What is Culture?
Culture is complex concept, with many definitions. “Culture” refers to a group or community with which we share common experiences. Culture shapes the way we understand and view the world. We all belong to many cultures at once.
Culture includes groups that we are born into, such as gender, race, national origin, class, or religion. It can also include groups we join. We can acquire a new culture by moving, by change in economic status, or if an accident leaves us disabled.
Cross-Cultural Communication
Modern technology allows us to do business in new geographic locations and with different cultures. You can work with the most knowledgeable people around the world as easily as it is to work face-to-face with people of convenient driving distance.
Start with Awareness
Awareness means acknowledging that we are all biased.
The steps to change are awareness, patience, and practice. Examine your own bias. Consider taking the IAT. You may find you have a biased toward non-Native Amerians or toward overweight people.
Native English-speakers may believe they have an advantage. English seems to be the language that people use if they want to reach the widest audience, cross-cultural communication is still an issue. There are countless differences between American and British English, for example. Don’t be over confident. Be aware.
A basic understanding of cultural diversity is key to effective cross-cultural communication. Understand how your culture has affected you firsthand. Then you’re more likely to understand how culture could affect others or why their culture might be important to them.
Awareness of culturally driven behaviors and reactions reminds us that (even if they’re different from our own) they may be entirely appropriate behaviors.
Train your Team
When you communicate cross-culturally, make particular efforts to keeping your communication clear, simple and unambiguous. Be cautious of humor as it is almost always culturally specific.
Consider the diversity of your work group. Do they observe different holidays or operate in different time zones? Encourage everyone to respect these differences. One simple way to do so is to encourage private dialog. Show how to be tactful by setting the example. Ask what different team members need, always doing so one-on-one.
Benefit From Diverse Perspectives
Diversity makes our organizations better. Research finds that inclusive teams make better business decisions 87% of the time.
However, minorities from disparaged groups have been conditioned to believe that their opinions are less important and therefore do not speak out as readily in a large group.
To draw out the experience of diverse peoples, consider having small teams work together. Then have the groups report out to the whole. Implement the practice that everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice.
Build Relationships
Make a conscious decision to establish friendships with people from other cultures.
*Note this interesting study that shows how the friends we actually have influence a child more than our words. And why “colorblindness” is not the answer.
Be proactive and respectful. People who have been mistreated may take time to warm up. Read about other people’s cultures and histories. Don’t assume that the majority’s way or “your way” is the right way.
If you say or do something that is insensitive, learn something from it. Apologize. Don’t repeat your blunder.
