Cross-Cultural Communication
Cross-Cultural Communication
Chapter 1 : Culture
What is culture?
= all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from
generation to generation.
Culture refers to habits (<-> one-time phenomena)
Culture is a characteristic of a social group (<-> individuals)
Culture refers to learned aspects of social life (<-> biological or inherited traits)
personality: person specific + learned & inherited (love of
specific type of music, characteristic you share with
mother/father…)
culture: group specific + learned
Human nature: universal + inherited (e.g. we all need food, we
love to love…)
Culture is everywhere – and nowhere
- Everywhere: it affects people’s feelings, thoughts and actions on many levels and occasions.
People give meaning to what they do, to their experiences. E.g. shaking hands
Culture has to do with everything that is developed by people to organize their lives and
experiences.
- Nowhere: it does not exist in any specific or ‘real’ sense. It is something abstract.
BEWARE: Cultures are no actual ‘things’ with clear borders that exclusively separate groups of people
and determine their behaviour!
Culture and Groups
Often culture is referring to groups based on nationality or ethnicity. Nationality and ethnicity can
overlap but are not the same. BUT: Culture is a characteristic of any human group. Can you name
other types of groups that have something in common? Professional groups, city cultures, sports and
leisure activities, family cultures, company cultures, online cultures…
Culture and individuals
People are automatically members of several cultural groups at the same time.
Multicollectivity : whenever individuals interact a multitude of cultures are involved.
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An example : Approaching people solely based on their national, ethnic or religious background
provides a very narrow basis for understanding!
TedTalk – Taiye Selasi : Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a
local
She explores the concept of identity and belonging. Selasi challenges the common question of asking
someone where they are from and suggests that a more meaningful inquiry is to ask where they feel
a sense of belonging or connection, where they consider themselves a "local."
All experience is local, "All identity is experience," I thought. "I'm not a national," I proclaimed
onstage. "I'm a local. I'm multi-local."
See, "Taiye Selasi comes from the United States," isn't the truth. I have no relationship with the
United States, all 50 of them, not really. My relationship is with Brookline, the town where I grew up;
with New York City, where I started work; with Lawrenceville, where I spend Thanksgiving. What
makes America home for me is not my passport or accent, but these very particular experiences and
the places they occur. These are the places that shape my experience. My experience is where I'm
from. Our experience is where we're from.
What if we asked, instead of "Where are you from?" -- "Where are you a local?" This would tell us so
much more about who and how similar we are.
So, where are you a local? I propose a three-step test. I call these the three "R’s": rituals,
relationships, restrictions.
- Rituals :
First, think of your daily rituals, whatever they may be: making your coffee, driving to work,
harvesting your crops, saying your prayers. What kind of rituals are these? Where do they
occur? In what city or cities in the world do shopkeepers know your face? The rituals were
familiar. "R" number one, rituals.
- Relationships
Now, think of your relationships, of the people who shape your days. To whom do you speak
at least once a week, be it face to face or on FaceTime? these relationships are home for
me. "R" number two, relationships.
- Restrictions
We're local where we carry out our rituals and relationships, but how we experience our
locality depends in part on our restrictions. By restrictions, I mean, where are you able to
live? What passport do you hold? Are you restricted by, say, racism, from feeling fully at
home where you live?
Here's one possibility: basically, countries represent power. "Where are you from?" Mexico. Poland.
Bangladesh. Less power. America. Germany. Japan. More power. China. Russia. Ambiguous. It's
possible that without realizing it, we're playing a power game, especially in the context of multi-
ethnic countries. As any recent immigrant knows, the question "Where are you from?" or "Where are
you really from?" is often code for "Why are you here?"
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We can never go back to a place and find it exactly where we left it. Something, somewhere will
always have changed, most of all, ourselves. People change.
Culture as repertoire
Cultures provide their members with a repertoire of ideas, behaviours and symbols. Different
elements together form people’s cultural repertoires:
1. Knowledge
Everyday knowledge: how things work around here
Examples?
More abstract knowledge: can serve as a source of ideas, inspiration and discussion
Examples?
2. Values
Values indicate what people find important, good, healthy, appropriate, desirable. Rarely
explicit.Examples?
3. Norms
Norms are the practical expressions of a social group’s values.
They are the specific criteria by which people and their behaviour are judged.
4. Language
Language literally gives words to people’s experience.
There are different types of languages. Examples?
5. Heroes, traditions and rituals
High symbolic value.
Heroes are people that members of a culture look up to. Examples?
Traditions and rituals are displayed at certain occasions, they give a group a sense of
collectiveness. Examples?
Chapter 2
Implicit association test
( unconscious ) Cognitive Bias :
It’s a prejudice Cognitive bias refers to systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in
judgment, often causing perceptual distortion, inaccurate interpretation, illogical interpretation, or
what is broadly called irrationality. These biases can arise from various psychological factors and often
lead people to make decisions or judgments in a way that deviates from objective standards or
rationality. It helps researchers, professionals, and individuals recognize and address the limitations
and errors that can arise in thinking and judgment. For example, a nurse is always a woman and a
firefighter is always a men.
Being aware of these biases can help you think more critically and make better-informed choices.
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Implicit preference :
Implicit preference refers to an individual's unconscious or automatic positive or negative evaluations
of certain objects, ideas, groups, or individuals. These preferences are often not directly accessible to
conscious awareness and may operate at a subconscious level. Implicit preferences are automatic,
unconscious evaluations that individuals may hold towards certain stimuli. While they are not
necessarily under conscious control, awareness of implicit preferences can be valuable for fostering a
more equitable and inclusive society.
Implicit preferences can predict behaviour.
Implicit (= unconscious) preferences are related to discrimination in hiring and promotion, medical
treatment, and decisions related to criminal justice.
What can u do about an implicit bias you do not want?
If you recognize an implicit preference that you find undesirable and want to work towards changing
it, there are several strategies you can consider.
For example,
Awareness : Acknowledge and accept that everyone has biases, and it's a normal part of being
human. Awareness is the first step toward making a positive change.
Exposure: Actively seek out positive interactions and experiences with the group or concept you may
have an implicit bias against. Exposure can help challenge stereotypes and foster a more positive
outlook.
Education: Learn more about the group or concept associated with your implicit preference. This can
include reading books, articles, or attending workshops that provide accurate and diverse
information.
Self-Reference Criterion
= an unconscious reference to one’s own cultural values, experiences and knowledge as a basis for
decisions.
2 stories: Bush and Koizumi / American students in a local restaurant in Maastricht ( different service
style taking plates away) or the Sephora case
The frame of reference of the other person may be different! Not taking this difference into account
may lead to costly business decisions.
Attribution
= attributing a meaning, ascribing an interpretation to what people around you say and do.
An example : Within your own culture, someone says “I love you”. What could this mean?
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