Lesson 6: Cultural Dispositions

What is Culture? (continued)

Culture is a complex mixture of values, norms, rules, ritual, symbols and practices. Culture is difficult to describe because of its richness and intricacies. This is illustrated by cultural dances that carry more meaning than just the performance of the dance.

Contact between cultural groups may have more subtle meanings. For example, the story is told of a Southeast Asian couple from different cultural backgrounds. The girl was from a higher group then the boy. They fell in love and desired to marry. When the boy's mother went to meet the girl's mother to discuss the possibility of marriage, the girl's mother first served tea with a side dish of bananas. Since serving tea with bananas was a culturally inappropriate thing to do, the boy's mother left after the tea without discussing the wedding at all. She had understood from the tea serving that the marriage would not happen because the girl's parents considered it inappropriate. The couple did not marry (Hall, 2005). This story illustrates the complexities and intricacies of cultures and the messages that may be sent without talking.

Culture becomes a shared way of thinking, feeling and behaving. It has multiple parts and a core set of beliefs that people rally around. For example, the United States has a strong commitment to a democratic form of government. It values this commitment so strongly that it seeks to aid other countries in adopting such a system. As time passes the rallying point for cultures may change. For example, the province of Quebec in Canada used to gain a great deal of its cultural identity from the dominant religion. As the importance of religion has diminished in Quebec, the French language has become more of a focal point for cultural issues. The things that are important to a country help to define its culture and its people.

On a GV team some cultural interactions are not possible. Physical contact is not possible. Images are restricted. Non-verbal communication is restricted or eliminated by virtual communication. As a result team members need to focus on how to communicate and understand verbal and written communications laden with cultural meaning. Will you understand when a team member is trying to send a no message without actually saying "no"? It is important to establish a relationship of trust that allows open frank discussion between team members. Understanding how the meaning of words differ from one culture to another becomes important in clearly communicating ideas and needs.