Cultural Differences perbedaan kelompok

8/9/2019 Cultural Differences perbedaan kelompok

1/5

Cultural Differences?Or, are we really that different?

Gregorio Billikopf EncinaUniversity of California

Please take this short fun University of California survey

before reading this article.Personal space and cultural

differences surveyIn 1993, I had y first opportunity to visit !ussia as a representative of the University of

California" I #as there to provide soe technical assistance in the area of agricultural la$or

anageent" %!ussians are a very polite people,% I had $een tutored $efore y arrival" &ne

of y interpreters, once I #as there, e'plained that a gentlean #ill pour the limonad(type of

)uice* for the ladies and sho# other courtesies"

+o#ard the end of y three #eek trip I #as invited $y y young !ussian host and friend

icolai -asilevich and his lovely #ife .ulya out to dinner" /t the end of a #onderful eal

.ulya asked if I #ould like a $anana" I politely declined and thanked her, and e'plained I #as

ostsatisfied#ith the eal" But the #hole #hile y ind #as racing0 %hat do I do2 o Ioffer her a $anana even though they are as close to her as they are to e2 hat is the polite

thing to do2%

%ouldyoulike a $anana2% I asked .ulya"

%.es,% she siled, $ut ade no attept to take any of the three $ananas in the fruit $asket"

%hat no#2% I thought"

%hich one #ould you like2% I fu$led"

%+hat one,% she pointed at one of the $ananas" 4o all the #hile thinking a$out !ussianpoliteness I picked the $anana .ulya had pointed at and peeled it half #ay and handed it to

her" 4iles in .ulya and icolai5s faces told e I had done the right thing" /fter this

e'perience I spent uch tie letting the #orld kno# that in !ussia, the polite thing is to peel

the $ananas for the ladies" 4oetie during y third trip I #as politely disa$used of y

notion"

%&h no, Grigorii avidovich,% a !ussian graciously corrected e" %In !ussia, #hen a an

peels a $anana for a lady it eans he has a romanticinterest in her"% 6o# e$arrassed I felt"

/nd here I had $een proudly telling everyone a$out this tid$it of cultural understanding"
mailto:[email protected]://www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=4291http://www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=4291mailto:[email protected]://www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=4291http://www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=4291


2/5

Certain lessons have to $e learned the hard #ay" 4oe #ell eaning articles and presentations

on cultural differences have a potential to do ore har than good and ay not $e as

ausing" +hey present, like y $ananas, too any generali7ations or 8uite a distorted vie#"

4oe oftenheard generali7ations a$out the 6ispanic culture include0 6ispanics need less

personal space, ake less eye contact, touch each other ore in noral conversation, and areless likely to participate in a eeting" Generali7ations are often dangerous, and especially

#hen accopanied $y recoendations such as0 ove closer #hen talking to 6ispanics,

ake ore physical contact, don5t e'pect participation, and so on"

6ere is an attept to sort out a couple of thoughts on cultural differences" :y perspective is

that of a foreign $ornandraised 6ispanic #ho has no# lived over t#o decades in the United

4tates and has had uch opportunity for international travel and e'change"

Commonality of humankind

ifferences $et#een people #ithin any given nation or culture are uch greater than

differences $et#een groups" Education, social standing, religion, personality, $elief structure,

past e'perience, affection sho#n in the hoe, and a yriad of other factors #ill affect huan

$ehavior and culture"

4ure there are differences in approach as to #hat is considered polite and appropriate $ehavior

$oth on and off the )o$" In soe cultures %yes% eans, %I hear you% ore than %I agree"%

;ength of pleasantries and greetings $efore getting do#n to $usiness< level of tolerance for

$eing around soeone speaking a foreign (notunderstood* language< politeness easured in

ters of gallantry or eti8uette (e"g", standing up for a #oan #ho approaches a ta$le, yielding

a seat on the $us to an older person, etc"*< and anner of e'pected dress are all e'aples ofpossi$le cultural differences and traditions"

In :='ico it is custoary for the arrivingperson to greet the others" >or instance, soeone

#ho #alks into a group of persons eating #ould sayprovecho(en)oy your eal*" In Chile,

#oen often greet $oth other #oen and en #ith a kiss on the cheek" In !ussia #oen

often #alk ar in ar #ith their feale friends" Paying attention to custos and cultural

differences can give soeone outside that culture a $etter chance of assiilation or

acceptance" Ignoring these can get an unsuspecting person into trou$le"

+here arecultural and ideological differences and it is goodto have an understanding a$out a

culture5s custos and #ays" /aron Pun, a Canadian &Cnet correspondent, #rote0 %Instudying cross cultural differences, #e are not looking at individuals $ut a coparison of one

ethnic group against others" 6ence, #e are coparing t#o $ell curves and generali7ation

cannot $e avoided"% /nother correspondent e'plained the huan need to categori7e" +rue and

true, $ut the danger coes #hen #e act on soe of these generali7ations, especially #hen

they are $ased on faulty o$servation" /cting on generali7ations a$out such atters as eye

contact, personal space, touch, and interest in participation can have serious negative

conse8uences"

Cross-cultural and status barriers

4oeties, o$servations a$out cultural differences are $ased on scientific o$servation (see,for instance, /rgyle, :ichael,Bodily Communication, ?nd ed", :ethuen @ Co" ;td", 19AA*"


3/5


4/5

Besides $eing a native Chilean, I have et, taught, $een taught, rooed #ith, studied #ith,

#orked for, #orked #ith, $een supervised $y, supervised, and $een friends #ith 6ispanics

fro alost every 4panishspeaking country in the #orld" I have intervie#ed and done

research aong hundreds of 6ispanic far #orkers and have noticed no difficulties #ith poor

eye contact or invasion of personal space" or have I ever had difficulties in these areas #ith

people fro other nations or cultures"

4trong eye contact is partially a factor of shyness< partly a easure of ho# safe a person feels

around another" If those #ho have #ritten a$out poor eye contact on the part of 6ispanics

#ould #alk do#n a ostly inority neigh$orhood at dusk, they ay also find theselves

looking at the ground and aking less eye contact"

Crosscultural o$servations can easily $e tainted and containated $y other factors" Perceived

status differences can create $arriers $et#een cultures and even #ithin organi7ations"

>or instance, far anagers, instructors, and foreign volunteers (through universities, peace

corps, farertofarer progras, etc"* ay appear to have a status differential #ith thosefar #orkers, students, and technical assistance recipients they are #orking #ith" / person

#ith this status differential #ill have to sho#, $y #ord and action, that she values the potential

contri$utions of those she #orks #ith" Until this happens she #ill only o$tain copliance $ut

never coitent"

/t ties, then, it ay appear that soe #orkers or students, especially #hen there are social

or ethnic differences, do notparticipateas easily" +his is not $ecause they do not have ideas

to contri$ute, $ut rather, $ecause they ay need a little convincing that their ideas #ould $e

valued" &nce this floodgate of ideas is opened, it #ill $e difficult to stop it" In soe su$

cultures, once a person has given an opinion, others are unlikely to contradict it" +hat is #hy

soe organi7ations ask their least senior eployees to give an opinion first, as fe# #ill #ant

to contradict the ore season eployees" 4etting up the discussion fro the $eginning as one

#here one desires to hear all sort of different opinions, can $e very fruitful $oth in the

#orkplace and in the classroo"

/ericans have $een historically #elcoe in ost of 6ispanic /erica" ith a fe#

e'ceptions they are looked up to, resulting in deferential treatent" +his deferential and polite

treatent should not $e confused for #eakness, lack of interest, and the like" 4tudies

conducted soe years ago sho#ed /frican /erican children preferred hite dolls" +his has

$een changing as /frican /ericans are less likely to discount their o#n contri$utions (for an

e'cellent discussion on contri$utions see !oger Bro#n5s Social Psychology: The Seconddition, >ree Press, 19AD*" I $elieve 6ispanics are also valuing their contri$utions ore than

in the past, and less su$servient $ehaviors #ill $e o$served" &nly through e8uality of respect

$et#een races and nations can #e reach positive international relations in this glo$al econoy

(as #ell as peace at hoe*" Cultural and ethnic stereotypes do little to foster this type of

e8uality"

Breaking through status $arriers can take tie and effort" +he aount of e'ertion #ill depend

on any factors, including the skill of the anager (teacher, volunteer* on the one hand, and

ho# alienated and disenfranchised fro the ain strea the person he is trying to reach feels"

>or e'aple, in East /frica, a nonBlack anager speaks to the Black /frican accountant andthe accountant akes little eye contact and responds #ith su$issive %.es, 4irs% regardless of


5/5

#hat he hears" hen the anager e'its, this sae accountant akes plenty of eye contact and

is full of ideas and creativity #hen dealing #ith those of his sae and different race"

In another e'aple, an adult class of 6ispanic far #orkers says nothing to their /nglo

4a'on instructor over a three day periodeven though they do not understand #hat is $eing

taught" +his sae group of far #orkers, #hen given a chance to $e active participants in thelearning process, $ecoe, in the #ords of a second /nglo4a'on instructor at the sae )unior

college, %the $est class of students I have ever taught"%

In yet another case, an /nglo4a'on adult educator finds that 6ispanics are apt to listen

politely $ut not ask 8uestions" 6e advises others not to e'pect uch participation fro

6ispanics" / feale 6ispanic else#here #onders if those 6ispanic far #orkers she teaches

don5t participate $ecause she is a #oan" +he first perceives that the lack of participation is

soe#hat inherent in the 6ispanic population< the latter assues her gender is the cause"

:ean#hile, other 6ispanic instructors create so uch enthusias and active participation

fro the 6ispanic audiences they #ork #ith, that those #ho #alk $y #onder #hat is goingand #hy participants see to $e having so uch fun" It is nota cultural difference if soeone

can totally involve a group into a discussion, #ithin inutes, even #hen that group has had

little e'perience #ith a ore participatory ethod in the past"

Conclusions

4tereotyping can have intense negative effects, especially #hen educators or anagers ake

fe#er attepts to involve those of other cultures $ecause they have $een taught not to e'pect

participationH &r do not reali7e there ay $e soething #rong #hen a student or eployee of

a different ethnicity akes little eye contact #ith the" >aye ;ee, a concerned Fapanese/erican #rote0 %6o# anyone can try to ake generali7ations a$out an entire continent of

people, plus all the /sian /ericans and the infinite perutations of people5s differing

e'periences, is $eyond e"%

/s #e interact #ith others of different cultures, there is no good su$stitute for receptiveness to

interpersonal feed$ack, good o$servation skills, effective 8uestions, and soe horse sense"

+here is uch to $e gained $y o$serving ho# people of the sae culture interact #ith each

other" on5t $e afraid to ask 8uestions as ost people respond very positively to in8uiries

a$out their culture" /sk a variety of people so you can get a $alanced vie#"

:aking a genuine effort to find the positive historical, literary, and cultural contri$utions of asociety< learning a fe# polite e'pressions in another person5s language< and sho#ing

appreciation for the food and usic of another culture can have especially positive effects"

:y contention, then, is not that there are no cultural differences" +hese differences $et#een

cultures and peoples are real and can add richness (and huor* to the fa$ric of life" :y

assertion is that people every#here have uch in coon, such as a need for affiliation and

love, participation, and contri$ution" hen the e'terior is peeled off, there are not so any

differences after all"

Cultural Differences perbedaan kelompok

Documents

Transcript of Cultural Differences perbedaan kelompok