The unspoken skills

Government and business organizations have acknowledged the need for training to uplift the skills of their employees, but many of these learnerships and training programmes neglect the fundamental understanding of integration of the diverse cultures in the workplace. We need to acknowledge the many sound management principles that originate elsewhere but we need to increasingly acknowledge South Africa's diversity and its social and business culture. This is critical for oganizational effectiveness and for managers and staff to understand the cultural and behavioural context in which they are developing their approach to business in the 21st century.

We particularly need to look at the importance of self and how we interact with others, and towards developing our skills to improve our lives through knowledge and understanding. Assertiveness in the workplace which is a difficult concept for many cultures to adopt, and the role of communication both non-verbal, verbal and when using modern technology, needs to be acknowledged. The unspoken rules of business and social etiquette are not embedded knowledge for everyone.

National and international protocols should form part of every company's Induction Programme and to compliment any companies' Code of Good Conduct.