Describe what is meant by acculturate and accommodate and what a ...

[clippers!]

Describe what is meant by acculturate and accommodate and what a supervisor must do to balance the two with respect to working with new team members?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Supervisors can reduce unsafe acts in all of the following ways EXCEPT by ________.
 
  A) listening to employee suggestions
  B) identifying employee interests and preferences
  C) involving workers in planning safety programs
  D) providing workers with comfortable protective equipment

[matt95]

Answer to Question 1

The leader of a culturally diverse team faces essentially two challenges when working with a team that has recently brought in new or different team members who are unfamiliar with or whose culturally background and preferences have not previously been represented within the existing team make-up: (1) Ensuring the new or different member will acculturate to team norms, expectations and values in order to be successful and contribute to team success; and (2) Ensuring the team will accommodate the new or different team member so that his or her unique values, ideas and perspectives contribute to team efforts and, as appropriate, influence change in how the team functions to achieve better results.
Any new team member is expected to acculturate sooner or later to team norms and expectations, particularly when these norms and expectations have proven successful for the team over time. While someone from a different culture may have different personal perspectives on some matters, some norms and expectations are non-negotiable and the new team member should be brought to an understanding of these issues in order to be successful.
On the other hand, without a team leader's sensitivity to how a new team member may contribute ideas and perspectives that will truly benefit the team, even if it will change the way the team functions, the team risks loosing the synergy it might otherwise achieve. Because existing team members have formed their own dominant culture, there can be a lot of pressure on new members simply to comply and bend to the team's unspoken, yet often inefficient and ineffective, rules. In contrast, if a team is open to new ideas that will result in positive change, it makes sense for the team to bend to accommodate the new member.
The team leader of a culturally diverse team is, then, challenged to manage a balance in the continuum between acculturating new members to ensure their success on the team and accommodate new members to ensure greater team success.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: B