REVISION AND PRACTICE
Week 6 — Quick Revision
On this page 7 headings
Start here Cross-cultural understanding and personal grooming, all on one page.
Culture
- Culture = shared beliefs, values, norms and practices of a group.
- It is passed down through generations and guides us subconsciously.
- We are born into a culture, not born with it. We take it in through socialisation.
- Notice three kinds of differences: physical (food, water, shops), sensory (sounds, smells, climate) and cultural (customs, manners, gestures).
- Observe, don’t judge. You don’t have to agree with another culture.
- Iceberg principle: above the water we see language, food, dress, customs. Below it are work, priorities, time, privacy, communication, problem solving, aggressiveness and process improvement.
Three traps
| Trap | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stereotyping | Using “mental files” to judge a group. Helpful if positive; harmful if you refuse new information. |
| Ethnocentrism | Believing my culture is better. Destructive when combined with stereotyping. |
| Parochialism | Narrow outlook; only local or regional. |
- Did the Pedestrian Die? (Trompenaars): family first or law first? Cultures think differently, and neither is wrong.
- Principles: people may not fit the stereotype; not every difference is cultural; know your own culture first; there are gradations, not extremes.
Cross-cultural intelligence
- Understand how cultures differ, understand yourself, understand others, value other views, and build shared values.
- Variables of culture (outside to inside): national → sociocultural → cultural (values, norms, beliefs) → attitudes (work, time, materialism, individualism, change) → job behaviour (motivation, commitment, productivity, ethics).
- Four stages: Elation (wow!) → Transition (frustration) → Understanding (familiar) → Integration (adapt).
Four dimensions of culture
| Dimension | India |
|---|---|
| Collective or individual | Collective: family decides, relationship-oriented |
| Equal or unequal | Unequal: “Sir”, respect for parents, bosses, teachers |
| Certainty or ambiguity | Ambiguity: traffic, bus timings; monsoon cultures |
| Time scarce or plentiful | Plentiful: cyclical; long weddings and festivals; sunny cultures. Not about punctuality. |
Five strategies (Nancy Adler)
| Strategy | My way / Their way | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Avoidance | Low / Low | Insurance claims for children quietly paid |
| Dominance | High / Low | Refusing a welcome gift |
| Accommodation | Low / High | Two weeks of golf in Japan before the contract |
| Compromise | Medium / Medium | Meetings alternate between Mexico and Italy |
| Synergy (best) | High / High | Uruguayan doctor invites questions; Filipino nurse asks politely |
Books: Hofstede (Cultures and Organizations), Trompenaars (Riding the Waves of Culture), Erin Meyer (The Culture Map).
Personal grooming
- More than looks: appearance, smile, manners, empathy, social adjustment.
- Three Rs: right time, right place, right dress. Then ABC: accurate, brief, clear.
- Punctuality respects others’ time. If you are late, say sorry.
- Taj story: shave, button up, smile. You represent the organisation.
- Teacher as potter: points out faults from outside, supports from inside.
- Grooming begets grooming (footwear at the clinic). Be a role model.
- Hunger to learn: table manners, a warm handshake, being presentable, using structure (shoe rack).
- Starts at home: thank you, sorry, asking politely. Grooming = caring.
- Final words: awareness, be sober, healthy competition, fairness, sincerity, sense of humour.