Cultural Diversity
What Culture Is…
Take a moment to Reflect on what culture means to you (insert comments that you are comfortable expressing into the chat box and the moderator will compile and stream responses- there is no right or wrong response, this is reflective, but will be supplented by some theoretical discourse (as seen below) to give us a more grounded basis for discussion.
Culture is a word that is familiar to everyone, but its precise meaning can be elusive. A useful definition by noted social scientist Geert Hofstede is that culture consists of shared mental programs that condition individuals’ responses to their environment.
This simple definition neatly summarizes the idea that we see culture in everyday behaviour – individuals’ responses to their environment and that such behaviour is controlled by deeply embedded mental programs. Culture is not just a set of surface behaviours, i.e. our mannerisms, our ways of speaking to each other, the way we dress, are often manifestations of deep culturally based values and principles.
A key feature of culture is that these mental programs are shared. Hofstede talks about three levels of mental programming. (see Image above)
Three Levels of Mental Programming
The deepest level – human nature – is based on common biological reactions, such as hunger, sex drive, territoriality, and nurturing of the young that all members of the human race have in common, even though they come from different cultures.
The shallowest level – personality – is based on the specific genetic makeup and personal experiences that make each of us a unique individual. For example, we may be sociable or introverted, aggressive or submissive, emotional or stable, or perhaps, as a result of learning, have a deep interest in fashionable clothing or a love of good wine. We all have many behaviours and understandings that are quite different from those of others, even though we come from the same culture.
The middle level – culture- is based on common experiences that we share with a particular group of our fellow human beings. Cultural values, attitudes and assumptions about proper behaviour give us something in common with a definable group of others, but not with all of them. The group may be a very large one, such as a national population, i.e. Japanese culture; or a very small one, i.e. the culture of the committee of a local PTA.
Characteristics of Culture
Culture is shared
Culture is something that a group has in common that is not normally available to people outside the group. It is mental programming held in common that enables insiders to interact with each other with a special intimacy denied to outsiders.
For example, Scottish people all over the world share an understanding of history that is rooted in conflict with, and oppression by, the English. Even though the two groups now coexist relatively harmoniously, this fact creates a bond among Scots and an attitude toward the English that is hard to put into words but is immediately recognized by Scottish people when they meet anywhere in the world.
Culture is learned and is enduring
The example of the Scots and the English tells us that culture does not arise by accident but builds up systematically over time based on sequences of historical events. The mental programming of a group is learned by its members over long periods as they interact with their environment and with each other. Some aspects of culture, such as religious beliefs, systems of land ownership, and forms of marriage, are built into institutions. Other aspects are passed on through generations in the form of parental role modeling and advice to the young.
Culture is a powerful influence on behaviour
We have a hard time escaping our culture, even when we want to. The mental programming involved is strong. Even when we mentally question the rationality of some aspects of our culture or seek to adopt cultural flexibility by doing things in line with a different culture, we have a natural tendency to revert to our cultural roots.
Nevertheless, the experience of immigrants, who deliberately and often successfully move from one cultural setting to another, suggests that individuals can learn, and even identify with, aspects of a new culture. In some cases, the requirements of a dominant culture may even cause them to suppress aspects of their original culture. Being embedded in an unfamiliar setting causes some to learn actively about the new culture, while others attempt to avoid it, often by trying to re-create their old culture in the new situation. The best adaptation is done by those who learn the new culture while still retaining valuable elements of their original culture. By doing so, they cultivate cultural intelligence.
Culture is systematic and organized
Culture is not random, it is an organized system of values, attitudes, beliefs and meanings that are related to each other and to the context. For example, the practice of polygamy, which is frowned on in most cultures, makes good historical sense in some African cultures where it is still practiced. Acceptance of polygamy depends on such factors as family status, economic security, and religious commitment, all of which are based on having more children, and particularly more sons, per family.
Because of mental programming imposed by our own culture, the cultures of other people often seem strange and illogical. Deeper scrutiny can reveal that each culture has its own, often exquisite, logic and coherence.
Culture is largely invisible
What we see of culture is expressed in living artifacts, which include communicated messages; but they also include human activities such as language, customs, and dress, as well as physical artifacts such as architecture, art, and decoration.
Because much of culture is hidden, these obvious and visible elements of culture may be compared to the tip of an iceberg. Icebergs have as much as 90 percent of their mass below the water, leaving only a small percentage visible. The important part of the iceberg that is culture is not the obvious physical symbols that are above the surface but the deep underlying values and assumptions that they express. So understanding cultures involves a lot more than just understanding immediate surface behaviour such as bows, handshakes, invitations, ceremonies, and body language. The invisible elements of culture, the underlying values, social structures, and ways of thinking are the most important.
Culture may be “tight” or “loose”
Cultures differ from each other not just in their details but also in their pervasiveness. Some societies are characterized by virtually 100 percent agreement as to the form of correct behaviour; other societies may have greater diversity and tolerance of difference. “Tight” cultures have uniformity and agreement and are often based on homogeneous populations or the dominance of particular religious beliefs. Japan is a good example. Countries such as Canada with diverse populations have relatively “loose” cultures, which in some cases are made even looser by the encouragement of freedom of thought and action.
What Culture Is…
Take a moment to Reflect on what culture means to you (insert comments that you are comfortable expressing into the chat box and the moderator will compile and stream responses- there is no right or wrong response, this is reflective, but will be supplented by some theoretical discourse (as seen below) to give us a more grounded basis for discussion.
Culture is a word that is familiar to everyone, but its precise meaning can be elusive. A useful definition by noted social scientist Geert Hofstede is that culture consists of shared mental programs that condition individuals’ responses to their environment.
This simple definition neatly summarizes the idea that we see culture in everyday behaviour – individuals’ responses to their environment and that such behaviour is controlled by deeply embedded mental programs. Culture is not just a set of surface behaviours, i.e. our mannerisms, our ways of speaking to each other, the way we dress, are often manifestations of deep culturally based values and principles.
A key feature of culture is that these mental programs are shared. Hofstede talks about three levels of mental programming. (see Image above)
Three Levels of Mental Programming
The deepest level – human nature – is based on common biological reactions, such as hunger, sex drive, territoriality, and nurturing of the young that all members of the human race have in common, even though they come from different cultures.
The shallowest level – personality – is based on the specific genetic makeup and personal experiences that make each of us a unique individual. For example, we may be sociable or introverted, aggressive or submissive, emotional or stable, or perhaps, as a result of learning, have a deep interest in fashionable clothing or a love of good wine. We all have many behaviours and understandings that are quite different from those of others, even though we come from the same culture.
The middle level – culture- is based on common experiences that we share with a particular group of our fellow human beings. Cultural values, attitudes and assumptions about proper behaviour give us something in common with a definable group of others, but not with all of them. The group may be a very large one, such as a national population, i.e. Japanese culture; or a very small one, i.e. the culture of the committee of a local PTA.
Characteristics of Culture
Culture is shared
Culture is something that a group has in common that is not normally available to people outside the group. It is mental programming held in common that enables insiders to interact with each other with a special intimacy denied to outsiders.
For example, Scottish people all over the world share an understanding of history that is rooted in conflict with, and oppression by, the English. Even though the two groups now coexist relatively harmoniously, this fact creates a bond among Scots and an attitude toward the English that is hard to put into words but is immediately recognized by Scottish people when they meet anywhere in the world.
Culture is learned and is enduring
The example of the Scots and the English tells us that culture does not arise by accident but builds up systematically over time based on sequences of historical events. The mental programming of a group is learned by its members over long periods as they interact with their environment and with each other. Some aspects of culture, such as religious beliefs, systems of land ownership, and forms of marriage, are built into institutions. Other aspects are passed on through generations in the form of parental role modeling and advice to the young.
Culture is a powerful influence on behaviour
We have a hard time escaping our culture, even when we want to. The mental programming involved is strong. Even when we mentally question the rationality of some aspects of our culture or seek to adopt cultural flexibility by doing things in line with a different culture, we have a natural tendency to revert to our cultural roots.
Nevertheless, the experience of immigrants, who deliberately and often successfully move from one cultural setting to another, suggests that individuals can learn, and even identify with, aspects of a new culture. In some cases, the requirements of a dominant culture may even cause them to suppress aspects of their original culture. Being embedded in an unfamiliar setting causes some to learn actively about the new culture, while others attempt to avoid it, often by trying to re-create their old culture in the new situation. The best adaptation is done by those who learn the new culture while still retaining valuable elements of their original culture. By doing so, they cultivate cultural intelligence.
Culture is systematic and organized
Culture is not random, it is an organized system of values, attitudes, beliefs and meanings that are related to each other and to the context. For example, the practice of polygamy, which is frowned on in most cultures, makes good historical sense in some African cultures where it is still practiced. Acceptance of polygamy depends on such factors as family status, economic security, and religious commitment, all of which are based on having more children, and particularly more sons, per family.
Because of mental programming imposed by our own culture, the cultures of other people often seem strange and illogical. Deeper scrutiny can reveal that each culture has its own, often exquisite, logic and coherence.
Culture is largely invisible
What we see of culture is expressed in living artifacts, which include communicated messages; but they also include human activities such as language, customs, and dress, as well as physical artifacts such as architecture, art, and decoration.
Because much of culture is hidden, these obvious and visible elements of culture may be compared to the tip of an iceberg. Icebergs have as much as 90 percent of their mass below the water, leaving only a small percentage visible. The important part of the iceberg that is culture is not the obvious physical symbols that are above the surface but the deep underlying values and assumptions that they express. So understanding cultures involves a lot more than just understanding immediate surface behaviour such as bows, handshakes, invitations, ceremonies, and body language. The invisible elements of culture, the underlying values, social structures, and ways of thinking are the most important.
Culture may be “tight” or “loose”
Cultures differ from each other not just in their details but also in their pervasiveness. Some societies are characterized by virtually 100 percent agreement as to the form of correct behaviour; other societies may have greater diversity and tolerance of difference. “Tight” cultures have uniformity and agreement and are often based on homogeneous populations or the dominance of particular religious beliefs. Japan is a good example. Countries such as Canada with diverse populations have relatively “loose” cultures, which in some cases are made even looser by the encouragement of freedom of thought and action.