Culture shapes values, and those values shape history. Jeremy Lent, The Patterning Instinct:A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning This is the central thesis of Jeremy Lent’s book The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning. Why is this relevant to you? Because everything we do, in our own work, play,
When expatriate supervisors or advisors are working in foreign cultures, they need to understand & appreciate the local environment. Attitudes toward what risks are acceptable can be diverse. We need to implement & enforce standards, but should also be patient in not blaming people who have been immersed in high risk-tolerant cultures. Working on fail-safe
Bringing your cultural habits into another culture may be accepted if it’s a positive thing…or it may get this “sleepy” subway commuter slapped! Adapting to Culture “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
Cultural differences in expectations of leaders can be manifest in clothing styles. An HSBC bank “Different Points of View” ad campaign captured this by showing diverse interpretations of wearing suits versus casual clothes. In a culture that values adherence to hierarchy, which includes most Asian cultures, the leader is expected to dress more formally. In
We all see things differently. Even simple eating habits are diverse across cultures. HSBC bank has produced many humorous commercials that capture cultural diversity in funny yet poignant ways, including this one of a Chinese business dinner. English culture believes you might insult your host if you don’t finish a meal. But Chinese culture tends
Culture affects everything we think & do. A fascinating study published by the Max Planck Society indicates that culture, through language, can even affect our working memory. Languages can be classified by where the “head,” or main idea, is in relationship to things that modify the head. When the head is followed by modifying elements,
新年快樂！Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Ethnic Chinese around Southeast Asia and the world celebrate the lunar calendar “Year of the Pig,” beginning 5 February. There will be many days of festivities in places like Hat Yai, Thailand…a town largely founded by ethnic Chinese immigrants in the early 20thcentury. The culture is well-kept in the
“Getting to Yes” is a popular book about winning negotiations, but when talking about inter-cultural communication, “Getting to No” might be more instructive. Professor Zeng’s humorous description of different ways to handle a demanding McDonald’s customer shows deep cultural differences in seeing the world. The American way is to stand on rules, communicating the reasons in
It appears that culture heavily influences how well people incorporate the context of an environment versus how well they can filter out the context to focus on a prominent object. This has been illustrated in eye measurements of Asians versus North Americans as they evaluate photographs, of Japanese & Americans recalling foreground objects versus background
Can something be true and not true at the same time? East Asian & Western philosophies have had very different ways of answering this question that still affects the ways people in various cultures reason. The collectivist culture of Asia emphasizes harmony & a constantly changing environment in which contradictions are natural, & truth depends
