Culture Clash
Culture Clash
Intense emotions
lead to practiced and
familiar behaviorsThe Human Relations specialists at Bartlett Accounting in Seattle had been planning the employee recognition dinner for two months. The company had established the goal of greater participation in international business ventures 10 years ago.
Hard work and patience had paid off, and the company now had offices in eight countries. At the Seattle headquarters, company executives were pleased to announce that the "employee of the year award" recipient was Kyong Hee Cho, originally from Suwon, Korea.
Kyong Hee's parents were so proud of her achievement that they traveled to Seattle for the recognition dinner. Kyong Hee was allowed to choose who would do the actual award presentation, and she selected her immediate supervisor, John McNeil. After the dinner, the presentations of awards started. The master of ceremonies called for John and Kyong Hee to come forward. John then described Kyong Hee's many accomplishments and handed her a plaque and a monetary award. Audience members started applauding loudly. The master of ceremonies said to John, "For Heaven's sake, give her a hug." John did so, but Kyong Hee was obviously uncomfortable with this aspect of the award presentation.
There are at least two issues in this incident that are worth examining. One is a cultural difference. In Korea, physical contact between males and females in public settings is far less frequent than in the United States. Especially when many people are present, as at the awards banquet, Kyong Hee is likely to become very uncomfortable. The other issue deals with a more general aspect of human behavior. When people are excited, they don't think carefully about various ways of behaving. Rather, they behave in ways that are very familiar and that have been practiced many times.
At the banquet, people were excited and were applauding. The master of ceremonies got caught up in the emotions of the moment and said something that is very familiar to him: "give her a hug." Given the excitement, he was not likely to stop and consider the cultural appropriateness of physical contact between males and females. Further, he was not likely to consider recent workplace recommendations in the United States that ask people to think carefully about the implications of traditional gestures such as a hug.
This incident and analysis developed from conversations with Sheldon Varney, University of Hawaii professor emeritus. He points out that certain factors can intensify reactions. Kyong Hee's parents are at the awards dinner, and this will increase her discomfort and will be a reminder of the Korean norms that are more familiar to her.
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