Understanding Cultures: Your Own and Others

1. Understanding Cultures:Your Own and Others • Consensus reality of a group • How we agree to create our reality • Ways of thinking, feeling , speaking, acting • Obvious aspects and hidden aspects • Hidden aspects outnumber obvious aspects by 1000 to 1 • High priority beliefs = values, the roots or foundation of culture

2. Cultural Ties that Bind • Values people think are most important • Heroes and heroines people admire because they personify those values • Myths and stories about them • Rituals people engage in, either every day or on special occasions • Networks that connect people • Symbols everyone recognizes as shortcuts for expressing all these other elements

3. Essentials of Cultural Communication • How we do things communicates our: • Beliefs and values • Norms – do’s and don’ts • Informal, unspoken rules • The ways we communicate include: • Symbols • Slogans • Metaphors • Myths & stories about heroes & heroines

4. Essentials of Cultural Communication • Media Used to Communicate: • Networks of relationships • The grapevine • Written and electronic means • The Teaching/Learning Methods Used: • Education and Training • Correction and Direction • Role Modeling

5. 10 Major Cultural Differences • I’m controlled or I control? • I’m controlled • I control • Choices for control? • Inner problem or Situational Problem • Us-First or Me-First? • Us-first • Me-First • Key to People Interactions • Collectivist or individualist • Happiness? • Cut the Apron Strings or not? • Individual differences within a culture

6. 10 Major Cultural Differences • Tight Ties or Loose Ties? • Many ties that bind = Us-First • Loose Ties = Me-First • Achievement-First or People-First? • People-First = connecting,cooperating= feminine aspect • Achievement-First = focus on competition, “things” = masculine aspect

7. 10 Major Cultural Differences • Equality or Not? • Inequality = rank/status cultures • Equality = democratic cultures • Take Risks or Play it Safe? • Play it safe • Take risks

8. 10 Major Cultural Differences • Time: Dive-Right-In or Step-by-Step? • Dive-Right-In Time • Step-by-Step Time • Space – Come Close or Back Off? • Come close space • Back off space

9. 10 Major Cultural Differences • Communicating – Direct or Indirect? • Using go-betweens & implied messages • Going to the person & getting to the point • How We Make Money = Dependence Level • Agricultural Economy = dependent worldview • Industrial economy = independent world view • Post-industrial economy = interdependent worldview