Culture Clash
Culture Clash
PETER CHIU, from Hong Kong, was a wholesaler in precious gems. He traveled to Washington, D.C., to make inquiries about pending legislation concerning import quotas. He had attended college with Beth Reardon, who was now a congressional aide on Capitol Hill. Beth invited Peter to attend a fund-raiser for a prominent senator. Efficient social
interaction can
seem rudeUpon arriving at the fund-raiser, Peter was given a name tag. He knew he should try to circulate among the attendees, and he began this task. Some people would walk up to him, look at his name tag, and then walk away. Others would begin talking with him but after about 15 seconds would leave to talk with someone else. People told him they had to leave shortly since they had four other social gatherings to attend that evening. Peter had never encountered behaviors like these and felt ignored and disrespected.
The analysis of incidents such as this one is aided by understanding some features of culture. Culture provides guidance for shared behaviors among people seeking similar goals. The behaviors eventually become acceptable if people who practice them increase their success rate in attaining their goals. For example, many people share the goal of honoring high school graduates. The shared behavior in Hawaii is that friends and relatives present graduates with flower lei at the reception following the graduation ceremony. This behavior is rare in other parts of the United States.
Peter's reactions might be less negative if he understood the goals people have. Many attendees at the fund-raiser want to pursue various lobbying efforts or want to improve the legislation on which they are working. In Washington, D.C., people have agreed to share certain behaviors that are admittedly rude in most other parts of the United States. Attendees admit this and modify these behaviors when visiting other cities. People look at someone else's name tag. If that other person is not working for an organization related to current lobbying and legislative efforts, people move on to someone else. Chatting with people for 15 seconds and leaving abruptly serves the same goal. In this short period of time, attendees can determine if the person they are addressing will be useful. If the shared behavior of "many social gatherings in the same evening" is considered acceptable, then people can go to different events in the hopes of finding someone who can contribute to their projects.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Special attention will be given to miscommunications caused by cultural differences. Each column will start with a short example of such confusion. Possible explanations will be offered to encourage thought about these issues.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu