Culture Clash
Culture Clash
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. Criticism taken
personally in many
cultures
HERB PORTER, originally from Seattle, was working in Manila for a company that produced men's and women's business attire. The company had major customers in many large cities throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Herb had become friendly with Jose Ablaza given their shared interests in aerobics and weight training. One day, at a meeting attended by about 15 company employees, Jose presented his ideas for a new marketing plan on which he had been working. Herb made several suggestions that he thought would improve the marketing plan and questioned Jose on one of his assumptions. The next day, Jose did not join Herb at the local gym for their regularly scheduled workout.
There is a possible explanation that I often discuss with North Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asians who find themselves on overseas assignments. In some cultures, people can disagree with others and still remain on very friendly terms. In other cultures, this combination of behaviors occurs far less frequently. People in these cultures do not make a sharp distinction between worth as an individual and the value of the ideas that individual is presenting at a particular time. Disagreement with a person's ideas is seen as a challenge to their dignity. The issue of offering criticism in the workplace can be a source of strained relationships in many cultures and is frequently covered in cross-cultural training programs.
In this specific case of Herb and Jose, there are culturally appropriate ways for Jose to receive constructive suggestions so that he can improve his marketing plan. Colleagues or bosses who are not close friends can make such suggestions. The people Jose knows can be friends or constructive critics, but difficulties occur when the same person tries to play both roles. The constructive critics must know culturally appropriate ways of making their suggestions. They would speak one-on-one with Jose after the meeting and would not risk embarrassing him in front of his coworkers. The critics would try to keep the tone of the one-on-one session lighthearted with jokes and pleasant banter. They would make sure that they say good things about the marketing plan and would delicately insert their suggestions for improvement into their positive comments.
If people want to develop the ability to accept disagreement and to remain on friendly terms, my advice is to seek out opportunities for practice. Joining community organizations or volunteering for committees where there surely will be disagreements are two ways to do that.
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