Does your own culture suit you?

When we talk about intercultural communication, we usually talk about people rooted in different cultures meeting in business, family, or other settings. Picture the young Emily in Paris. The indomitable américaine making her misunderstood way over the cobbled streets of Parisian judgmental business culture towards success. All it takes is a bit of effort to understand the other culture on both sides and voilà.

But, there is another challenge that our now globalized world gave rise to. Perhaps you are someone who grew up within a specific culture but then you decided to leave, get some international experience, soak up the cultures of the world, and the world managed to impact you in some unforeseen ways. Perhaps some cultural practices that you encountered abroad seemed good, and you picked them up. Perhaps you even married the odd foreigner and adapted to more aspects of how foreigners live. Now, you are a weird miscreant. A cultural monster consisting of an array of ways of thinking and cultural practices. Wherever you go, even your homeland might now seem foreign and unsuitable, but how could that be… haven’t you been accumulating the best practices all this time? You should now be able to make it everywhere, but how do you find a place that will annoy you the least.

One of my favorite books in the whole wide world is Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map. The book sets out a brilliant system of scales that generalizes and evaluates various cultures. It has occurred to me that we could perhaps use these scales to determine what our own individual cultures are and, at least, understand a bit better why we no longer fit in the environment we know so well. In the best case, perhaps we can use the case to find the culture that our new selves would like better.

These are the 8 scales that Meyer uses.

1. Communicating

The culture is either low-context or high-context. Importantly, people rooted in either culture find their type of communication to be good communication. It is not about good or bad, worse or better, but about the style that you find more comfortable. Low-context communication is precise, simple and clear. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication.

On the other hand, high-context communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed.

2. Evaluating

Nobody likes being criticized and, certainly, some people handle it better than others but the socially acceptable thresholds are different from country to country. When your culture adores direct negative feedback, it means that negative feedback is provided frankly, bluntly, honestly. Negative messages stand alone, not softened by positive ones. Absolute descriptors are often used (totally inappropriate, completely unprofessional) when criticizing. Criticism may be given to an individual in front of a group.

Indirect negative feedback is provided softly, subtly, diplomatically. Positive messages are used to wrap negative ones. Qualifying descriptors are often used (sort of inappropriate, slightly unprofessional) when criticizing. Criticism is given only in private.

3. Persuading

What should a good argument look like. In applications-first cultures individuals are trained to begin with a fact, statement or opinion and later add concepts to back up or explain the conclusion as necessary. The preference is to begin a message or report with an executive summary or bullet points. Discussions are avoided in a business environment.

However, principles-first cultures train individuals to first develop the theory or complex concept before presenting a fact, statement or opinion. The preference is to begin a message or report by building up a theoretical argument before moving on to a conclusion. The conceptual principles underlying each situation are valued.

4. Leading

Again, nobody likes a bossy boss, but should your boss be one of the guys or gals. Or should it be the person in the corner office. Egalitarian societies consider the best boss to be the facilitator among equals. Organizational structures are flat. Communication often skips hierarchical lines.

Hierarchical societies see the ideal distance between a boss and a subordinate as high. The best boss is a strong director who leads from the front. Status is important. Organisational structures are multilayered and fixed. Communication follows set hierarchical lines.

5. Deciding

Are decisions made unanimously in a group or should someone just decide for the group. What’s better for you?

6. Trusting

This point is the one that matters the most to me. How do you form relationships? Is it through people being good at what they do? Can you just form new relationships based on the practicality of the situation and drop them as fast or do you have to share meals, hangout for drinks? That’s the difference between task-based and relationship-based cultures.

7. Disagreeing

Do you avoid confrontation when you don’t like what somebody has come up with because it is better to harmonize the situation, or do you agree that only talking it out thoroughly and perhaps even publicly is what’s needed for the best result?

8. Scheduling

Schedules are usually the thing that becomes very apparent if different. You make an appointment at a specific time and the person shows up so late that you are ready to vent your frustration, or do you not care at all? Linear-time cultures also address tasks in a sequential fashion, completing one task before beginning the next. One thing at a time. No interruptions. The focus is on the deadline and sticking to the schedule. Emphasis is on the promptness and good organisation over flexibility. Contrarily, flexible-time people deal with everything in a fluid manner, changing tasks as opportunities arise. Many things are dealt with at once and interruptions accepted. The focus is on adaptability and flexibility.

I suggest that you make a simple binary choice on each topic for yourself. Do you need people to be on time or not? Can you handle being criticized, or is that a reason for a vendetta? If you do that for yourself and the people around you, perhaps it will be a little clearer what miffs you about your current environment…

When you are done with that, maybe then you can find a place that’s just right for you and stop being eternally tortured about not fitting in. And if you can, at least you’ll know why you are tortured!

Source:

Meyer, Erin. The Culture Map. PublicAffairs, 2016.