Check your Cross-Cultural Quotient! "East vs. West" has become irrelevant as civilizations engage and clash. English as lingua franca conveys words, while meanings differ. Talk given at Blink-Blank in Singapore in September 2011.

1. Cross-­‐Culture
Shock
Increasing
Your
Cross-­‐Cultural
Quo3ent
(XCQ)
@BenjaminJoffe
Blink-­‐Blank
|
Singapore,
2011.9

2. About
this
PresentaDon
Understanding
other
cultures
goes
beyond
speaking
foreign
languages.
Building
more
cross-­‐cultural
awareness
is
likely
to
make
a
difference
in
a
world
where
many
things
imply
people
from
more
than
one
naDonality.
I
hope
you
will
enjoy
the
ideas
&
quirks
shared
here.
I
am
interested
in
any
comment!
Reach
me
at
benjamin@plus8star.com

3. Cultural
DNA
of
@benjaminjoffe
I
spent
most
of
my
working
life
(11
years)
overseas,
especially
in
Japan,
China,
South
Korea
and
USA.
My
cultural
DNA
has
become
rather
complex.

4. Who
has
lived
in
more
than
1
country?
I
lived
(=
main
home
for
1+
months)
in
7
countries
on
3
conDnents.
How
about
you?

5. Who
can
speak
more
than
1
language?
I
speak
more
or
less
6
languages.

6. Model
This
is
a
model
of
possible
reacDons
to
a
foreign
culture.

7. 2.
RESISTANCE
3.
EXHAUSTION
4.
RESTORATION
4.
RESTORATION
OF
OF
HOMEOSTASIS
HOMEOSTASIS
1.
ALARM
HOMEOSTASIS
HOMEOSTASIS
DEATH
…it
is
actually
comparable
to
the
model
of
reacDon
to
a
stress
situaDon.

8. 2.
RESISTANCE
3.
EXHAUSTION
4.
RESTORATION
4.
RESTORATION
OF
OF
HOMEOSTASIS
HOMEOSTASIS
1.
ALARM
HOMEOSTASIS
HOMEOSTASIS
DEATH
Hopefully,
culture
shock
would
not
lead
to
death
^_^;

9. Symptoms
of
Culture
Shock
• Utopian
ideas
on
other
culture
• Refusal
to
learn
the
language
• Concerns
about
water
&
food
• Concerns
about
being
robbed/cheated
• Irritability
&
complaints
• Staying
indoors
• Fear
of
touching
local
people
Those
are
symptoms
of
someone
suffering
from
culture
shock.

10. Source:
Samuel
P.
HunDngton,
The
Clash
of
CivilizaDons
and
the
Remaking
of
the
World
Order,
1996
The
world
as
seen
by
the
West
in
1920.
SDll
a
view
shared
by
many.

11. Culture
=
Language?
Culture
is
ojen
seen
first
as
“language”,
but
you
can
speak
English
(or
Chinese)
and
know
nothing
about
how
people
behave
there.

12. Looking
at
languages,
it
is
clear
the
dominant
culture
is
NOT
Western.

13. Source:
Carroll
Quigley,
The
EvoluDon
of
CivilizaDons:
An
IntroducDon
to
Historical
Analysis,
1979
Some
other
civilizaDons
disappeared
over
the
centuries.
Even
today,
the
“Western”
civilizaDon
is
one
out
of
several.

14. Source:
Samuel
P.
HunDngton,
The
Clash
of
CivilizaDons
and
the
Remaking
of
the
World
Order,
1996
Another
way
to
look
at
the
world
is
through
the
lens
of
civilizaDons.
How
many
do
you
understand
besides
your
own?

15. What
do
you
mean?
Understanding
civilizaDons
and
cultures
is
key:
the
same
English
word
can
imply
different
things
according
to
your
culture!

16. German
Mid-­‐Autumn
FesDval?
In
China,
this
could
be
a
symbol
of
the
mid-­‐autumn
fesDval

17. …but
in
Germany,
people
would
think
of
Oktoberfest.

18. Czech
Dumplings?
Talk
about
dumplings
to
a
Chinese,
this
is
what
he
thinks
about.

19. To
a
Czech,
“dumpling”
means
something
quite
different.
Personally,
I
like
both!

20. Chaulafan
de
Pollo
(Ecuador)?
This
is
the
name
of
a
dish
I
encountered
in
Ecuador.
I
knew
“pollo”
means
chicken,
but
I
could
not
figure
out
“chaulafan”.

21. …unDl
I
saw
a
picture
and
realized
it
was
the
Spanish
for
“Chaofan”
(Chinese
fried
rice).
The
avocado
is
a
local
variaDon.

22. Contract?
What
do
you
envision
when
you
hear
“contract”?
In
the
US
it
might
mean
“my
lawyer
will
talk
to
your
lawyer”;
in
China
it
could
be
a
handshake!

23. • USA
“It
works”
• Japan
“It’s
perfect”
• Korea
“It’s
new”
• China
“It
gives
me
status”
• Singapore
“ There
is
a
queue
for
it”
h/t
Jean
K.
Min
“Quality”
is
another
word
that
has
different
meanings
according
to
the
country.
Send
me
the
meaning
of
“Quality”
in
your
country
at
benjamin@plus8star.com
!

24. Other
Important
Cases
Appointment
Friendship
Marriage
DaDng
Fun
Imagine
the
implicaDons
of
the
differences
of
meaning
of
those
words!
You’d
beter
figure
it
out
before
geung
engaged!

25. For
instance,
in
Japan…
“It
is
a
bit
difficult…”
…means
no
The
meaning
is
100%
clear
for
a
Japanese
person,
but
if
you
take
it
literally
you
might
end
up
frustrated.
What
are
the
things
in
your
culture
that
no
one
should
take
literally?

26. PROBLEMS
1. Learning
languages
takes
ages
2. We
can’t
trust
words!
You
can’t
assume
the
words
used
by
someone
from
another
culture
have
the
same
meaning
you
give
them.
And
learning
languages
is
not
a
quick
fix.

27. Luckily…
WARNING:
ONLY
FOR
FEELINGS
&
ATTITUDE
Source:
Albert
Mehrabian,
"Decoding
of
Inconsistent
CommunicaDons”,
1967
You
might
have
heard
before
“communicaDon
is
only
7%
words”
(or
another
low
number).
This
idea
is
valid
ONLY
for
feelings
&
autudes!

28. Visual
Cues?
TRUST
DON’T
TRUST
Source:
htp://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/graphics/080817_face/
A
recent
research
tried
to
find
out
the
features
that
made
a
face
more
or
less
trusted.
It
would
be
really
sad
if
it
was
true!

29. My
Interests
Touch
Silence
Humor
Along
the
years,
I
developed
an
interest
in
cultural
elements
that
generally
go
unnoDced.

30. Touch
Touch
is
among
the
most
underrated.
I
now
think
that
it
is
a
very
important
aspect
of
human
communicaDon.

31. The
most
common
form
of
touch
is
when
greeDng
people.
From
handshake
to
high
five,
to
bowing
(no
touch!)
to
the
occasional
fist
bump
(yo!).

32. Which
Angle?
But
even
bowing
is
not
so
simple:
angle,
eye
contact,
speed
and
Dming
depend
on
the
relaDonship,
age,
rank
and
distance.
Good
luck!

33. Benefit
of
Being
French
The
first
kiss
is
free!
French
people
can
escalate
physical
contact
on
the
first
encounter!
It
is
not
only
accepted,
but
refusing
it
is
almost
awkward.

34. For
Everyone
Else
…and
if
you’re
not
French
and
you
try
to
pull
that
off,
you
are
at
risk!
Add
“I
got
into
the
habit
while
living
in
the
France”.
Now
that
is
fancy!

35. Unfortunately…
FRANCE
JAPAN
KOREA
CHINA
My
greeDngs
got
all
messed
up
ajer
living
abroad:
I
learned
to
bow
in
Japan,
hold
my
right
arm
with
my
lej
hand
during
handshake
in
Korea,
and
say
“nihao”
in
China,
and
ended
up
doing
all
at
once.
My
Western
friends
found
me
odd
and
my
French
friends
found
me
distant
(no
kissing
in
Asia!).
I
had
to
relearn
how
to
shake
hands
and
kiss
for
greeDng!

36. High
Touch
vs.
Low
Touch
(Sidney
Jourard,
1966)
Many
cool
sociology
studies
were
done
in
the
60’s.
This
one
looked
into
comparing
cultures
based
on
touch.

37. High
Touch
vs.
Low
Touch
• USA
2x
/
30
min.
• France
110x
/
30
min.
Source:
Touch
Study
by
Sidney
Jourard,
1966
As
part
of
this
study,
they
looked
at
couples
in
cafes
and
counted
the
number
of
Dmes
they
touched
each
other
in
30
minutes.
France
won.

38. Benefits(?)
• High-­‐touch
>
Low
violence?
• Low-­‐touch
>
More
violence?
• (Birthrate?)
Are
fist
bumps
enough?
Low
touch
ojen
means
lower
empathy.
Apparently
a
recent
study
found
some
correlaDon,
though
it’s
hard
to
prove!
Maybe
we
need
more
hugs…

39. Touch
Zones
(Mark
Tomita,
2008)
Another
study
on
touch,
more
recent,
looked
into
“touch
zones”:
what
areas
can
you
touch
other
male
or
female
on,
and
what
do
you
allow
others?

40. Touch
Zones
Females
with
Males
Males
among
Males
Source:
Touch
Study
by
Mark
Tomita,
2008
Males
generally
don’t
touch
males
outside
hands
or
back.
Females
allow
themselves
to
touch
males
almost
anywhere!

41. US-­‐Centric?
As
it
ojen
happens,
this
study
was
done
in
the
US
(among
university
students).
It
is
relevant
everywhere?

42. …probably
not
in
China
(right),
Japan
(top)
or
Korea
(botom)
where
seeing
same-­‐sex
people
hold
hands
and
arms
is
quite
common.

43. Korea’s
“Mark
Zuckerberg”
Founder
of
gaming
startup
in
China
“Ondol”
water-­‐heated
Korean
floor
In
Korea,
it
is
totally
fine
to
sleep
on
the
floor
with
a
bunch
of
mates.

44. More
Disturbing!
You
might
even
be
surprised
to
get
a
hand
on
your
thigh
that
stays
there
or
get
your
but
grabbed
by
a
good
friend
who
wants
to
show
he
enjoys
your
company.

45. Silence
Silence
is
another
amazing
feature
that
differenDates
cultures.

46. (Silence)
• Generally
uncomfortable
• SomeDmes
pregnant
• Rarely
meaningful
In
the
West,
we
don’t
do
too
well
with
silence.

47. In
Japan
Silence
Can
Express…
1. Surprise
2. Agreement
&
Disagreement
3. Embarrassment
4. Defiance
5. Femininity
6. Deference
7. EffecDve
wordless
communicaDon
Analysis
of
silence
in
a
tutoring
lesson:
htp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyjenhfSnFU
In
Japan,
it
can
mean
many
things,
and
can
be
very
hard
to
interpret
and
deal
with
for
outsiders.
Ojen,
you’d
beter
wait
or
ask
for
clarificaDon.

48. “A-­‐Un”
RelaDonship
(阿吽の仲)
Some
couples
who
know
each
other
all
too
well
are
called
“A-­‐Un”:
one
just
opens
his/her
mouth
to
say
something
(“A”)
and
the
other
understands
instantly,
without
words
(“Un”).

49. Mapping
Cultural
Values
1. Money
(Career,
cash,
possessions)
2. Family
(parents,
children,
grandparents,
etc.
are
close
to
each
other)
3. Society
(social
link
maters
more
than
individual)
4. “Culture”
(arts,
travels,
literature,
etc.)
5. Spirituality
(religious
or
not)
As
I
was
exposed
to
different
cultures,
I
idenDfied
5
elements
that
could
help
differenDate
them.
There
might
be
others
but
those
worked
prety
well
for
me.

50. TentaDve
Mapping
(France)
MONEY
0:
not
important
3
1:
maters
a
litle
2:
maters
quite
a
bit
2
3:
maters
a
lot
SPIRITUALITY
1
FAMILY
0
CULTURE
SOCIAL
LINK
Note:
This
is
a
personal
view
–
I
am
as
biased
as
the
next
guy!
Being
French,
I
gave
a
shot
at
French
values.
Send
me
your
view
on
your
country
at
benjamin@plus8star.com
!

51. CompaDbility
&
Culture
Clashes
• France
/
USA
• Korea
/
Japan
• USA
/
China
• Score
your
country!
Due
to
those
values,
there
are
frequent
“culture
clashes”
and
cultural
compaDbiliDes.
I
just
indicated
some
of
them.
Can
you
guess
what
are
the
cultural
values
involved?

52. Other
(potenDally)
InteresDng
Mapping
Cultures’s
comfort
with,
or
importance
of:
1. Silence
2. Touch
3.
Eye
Contact
4.
Smile
5.
Group
6.
Nudity
I
did
not
dive
into
all
of
those,
but
I
am
also
interested
in
the
levels
of
acceptance
and
frequency
or
the
4
other
elements
listed
above.

53. Most
Difficult
Humor
I
try
to
collect
jokes
or
understand
the
humor
of
countries
in
live
in.
I
consider
I
got
a
good
basis
when
I
can
invent
a
joke.
If
you
know
Japanese,
I’ll
tell
you
one.

54. Rakugo
(Japan)
As
an
example:
Rakugo
in
Japan
is
“sit-­‐down
comedy”
by
a
storyteller.
He/she
summons
imaginary
characters
and
the
ending
is
generally
surprising
and
hilarious
(as
well
as
the
build-­‐up).

55. Humor
can
lead
to
culture
shock:
I
met
a
BriDsh
guy
who
could
not
stand
the
US-­‐style
humor
in
the
Philippines
and
decided
to
move
out!
I
am
not
sure
what
he
meant.
Can
you
explain?

56. Thanks!
Cultural
input?
Complaints?
Jokes?
DROP
ME
A
LINE

Email:
benjamin@plus8star.com
Twiter:
@benjaminjoffe