[For water, read culture.]
We all have a culture and this affects our expectations about how life happens, what is right and wrong and what constitutes normal behaviour (“how we do things around here”). The point is that there is no one correct world view but that we all, without exception, see the world through a series of lenses. No-one has 20/20 vision where culture is concerned and that is a difficult concept to recognise in yourself and then get across to others. This is why a series of metaphors and frameworks have been developed to help people recognise their culture and how it may differ from that of people from other countries or cultures.
Metaphors
A couple of well known ways of trying to explain what culture is are by Edward T Hall and Gert Hofstede.
Frameworks
Over the years the Absolutely Intercultural podcast has looked at several different culture models that try to explain the differences to be found in the onion or the iceberg. Here are a few of the frameworks that explain what culture is and how it leads to differences.
Hofstede’s dimensions and Software of the mind (Shows 15, 73 & 81)
Trompenaars 7 Dimensions of Culture
In practice
This YouTube video from the UKs Channel 4 shows what happens when people act according to different norms.
In this type of situation you have two main options. The first is to get annoyed when people don’t behave in the way that you see as correct and normal. The second option is to understand that there are differences and take steps to mitigate the potential conflict. In this case by educating Chinese visitors about norms in the places they are visiting and for Thailand, by guiding their Chinese visitors into expected behaviour before Thai norms are breached.
In this article a school classroom situation is analysed according to the 3 Colors worldview. It demonstrates that an intercultural framework helps to work out what is going on and points to a possible solution.
Therefore in this case a theoretical background could help in everyday practice.
I leave open the question of which framework is best. If you have a favorite you are welcome to let me know which one and why.
Do you have any examples where in retrospect you can see that your worldviews clashed?
Image credit: NOOA’s National Ocean Service