In this assignment, I will discuss my preparation techniques in order to spend time among other cultures, customs and courtesies learned in order to enhance relationships while in contact with them, and how this influenced functions of my organization. Emotional intelligence as well as language and cultural skills are necessary to build the continuity, competence, and habitual relationships so critical in military operations with partner nations. However, the pace of training and deployments makes it a challenge to fully understand and adapt to other cultures. In order to truly understand them, research must be conducted long before the initial meet and greet during a deployment or exercise. In 2009 there was a surge of troops in Afghanistan
…show more content…
Upon arriving in Afghanistan, our methods of grooming were well received by our allies and they joked about how we looked like them. However, I found no better way to learn and share knowledge with other cultural members than spending time together. Daft (2016) points out the fact that “each country has its own history, culture, laws, and regulatory system” (p.223). These challenges forced us to learn a vast amount while overseas but there were three things that resonated with me and had lasting effects upon my organization. Language adaptation and proficiency is vital in all facets of life, from meetings to battlefield operations. This justified members of my organization to attend Arabic language classes and become familiar with local terminology of areas they would be deploying to. Secondly, dressing like locals and using weaponry of partner nation military forces enhanced their trust in us and increased interchangeability of personnel. This led my organization to incorporate weapon training, such as familiarization with the AK-47 assault rifle that is used by the Afghan National Army, and broaden uniform issue while stateside. Lastly, the Afghan culture relied heavily on elders, some in their 70’s and 80’s, to lead village “shuras” or meetings to share their wisdom with the community. While spending time in their land, it was perplexing to them why we had military officers whom were only in their twenties and thirties. We explained our rank structure and chain of command, but still we encountered resistance due to age. Therefore we recruited older members of our organization to represent us at these meetings, passing along our strategies and plans briefed to them beforehand. We also passed this information back stateside, and to a certain extent, we only deployed
Upon arriving in Afghanistan, our methods of grooming were well received by our allies and they joked about how we looked like them. However, I found no better way to learn and share knowledge with other cultural members than spending time together. Daft (2016) points out the fact that “each country has its own history, culture, laws, and regulatory system” (p.223). These challenges forced us to learn a vast amount while overseas but there were three things that resonated with me and had lasting effects upon my organization. Language adaptation and proficiency is vital in all facets of life, from meetings to battlefield operations. This justified members of my organization to attend Arabic language classes and become familiar with local terminology of areas they would be deploying to. Secondly, dressing like locals and using weaponry of partner nation military forces enhanced their trust in us and increased interchangeability of personnel. This led my organization to incorporate weapon training, such as familiarization with the AK-47 assault rifle that is used by the Afghan National Army, and broaden uniform issue while stateside. Lastly, the Afghan culture relied heavily on elders, some in their 70’s and 80’s, to lead village “shuras” or meetings to share their wisdom with the community. While spending time in their land, it was perplexing to them why we had military officers whom were only in their twenties and thirties. We explained our rank structure and chain of command, but still we encountered resistance due to age. Therefore we recruited older members of our organization to represent us at these meetings, passing along our strategies and plans briefed to them beforehand. We also passed this information back stateside, and to a certain extent, we only deployed