Module
3.5 Cultural Image
Module 5 Introduction
How close we stand to someone can make them feel
comfortable or threatened. If they feel threatened, they can think of us as being
threatening, imposing, aggressive, and definitely unpleasant. The distance depends upon
the culture of the person you are talking to. There are similar cultural rules about how
we address people, how loudly we speak, and whether we should bow or shake hands. All of
these affect the image we create.
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1. Cultural Image
For reasons best understood and explained by psychologists and cultural
anthropologists, how close we stand to someone can make them feel comfortable or
threatened. If they feel threatened, they can think of us as being threatening, imposing,
aggressive, and definitely unpleasant.
The distance depends upon where you are and whom you are talking to.
There are similar rules about how we address people, how loudly we speak, and
whether we should bow or shake hands. All of these affect the image we create.
These, too, vary from place to place and according to whom you are dealing with.
There is nothing politically incorrect, fawning, subservient, or demeaning about
good manners, but good manners can also vary from place to place.
When you travel from country to countryor even from region to region within
the same countryyou can run into more than a different language or dialect. You can
run into a completely different culture. This is especially dangerous when the culture
looks enough like your own to make you think you know what you are doing.
Our assumptions frequently trap us, and they can lead to project/programme purpose complications,
social embarrassment or hurt feelings, and even serious legal problems. They can also cost
us project/programme purpose because they make us look boorish, rude, insensitive, or just plain stupid.
With supersonic planes that can take us virtually anywhere in the world in less
than a day, and with instantaneous communication via phone, fax, e-mail, and the Internet,
we tend to forget just how bigand culturally diversethe world really is, and
how we might be perceived in all these different cultures.
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2. Intercultural Tips
As we have seen, one of the byproducts of modern transportation and
communication is the frequency with which we have to learn how to adjust to and work
within other cultures. Nipporica Associates is an intercultural communication and
relations consulting organization in
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3. Intercultural Tips (Continued)
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4. Intercultural Tips (Continued)
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Every culture has specific ways of showing respect. The levels of respect, and
the way respect is shown, will usually vary depending upon the importance of the person
and your relationship to that person.
Two reigning queens from similar-sized kingdoms, for example, would treat one
another differently than they would were they meeting their own subjects. If you were
meeting one of them, your outward signs of respect would depend upon your own title, rank,
position, and lineage.
When you finally do meet the most important person you are probably ever going to
meetthat someone you have always wanted to meetwhat will you do? Curtsy? Shake
hands? Genuflect? Kneel? Lie prostrate on the floor? Salute? Bow? And if you do bow, how
deeply will you bow, and how many times?
If you are wearing a hat, will you take it off? Or, will you have to put one on for
the occasion?
Will you be allowed to start a conversation? Or do you have to wait for him, or
her, to start it? When you talk, will you look her, or him, directly in the eye? Or look
down at your feet?
What will people think of you if you dont do it properly?
How will you know what to do? Where did you learn it?
How would you go about learning the proper way to greet someone from a different
country or culture?
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6. Titles
One of the most common ways of showing status is by attaching it to the one
symbol everyone hasa name. It doesnt have to be said to be a status
symbol. It can be on your project/programme purpose card, letterhead, or door.
There are two ways to do it: titles and distinctions.
Different cultures treat such titles and distinctions differently. If you
dont do it properly, you could be considered rude, ignorant, comical, or someone of
so little knowledge, breeding, refinement, or status that no one will bother dealing with
you.
Titles show rank, position, power, education, memberships, and accomplishment. Some formal titles go in
front of the name, such as General, President, Premier, Doctor, Professor, Detective, CEO,
Pope, Mother Superior, Rabbi, Captain, Nurse, Judge, and so on. Others come after the
name, such as first flautist with the symphony orchestra, or office manager, or chief
financial analyst.
There are also the standard academic distinctions: B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Sometimes initials indicate both educational accomplishments and the profession
they entitle the person to: medical doctor, M.D.; dentist, D.D.S.; lawyer, J.D.; certified
public accountant, CPA; professional engineer, P.E., or a member of an ordained religious
community, such as the Society of Jesus, S.J.
There are also the standard courtesy titles, which, depending upon the organizational
culture, may or may not be used, such as Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms.
How titles are used is a good way of determining both
organizational culture, and rank. It is also a potential pitfall for the person who
fails to use them in the acceptable way.
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7. Nonverbal Code
Language differs from country to country, even when the same language is spoken. An
Englishman from
To be accepted, we have to understand the language and the way it is used.
While we know that language code is not universal, we sometimes assume nonverbal
codes are. They arent. Certain gestures, called emblems, have meaning. But, just as
words differ from culture to culture, so do emblems.
The thumbs up gesture means, Good luck! in the
Putting your hands on the sides of your head and sticking your index fingers up on
each side like a rabbits ears might mean you are imitating a bunny for a childrens
story in the West. In
Holding up the index and middle fingers forms the letter V. During
World War II it stood for victory. During the Vietnam War era, it was the
peace symbol used by anti-war protestors in the
The lack of universality of a gesture has caused many a problem for people
trying to communicate, especially when they are unaware of regional, cultural or other
nuances that the gesture can connote.
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8. The Look
Looking is
not indifferent. There can never be any question of just looking.
-- Victor Burgin, American communication theorist
According to Daniel Chandler, a communication theorist at the
Not knowing how to look can be as damaging as not knowing how to
address a action sponsor/beneficiary, or how to conduct yourself at a restaurant, social outing, or project/programme purpose
meeting. As he says at his web site, at http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze07.html:
There are social codes of looking (including taboos on certain kinds of looking).
Children are instructed to look at me, not to stare at strangers,
and not to look at certain parts of the body... People have to look in order to be polite,
but not to look at the wrong people or in the wrong place, e.g. at deformed people.
Amongst the Luo tribe, in
How long we can look at someone is also a cultural issue. He says Arabs, Latin
Americans and southern Europeans look longer than the British or white Americans, while
black Americans look less.
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9. The Look (Continued)
In some cultures too short a gazelooking away too quicklyis seen as
insincere, dishonest or impolite whilst
(in other cultures) too much gaze
(staring) is seen as threatening, disrespectful and insulting.
Within the bounds of the cultural conventions, people who avoid ones
gaze may be seen as nervous, tense, evasive and lacking in confidence whilst people who
look a lot may tend to be seen as friendly and self-confident.
He also describes what he calls the sustained hate stare, the look
bigots give to those they feel superior to. This sort of look can lead to
depersonalization and victimization.
There is also the tourist gaze which indicates that you are a visitor.
It also reflects that you are wealthy enough, and have enough status and free time, to
travel to different part of the world and see different cultures.
People who are in love, courting, or flirting, have noticeable different ways of
looking at one another, as do people who dislike or hate one another.
Codes of looking are particularly important in relation to gender, he
adds. One woman
reported to a male friend: One of the things I really envy about men is the right to
look. She pointed out that in public places, men could look freely at women,
but women could only glance back surreptitiously.
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10. Your Image as a Decision Maker
If you are an executive or a manager, part of your job is making decisions.
Is the ability to make decisions quickly the sign of a good manager? Are you a
better manager is you make them quickly? Or slowly?
It all depends where you are.
If you are in
The biggest specific difference between Western and Chinese project/programme purpose culture
is in decision making. Quick decisions are alien to the Chinese. Rapid decision making,
incorporating quickly gathered and processed information, is a sign of an aggressive,
highly competent manager in the West.
But to the Chinese, haste is the sign of an idiot.
The Chinese prefer to deliberate longer, even on decisions that might take
Western managers five minutes.
The article quotes Richard Loi, managing director of United Parcel Service (UPS) in
They want to feel honored that you bring issues to them and ask what they
would do. Even if you think its a simple decision, mull it over and talk to them
about it.
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Matching the Columns
1. Common
knowledge |
A. It is
impossible to compare other cultures based on this. If
we want to understand why people behave the way they do, we must understand the contexts. |
2. Questions |
B. An
effective way of presenting information and attitudes in all cultures. They can reinforce theory and bring a concept of
life. |
3. Tell
stories |
C. Dont take too much for granted, especially in terms of what you expect someone from a foreign culture to know. |
4. Know
thyself |
D. In order to understand differences and by sensitive to
others, you must be aware of your own thoughts, feelings, and biases. |
5. Values |
E. Most people enjoy talking about themselves and their
cultures when asked. |
6. Patience |
F. We must be
this way with ourselves while working in different cultures because we may make mistakes,
be offensive, and react surprising and inappropriate ways. |
Answers: (1-C,
2-E, 3-B, 4-D, 5-A, 6-F)
Multiple Choice
1. When
traveling from country to country you can run into a completely different ________.
a.
Language
b.
Dialect
c.
Culture
d. All
of the above
2.
Usually varies depending upon the importance of the person and your relationship to
that person.
a. Levels of respect
b. The greeting
c. Attire
d. None of the above
3. One of the
most common ways of showing status is by attaching it to the one symbol everyone has -
_______.
a. A house
b. A job
c. A name
d. An education
4. The two
ways to show your status is through ______ and ______.
a. Education; power
b. Titles; distinctions
c. Position; accomplishments
d. Money; class
5. How titles
are used is a good way of determining both ______ and ______.
a. organizational culture; rank
b. Class; education
c. Position; accomplishments
d. None of the above
6. Just as
words different from culture to culture, so do ________.
a. Emblems
b. Positions
c. Languages
d. None of the above
7. The way we
look at people and at ourselves, and even what we do and do not look at, is regulated by
our _______.
a. Language
b. Parents
c. Culture
d. Job
8. A
__________________ is a sort of look that can lead to depersonalization and
victimization.
a. Tourist gaze
b. Sustained hate stare
c. Short gaze
d. Stare
Summary
As we have seen, our assumptions frequently trap us, and can lead to project/programme purpose
complications, social embarrassment, hurt feelings, and even serious legal problems. They
can also cost us project/programme purpose because they make us look boorish, rude, insensitive, or just
plain stupid. We cannot assume that everyone else in the world plays by the same rules
that we do, or that they will react the same way someone from our cultural background
would in a similar situation.
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Test
1. ______ A sustained
hate stare reflects that you are wealthy enough and have enough status and free time
to travel different parts of the world.
2. ______ In some cultures
too short a gaze is seen as insincere, dishonest, or impolite whilst.
3. ______ The biggest
specific difference between Western and Chinese project/programme purpose culture is in the project/programme purpose
attire.
4. ______ How close we
stand to someone can make them feel comfortable or threatened.
5. ______ Good manners
never very from one culture to another.
6. ______ Our assumptions
frequently trap us, and they can lead to project/programme purpose complications, social embarrassment,
hurt feelings, and serious legal problems.
7. ______ One of the
byproducts of modern transportation and communication is the ability to ignore other
cultures.
8. ______ When dealing
with other cultures, it is a good idea to estimate the amount of time required for a
project and then double it.
9. ______ Culture shock
can be triggered by the experience of hitting a culture barrier.
10.______ If you make a mistake,
or commit a cultural faux pas, you should make a simple, quick apology.
Answers:
1.
F tourist gaze
2. T
3. F
decision making
4. T
5. F
can vary from culture to culture
6. T
7. F
frequency we have to learn to adjust and work with other cultures.
8. T
9. T
10. T
Bibliography
Adler, P. (1975). The transitional experience: An
alternative view of the culture shock. Journal of
Humanistic Psychology, 15, 10-14.
Ting-Toomey, S. (1985). Toward a theory of conflict and
culture. In W. Gudykunst, L.
Stewart, & S. Ting-Toomey (Eds.). Communication, culture, and organizational processes.
(pp. 71-85).
Weaver, G. (Ed.). (1998). Culture, communication and conflict:
Glossary
Culture barrier
Is encountered externally when two or more people share an experience of a
difference of values, assumptions, or expectations of appropriate behaviors.
Culture shock
Is an internal reaction to unfamiliar stimuli and can be triggered by the
experience of hitting a culture barrier.
Mindfulness
Being aware of your own reactions to what is going on and how it is based in
your own culture.
Divergence
Letting the group you are a part of and your conversations collide, so you can explore and
understand one anothers different opinions before coming to an agreement or common
understanding.
Learning Objectives
·
There
are similar cultural rules about how we address people, how loudly we speak, and whether
we should bow or shake hands. All of these
affect the image we create.
·
We cannot assume that everyone
else in the world plays by the same rules that we do, or that they will react the same way
someone from our cultural background would in a similar situation.
Q&A
1. What
is the difference between a sustained hate stare and the tourist gaze?
A sustained hate stare is a sort of look that can lead
to depersonalization and victimization. The
tourist gaze indicates that you are a visitor and that you are wealthy enough, and have
enough status and free time, to travel to different parts of the world and see different
cultures.
2. What is the
difference between a culture barrier and culture shock?
A culture barrier is external
and is encountered when two or more people experience a difference of values, assumptions,
or expectations of appropriate behaviors. Culture
shock is internal and is a reaction to unfamiliar stimuli.
3. What do
titles say about status?
One of the most common ways of
showing status is by attaching it to the one symbol everyone has a name. A name reveals titles and distinctions. Titles show rank, position, power, education,
memberships, and accomplishments. Therefore,
titles are a good way of determining both organizational culture and rank.