Culture Defined
I’m frequently asked—professionally and socially—about our definition of culture—what it is, where it comes from and how culture affects interaction with colleagues. Here is the definition that we find works best: a deep-seated set of values and beliefs shared by a society that define a sense of right and wrong, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Delving into the meaning of cultural awareness, the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others what you would like to be done unto you” might best be modified to “do unto others as they would like you to do unto them.” Of course, this means you need to know a little about their cultural values and preferences. The important thing is to recognize that culture represents intrinsic beliefs and values, which impact behavior. Combined with personal style, being attuned to these factors allows us to be culturally astute and professionally successful in 2010 and beyond.
Mike Schell
We had some interesting responses to my reference to the Golden Rule in this piece. I did in fact not mean to quote it rather to imply it’s meaning in working across cultures. The skill required in maintaining a global mindset is to find the most culturally appropriate way to achieve the business objective and communicate with colleagues, clients and customers in the way that they will best hear you message. This requires setting aside your preference, and finding one that works for them.