Session 6 Flashcards
(13 cards)
Cultural anthropology
Based On Edward Tylor (1871)
Culture is that complex whole which includes
knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
Cultural anthropology
Based on Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952)
Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behaviour acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiment in artefacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e.,historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other, as conditioning elements of future action
National cultures: Hofstede dimensions
Power Distance
The extent to which the less powerful members of society accept that Power is distributed unequally
Masculinity or Femininity
Masculinity is the dominant values in society are achievement and success. Femininity is the dominant values n society are caring for others and quality of life
Individualism or Collectivism
Individualism is people look after themselves and their immediate family only. Collectivism is people belong to in-groups (families, clans or organizations) who look after them in exchange for loyalty
Uncertainty avoidance or Risk taking
The extent to which people feel threatened by uncertainty and ambiguity and try to avoid these situations.
Third Culture Kids
“Third culture kids’’ (TCKs) are individuals who spend a significant part of their developmental years outside their parents’ culture. In adjusting to a wide variety of influences, they incorporate elements of both their host culture and their passport culture into a third’ culture.’’ (Useem)
“A person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership of any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of a similar background.”
(Pollock & Van Reken, 1999)
Types of Third Culture Kids
1. Military/Army
2. Religious/Missionary 3. Business
4. Other, like refugee TCKs
CCAI (Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory) Scale Dimensions
Emotional Resilience (ER) Flexibility/Openness (FO) Perceptual Acuity (PAC) Personal Autonomy (PE)
What is Intercultural Competence?
Ability to take into account other people’s norms and values
Ability to communicate and adapt how we communicate
Ability to build relationships and get commitment across culture
Ability to deal with uncertain and unfamiliar situations
Why do we need Intercultural Competence?
Global organizational context
Activities more and more worldwide Overseas assignments
Multicultural teams and working environment
International mindset for representatives who “see, think and function differently”
Four dimensions of intercultural competence
Intercultural Sensitivity
Managing Uncertainty
Intercultural Communication
Building Commitment
Intercultural Sensitivity
Attentive perception
– How much attention to verbal and nonverbal signals?
Flexible perspective-taking
– How easily taken into account different perspectives on
an event?
Mindful evaluation
– How strongly interested in different cultural values?
Flexibility during conflict
– How comfortable to deal with cross-cultural conflicts?
Intercultural Communication
Attentive Involvement
– How strongly do you focus on the needs of
different people when communicating?
Mindful Control
– How easily do you monitor your need for autonomy and control when communicating?
Ability to adapt ways to effectively explain, describe and convey messages to people from other cultures
Ability to modulate degree of directness in difficult communicative situations
Ability to monitor responses to what is said, adjust communicative style accordingly (speed, pauses, volume, tone, directness)
Building Commitment
Securing impact
– How actively do you seek to benefit from the social dynamics in and outside the organization?
Persuading others
– How easily can you take the lead and at the same time keep others on board?
Integrating people
– How easily do you stimulate exchange between people and get them committed to a joint task?
Ability to stimulate interaction and co-operation between people, and to take the lead while at the same time keeping others on board
Sensitivity to the dynamics within larger groups of people inside and outside the organisation
Ability to establish and nurture an effective network of relationships in a diverse cultural environment
Preference for Certainty
The ability to respond flexibly and work effectively in new cultural situations and with new people
The ability to modify views, perspectives, behaviours and priorities
The ability not to be stressed or nervous when faced with different beliefs, habits, values and ways of communicating
