is respecting how cultural differences motivate people to behave in different ways. Economic factors, for example, tend to be the main driving force behind North American businesspeople, but the desire to preserve image and social harmony often motivates businesspeople in high-context cultures. When people act or speak in a manner to maintain image or social harmony, they are saving face. Consider the concept of saving face when you read the following scenario, and then answer the question. You are reviewing a prototype refrigeration system developed by a Mexican manufacturing firm. The firm is eager to do business with your company, but you find that the prototype doesn’t meet safety standards. You feel the system needs further development, but the company’s representative, Mr. Lopez, keeps hinting that they’d like to start shipping soon. In this situation, which approach would you take to allow Mr. Lopez to save face? Explain that safety is a major concern to Western consumers; as a result, you won’t be able to do business with them yet. Explain that the system doesn’t currently meet Western safety standards, but you might be interested in it if they address those concerns. Explain that, given time, their product could fill your needs and that you are looking forward to more of their safety test results.