Cultural Sensitivity

Individual vs society approach

A scientific paper (Segall, Dasen, Berry and Poorting (1990)) argues that when it is abou cultural research the steps should be the following:

1. Begin research in your own country
2. Transport it to the other country
3. Discover the other culture
4. Compare the two cultures
5. If the cultures overlap, the the comparison is possible and then the result is a derived etic.

The conclusion: When you go abroad, be aware of the characteristics of your own culture. (If you need a start point in what to take into consideration check prof. Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions). Futher on you will need strong objectivity skills to make the difference between the individual's features and the whole society's traits.

In order to understand the individual you need to take into consideration three pyramidal 'constants':

• Culture: the cultural background and the upbringing will affect a individual's opinions and decision.
• Company: considerate the organizational and professional culture of a foreign colleague. You will understand better where the gap is and what do you need to do in order to cover it.
• Character: each individual has his own values, motives and moods.

posted by Corina Hase @ 8:40 PM