What is your view? Bi-polar or 3D? #essentialism #intercultural #country #culture #intercultural #training #coaching
Here is a thought provoking post to get your brain cells moving as we all go, “back to school”. If you are prone to displaying strong emotions – you will enjoy this article as there is something for everybody to react to…
I am still surprised to see intercultural diagrams showing bi-polar dimensions populated with country flags. The historical starting point for this was the pioneering work assessing IBM carried out by, the late, Dr. Geert Hofstede. His premise was that countries were a valid and useful unit of comparative culture and that, further more, over time they have produced unique conditions that, in turn, shape fairly constant and homogenous country cultures. Additionally, we were told that, country culture is, mostly, including phenomenon. Professor Milton J Bennett would later apply an ancient term to this school of thought – Essentialism.
Technology and (Pre / post lockdown travel) are changing culture.
BEFORE
The thoughts and filters of scientists and engineers are subconsciously influenced by their environment. Certainly various conditions present in the 1960’s helped to support early interculture theory.
When viewed from the present day, populations 60 or 70 years ago were relatively sedentary. Air transport was prohibitively expensive and not available to all, the Iron Curtain was in place, China and India were closed and the technology did not exist to promote affordable multicultural exchange or the viable existence of remote but connected virtual teams. There were many fewer transnational corporations and, most importantly of all, social ranking represented the status quo, and this norm was not questioned or challenged as much as it is today – more on that later.
NOW – while there are many aspects of modern life that disgust us – perpetual war, wealth inequality and massive levels of social injustice, there also exist, things that represent forces for liberation and progress. A byproduct of these positive changes is that we can now enjoy a more holistic view of culture.
Borders – A hundred year’s ago, French diplomat Francois Georges-Picot and Brit, Sir Mark Sykes secretly settled the political areas of influence in Asia Minor, drawing up a new map favouring government expedience over cultural sensitivity. This document demonstrated the awesome power wielded by posh white Western European men. The resulting map was to have profound consequences for the whole of the Middle East. The ripple effect of its creation continue to be felt today.
Travel – The availability of travel is exemplified by my children. They can (Covid withstanding) match their age with the number of countries visited – It is now taken as part of their human right to move and experience geographical contrasts. Cheap airlines, airbnb and ATM cash machines facilitate the massive modern movement of people. And, 2004 and 2014 had profound effects on the movement of people seeking employment and housing within EU countries other than their own.
Technology – virtual videoconference equipment, Zoom, TEAMS (despite its clunky properties), WhatsApp, and Facetime are shrinking the world and giving us access to more experience – instantly. A trivial example happened a few Christmases ago – From our base in the UK we had a Facetime call and saw into a German home – with real candles alight on a Christmas tree. We even joined in with the singing. And, we did not have to leave London to experience this.
Awareness and diversity – the secret and overt revolution that is moving culture trainings and intercultural briefings away from sophisticated country stereotypes toward something more nuanced and layered, centres on diversity. Via education and experience, we are moving from the blind acceptance of social rank, to question and investigate both privilege and marginality. We are looking for answers. It is no longer good enough to hear about the White Colonial story with the nasty bits being suppressed. Pioneering work in this field has enabled a mindful generation to form and own their identity, based on more than 70 aspects of diversity, so moving us beyond, simply, country of origin.
In some cases this work can represent a journey from oppression and exclusion to deeper, engaged and more meaningful community membership.
Dogged communication is exposing the mechanisms and social cost of old Colonial systems and historical country power structures. This is creating possibilities for many, formerly excluded, people.
Social media – put simply, the democratic forces of the web (if you can escape all the hate), can transcend the historic barriers of class, education, wealth or gender oppression. The absence of a dominant country passport no longer has to represent struggle . Today, more are allowed participate in the richness of our world via travel and virtual connectivity.
What is possible now?
The FUTURE
So, in the last 70 years, we have moved from a rigid white Anglo Saxon Protestant male authored power map, with its world of self-drawn borders and fixed countries, to a richer and increasingly multifaceted reality, where each individual’s net privilege and marginality combine with other connections and relationships, to give currency and access to virtual communities, education and economic possibilities.
On offer is membership of something shared and significantly beyond just being from a winning or a losing country.
The shift from country averages on dimensional scales, to a world of 3 dimensional participation, makes the bi-polar scales used by interculturalists look clumsy, – a bit like a museum exhibit that has not been returned or explained.
culture99 