Barry talks about the influence of culture on the workplace.
BiG event report
Barry Rogers led us skilfully and thoughtfully through a presentation entitled, ‘The Cultural Advantage & the Model of Freedom’, dealing with the following areas:
1. Introduction
You don’t have to go far to discover different cultural approaches. What is ‘freedom’? The answer for the British may be the ability of an individual to make informed choice without external influence, within the framework of the law. That, however, is a very North European concept. For the Japanese, the answer would very much be about the centrality of family and responsibilities towards other people.
The concept of freedom is at the foundation of culture. But what is it? For the Finnish, it would entail a reflection of a history which is very rural and very private, and so a perception that their nature is withdrawn in a business context is false, primarily because it is assessed from our Anglo-Saxon cultural starting point: it is a failure to understand their cultural perspective.
To one person, organisation can create freedom through security, but to another it is oppressive. Likewise, an absence of organisation can be free or insecure (e.g. for the resident or visitor to New York City).
2. Cultural Identity in Organisations
The individual achieves results by their own skill. A team requires trust, support, co-operation and leadership. It needs requisite group skills and rules.
INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY
I have rights We have obligations
I do it my way We are disciplined
I will speak up We conform
I look after myself We look after each other
I take responsibility We share responsibility
Although it is a broad generalisation, this table essentially indicates the cultural shift from left to right of ‘the West’ to ‘the East’. In the West, conflicts can be seen as ‘healthy’ to create equality, but in the East conflicts are avoided because of status differences and group responsibilities.
3. Dimensions of Cultural Identity
Parents have an ascribed authority in telling us what to do. Laws and rules express cultural difference, even if they have the same end. For example, with two public signs for clearing up dog mess in the street, in the USA the sign says ‘Clean up, It’s the Law’ with the monetary fine boldly specified, whereas in France it says ‘I love my neighbourhood, so I clean up’, an encouragement towards community and corporate responsibility rather than individual obedience. Or in the Philippines, a sign says ‘We all share the same air, thank you for not smoking’, and not ‘Do Not Smoke, Fine £x’.
4. Working with Cultural Differences
Philippe Rozinski’s model is a sliding graph from a low point of ‘ethnocentric pitfalls’ to a high point of being ‘culturally aware/intelligent’. Across that rising scale there is ‘recognising, accepting and respecting’ cultural difference, to ‘adapting’, to ‘integrating’ to ‘leveraging’ from a business perspective.
The value is in the difference, not in the similarities. The aim is to move away from cultural stereotypes, and to enable integration whilst maintaining your own cultural identity.
A final word on perseverance from Vince Lombardi (US football coach): ‘it’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up’.