What is Culture?

Culture in general is concerned with beliefs and values on the basis of which people interpret experiences and behave, individually and in groups. Broadly and simply put, "culture" refers to a group or community with which you share common experiences that shape the way you understand the world.

The same person, thus, can belong to several different cultures depending on his or her birthplace; nationality; ethnicity; family status; gender; age; language; education; physical condition; sexual orientation; religion; profession; place of work and its → corporate culture .

Culture is the "lens" through which you view the world. It is central to what you see, how you make sense of what you see, and how you express yourself.

Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is your capability to grow personally through → continuous learning and good understanding of diverse cultural heritage, wisdom and values, and to deal effectively with people from different cultural background and understanding... More

East vs. West >>>

→ The Wheel of Life: Eastern vs. Western View

Western cultures promote an independent social orientation that values autonomy, self-expression, and individual achievement. Eastern and Latin American cultures promote an interdependent social orientation that values harmony, relatedness, and success of the in-group.

Researchers observed also different patterns of → perceiving and thinking in different societies. Westerners tend to think more analytically and East Asians tend to think more holistically.

→ Amazing Thinker 360

Four Cultural Dimensions

Cultures – both national and organizational – differ along many dimensions. Four of the most important are:

Directness (get to the point versus imply the messages)

Hierarchy (follow orders versus engage in debate)

Consensus (dissent is accepted versus unanimity is needed)

Individualism (individual winners versus team effectiveness)7

Coaching

When → coaching someone from a different culture, use cross-cultural differences management techniques and skills, in particular... More

Culture Shock

Failure to identify cultural issues and take action can lead to a culture shock. In order of priority, the most often found symptoms of culture shock are3:

feeling isolated

anxiety and worry

reduction in job performance

high nervous energy

helplessness.

Not coping with culture shock symptoms when they appear can lead to a very negative situation.

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

Yin-Yang of Communication

Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups have related to each other is key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming more aware of cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others more effectively. Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture may be shaping your own reactions, and try to see the world from the other's point of view.

The Wheel of Life in Buddhism

The Tao of Leadership

Case in Point DuPont

A US-based multicultural team at DuPont gained around US$45 million in new business by changing the way decorating materials are developed and marketed. The changes included new colors that team members new, from their experience within other cultures, would appeal more to their overseas customers.6

Customer Success 360

Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries

Cultural differences in multicultural teams can create misunderstandings between team members before they have had a chance to establish any credibility with each other. Thus, building trust is a critical step in creation and development of such teams... More

Respecting Differences and Working Together

Anthropologists discovered that, when faced by interaction that we do not understand, people tend to interpret the others involved as "abnormal", "weird" or "wrong"5.

Awareness of cultural differences and recognizing where cultural differences are at work is the first step toward understanding each other and establishing a positive working environment. Use these differences to challenge your own assumptions about the "right" way of doing things and as a chance to learn new ways to solve problems.

Case in Point Eye Contact

In some cultures, looking people in the eye is assumed to indicate honesty and straightforwardness; in others it is seen as challenging and rude. In USA, the cheapest, most effective way to connect with people is to look them into the eye.

"Most people in Arab cultures share a great deal of eye contact and may regard too little as disrespectful. In English culture, a certain amount of eye contact is required, but too much makes many people uncomfortable. In South Asian and many other cultures direct eye contact is generally regarded as aggressive and rude."8... More

Harness the Power of Diversity

Diversity is a specialized term describing a workplace that includes people from various backgrounds and cultures, and/or diverse businesses.

You can find a strategic competitive advantage in an organizational and cultural context by seeking to leverage, rather than diminish, opposite forces.

An important but widely overlooked principle of business success is that integrating opposites, as opposed to identifying them as inconsistencies and driving them out, unleashes power. This is true on both a personal level (the balanced manager is more effective than his or her peer at one end of the control spectrum) and on team and organizational level as well. >>>

6 Attributes of Successful CEOs

The Cultural Fit. A candidate for a top job might look great on paper, but must be culturally compatible in order to build relationships and add true value. Often, hiring managers or boards emphasize the need to challenge old thinking and move in new directions. But if an executive is too far out of step with an organization, the resulting culture clash can overwhelm the benefits... More

9 Signs of a Losing Organization

Discouraging Culture: no shared values; lack of trust; blame culture; focus on problems, not opportunities; diversity is not celebrated; failures are not tolerated; people lose confidence in their leaders and systems... More

→ Inspiring Culture: 5 Elements

10 Rules of Effective Listening

By: Linda Eve Diamond

Yin-Yang of Effective Listening

Maintain eye contact. In the US, not making eye contact has the connotation of someone untrustworthy. But realize, too, that steady eye contact in some cultures is considered impolite or aggressive... More