Interview Assignment: GUIDE and Grading Rubric

This assignment helps you focus on an important course goal—identification of cultural values and how they may influence communication expectations, including what happens in the workplace. Homework 2, the interview of someone with a cultural background different than yours, adds to your sense of inclusion and helps you understand more about diversity within culture.  This assignment helps you avoid stereotyping or being “politically correct”.  For these reasons, this Guide is longer.  Print a copy.

Assignment Actions:

1. Select Interviewee
2. Complete your interview using the 2 surveys; complete another set of surveys for yourself.
3. Upload survey results for both your interviewee and yourself to the LEO Homework 2 link. Survey 2 data will be used to develop comparison tables (charts) for insertion into your essay.
4. Use Questions on page 2 of this Guide to draft your essay.
6. Submit to Writing Coach if you wish (optional). Use LEO Assignment “DRAFT” link for Homework 2 for work with the Writing Coach.
7. Upload final version of your essay to LEO Assignment link, Homework 2 (Interview)

Select Interviewee—Do so carefully to maximize points earned

Prepare yourself to do an interview of a colleague, whose early life/childhood was spent in a very different location.  For instance, if you lived your early childhood in Nigeria, then interview a colleague or friend from the Caribbean or the USA–or somewhere else.  Do not interview someone from Nigeria.  If you were born in the US, then ask a work or classmate from Nigeria, or the Caribbean or a place other than the USA.   If you are a part of a family that immigrated to the US, interview someone who is notfrom the country of your family or from a country within the same global region.

Aim to avoid interviewing a person from a different area of the US, if you consider the USA culture to be your primary culture.  Yes, regions of the US vary, but you will find it harder to complete the comparison of cultures needed for the assignment.

If you are in the military or with a contracting group, and have a top security clearance, thenemail me to discuss your interview plans.  I understand that you have clearance reporting requirements that must be managed.

Do not interview your boss or someone you supervise—the existing work relationships make it difficult to complete the assignment.

Do not interview a very close friend (or your spouse/live-in) because you are likely to skip some ideas due to being familiar.

Consider choosing a classmate in this course.  You then can exchange interview information quickly.  Note:  Interviewing a classmate is not required.  Neither will a classmate interview influence your assignment or course grade.  Assignment grades are independent.

Do NOT complete your interview by email.  Use f2f, phone or an online chat.  (LEO has a personal chat option).

Your choice of interviewee is important to being successful in this assignment.  If you have questions about the differences between your childhood location and the person you are thinking about interviewing, then send me an email (linda.smith@umuc.edu)

Questions/Steps to help you write your essay (paper)

Each of the steps can be a section of the essay.

1. What is the background of your interviewee? Describe his or her ideas about career advancement, family, and economic status.  (Use Survey 1 answers.  Survey 1 is found on page 5 of this guide).  Summarize survey replies as notes.
2. What is your background? Describe your ideas for career advancement, family and economic status. (Repeat Survey 1, but insert your replies).  Summarize survey replies as notes.
3. How are you and your interviewee similar in backgrounds? Is there a major difference?  What? Summarize similarities and differences.
4. Use Survey 2 is found on page 7 of this Guide. Use data to make a table (chart) of cultural categories.  See example of the table on page 12 of this Guide. Insert table into your essay, and then compare.  Based on comparison of cultural categories, how are you and your interviewee similar? Different?  If a comparison surprises you, write about that observation. Write 2 or more paragraphs to compare cultural categories.
5. Insert a computer snapshot of Hofstede Website showing comparison of countries: your interviewee’s country to yours.  See example on page 13 of this Guide.  Review comparison of country cultures.  Use the questions below to help you write a section analyzing the Hofstede data.

• What is the cultural category that is most similar in score?
• What would you do to use that common ground in managing?

• What is the cultural category that is most different?
• What would you do to manage that category’s difference?

1. Option: Given the information you now have about cultural values—your interviewee’s,  yours, Hofstede’s research,  what are 2 ideas or interpretations you now have that you would use to manage the interviewee?  Write an essay section.

Taking the action steps and answering the questions above “A” through “F”, make up the main sections of your essay.