Cultural Capabilities and Safe Spaces

Cultural capabilities and safe spaces go hand in hand. The way that a person approaches issues in any given field dictates if space will be safe or not. In layman’s language, the cultural capability can be termed as the ability to have the skills and competence to deal with issues in a way that is respectful and friendly. With cultural capabilities, it becomes easier for a person to deliver services in line with the needs of the people who need the services. Possessing cultural capabilities fosters a safe space, and this is because cultural capabilities help one to consider the cultures of others as well as their emotions and feelings (Spiers, 1979). Safe space is an environment where each person feels as part and parcel of the larger society. In a safe space, discrimination and stereotyping do not take place.

The report is aimed at looking into the video and identifying issues that are associated with cultural capabilities and safe spaces (Spiers, 1979). The report will state if the people involved demonstrate their possession of cultural capabilities and if the environment is safe for the people who are either receiving services or holding dialogues with the characters involved.

The focus of the report will be on the video; Handling Complaints. The scene that will be focused on is where the receptionist is offering service to both the woman and man customer (Spiers, 1979). From the perspective of the service provider, space is safe, and this is because she is not exposed to any discrimination or abuse.

Summary of the Video Clip

The video clip that has been used in this case is Fawlty Towers, Communication Problems, Handling Complaints, Season 2 Episode 1 (BBC Television program) which was released back in 1979. The video takes the workplace setting and to be specific in a hotel. The area of operation in a hotel that has been highlighted is the front office where the customers check in and check out of the hotel. To enhance the understanding of the viewer, the setting of the scene has been matched with that of an actual hotel (Spiers, 1979). Also, the producer has included the activity of checking out a customer which is not relevant to the case but helps the viewer to have an idea of the setting as well as the activities that take place in the setting. The video clip has only mentioned the main characters who are Polly and Manuel (Spiers, 1979). Polly is the lady who offers services to the customers who are checking in and checking out of the hotel at the front office. Manuel is the attendant of the customers who make sure that the customers are helped to access their rooms. Other characters in the video clip have been addressed as ladies and gentlemen.

The video clip exposes an environment that is safe for the customers, and this is because Polly demonstrates that she has cultural capabilities that help her to deliver services in line with the needs of the customers. Polly is however faced with the challenge of dealing with a woman who seems to have no regard for other customers at the hotel. Polly tries to make sure that she is of service to all customers and that shows that she was culturally competent. At the same time, she does not use offensive language to the woman who is stubborn, and that shows that she creates a safe environment for all customers. The table below demonstrates the cultural intelligence of Polly;

Analysis of the Video Scenario

Table 1

Scene	physical factors	Communication	Signs of inclusion	Display
When the woman checks in	Space is safe, and the woman is not rushed out or chased	Polly tells her to wait	Polly acknowledges the woman but requests her to wait	Culturally intelligent
When the woman asks for change	Space is safe, and the woman is not rushed out or chased	Polly asks permission from the current customer	Polly asks permission from the current customer	Culturally intelligent
When the woman asks to be served	Space is safe, and the woman is not rushed out or chased	Polly refers the woman to Manuel	Polly refers the woman to Manuel	Culturally intelligent

 Analysis

The video clip can be divided into three different scenes which will be analyzed to dictate if the space was safe or not (Sparke & Mitchell, 2017). The first scene is where Polly is offering services to the customers who are checking in. When the video clip begins, Polly is working alongside the boss, and she is attending to other men who are checking in the hotel. Each of the men comes with the expectations of being served and it is evident that each gentleman is served with all respect and dignity (Sharp, McAllister, & Broadbent, 2016). Space is safe for every customer, and this is because of the type of services that Polly is offering to the customers.

In respect to the first scene, there are different factors that prove that space is safe. The first factor is associated with the tone that Polly uses when she is offering services. The tone that a service provider uses has the power to distort or affect the safety of the space. When the service provider is rude, space is not safe. Looking at the way that Polly is serving the men who are checking in, it is evident that she is not rude (Network, 2016). Polly uses the words “gentleman” and “thank you,” and these are the words that show etiquette and respect to the person who is receiving the services. At the same time, the tone of Polly is low, and she uses a friendly tone to address the customers. Polly also makes sure that there is order in the front office. Despite the fact that Polly is serving several customers, she makes sure that each customer feels as part and parcel of the important customers. The approach that a service provider takes when he or she is about to serve the customers determine if space will be safe or not (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005). For example, when one takes an approach that shows that he or she does not value the customer, the environment might not be as safe as it is supposed to be.

A person who is culturally competent serves people with all decency, and he or she is careful when it comes to his or her choice of words (Mitchell & Sparke, 2018). He or she fits in the shoes of the customers in one way or another. Polly has demonstrated that she is careful with what comes out of her mouth. She is decent and handles the customers in a professional way (Shin, 2005). The customers that seek the services of Polly might be different in age and genders, but she has demonstrated that she can handle all customers equally. As a result, space has been safe, and all customers have been served the way they deserve.

The second scene is when the woman asks for the change. In the process of serving the gentleman, the woman demands a change. Polly takes it upon herself to explain to the woman that there is a man who is receiving her service at the moment. The language that Polly uses is friendly because she does not neglect the man to serve the woman, but instead, she explains to the woman that she is serving another person (Holley & Steiner, 2005). Creating a safe environment is fostered by the aspect of trying to make sure that conflicts are alienated. Polly takes it upon herself to ask for permission from the man that she is serving to attend to the woman with the hope that the woman will leave them in peace (Hunter, 2008). Therefore, in this respect, it is evident that Polly tries to create a space that is safe.

Recommendations

The third scene is when Polly checks in the woman and hands her the keys to her room. Despite Polly being introduced to a culture that she feels that is strange, she still serves the worm with respect. Considering the disturbance that the woman brings to the hotel, it is likely for Polly to be angry and utter words which might be offensive (Flanja, 2009). However, Polly keeps her calm and serves the woman as if there was no conflict between them. In this respect, it is evident that Polly creates a safe environment despite the fact that the woman has already proven to be chaotic.

From the perspective of the service provider, there is no doubt that the space is safe. The reason for associating the environment with the service provider is because she is the one with the capability to control what happens around the hotel (Brislin, Worthley, & Macnab, 2006). Different aspects have made the environment safe, and they are all tied to Polly. The first aspect is the power of intercultural communication. Polly was exposed to a scenario where another woman depicted a culture that could make the environment unsafe, but she was careful to make sure that the culture of the woman is contained (Andersson, 2015). Empathy is evident, and that is Polly shows concern when the male customer asks for direction to reach a destination that he does not know about. The body language that Polly uses shows that she is motivated to make the environment safe. She keeps calm all the time regardless of the situation.

Conclusion

The safety of any space can be controlled and dictate by the people who are responsible for offering services. The cultural capabilities come in place to make sure that a person is able to deal with people from a different culture without offending them in any way. The video has demonstrated that when a person has the cultural capabilities, he or she is in the best position to make sure that space is safe. The way Polly has handled the customers at the hotel has shown that she has the cultural capabilities that are essential to maintain the safety of space.

References

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