CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

SBI 4139

prof. francien herlen tomasowa, ph.d.

CROSS CULTURAL CONTACTS

• STEREOTYPE VS GENERALIZATION

• FIVE CULTURE DIMENSIONS

DEFINITIONS

• EQUALITY vs HIERARCHY• DIRECT vs INDIRECT• INDIVIDUAL vs GROUP ORIENTATION• TASK vs RELATIONSHIP• RISK vs CAUTION

STEPS TO INCREASE CULTURAL

INTELLIGENCE

• become aware of your own cultural style

• know the facts about cultures most comonly related to

• identify ways to modify behaviour to the other culture

• respond to other culture using modified behaviour

CROSS-CULTURAL TERMS AND PRINCIPLES

TERMS

• CULTURE• COMMUNICATION• CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

PRINCIPLES

• MAY NOT WORK FOR EVERY MEMBER• CULTURAL GENERALIZATIONS ==

STEREOTYPES• NO ABSOLUTE “RIGHTS” OR “WRONGS”• ALL CULTURES HAVE VALUES & IDEALS

THAT THEIR MEMBERS SAY ARE TRUE AND PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOUR MAY NOT ALWAYS REFLECT THOSE VALUES.

• CULTURE DOES NOT EXPLAIN ALL BEHAVIOUR.

• FIND A COMFORTABLEMIDDLE GROUND.• THE MORE LEARN ABOUT OTHERS, THE

MORENDERSTAND HOW CULTURE INFLUENCES INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH OTHERS.

TERMS

MAINSTREAM CULTURE:

THE VALUES, BELIEFS, AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE

DOMINANT GROUP IN A SOCIETY

GENERALIZATION: A STATEMENT DESCRIBING

GENERAL BEHAVIOUR THAT DOES NOT APPLY

ALL THE TIME.STEREOTYPE: AN EXAGGERATED BELIEF ABOUT

AGROUP OFTEN BASED ON A LACK OFINFORMATION OR CONTACT WITH MEMBERS

OF THAT GROUP

INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR: THE ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF ONE PERSON

• MELTING POT: A SOCIETY IN WHICH ETHNIC GROUPS BLEND AND BECOME ONE GROUP

• MOSAIC: A SOCIETY IN WHICH ETHNIC GROUPS RETAIN THEIR SEPARATE IDENTITIES BUT TOGETHER FORMTHE LARGER COMMUNITY

• MINORITY: a number that is less than one-half of the total number;a group that is not part of the larger or more powerful group

• MAJORITY: a number that is more than one-half of the total number;a group that is more powerful than the other groups

TERMS• HOMOGENEOUS:

made up of one group; having members that are all the same

• HETEROGENEOUS:made up of a variety of groups; having members that are not all the same

God Bless you !