This lecture aims at fostering learning cross cultural training for international engineers, ingenieros por el mundo on linkedIn

1.
IMWE
Interna+onal
Master
in
Water
Engineering
Keys
to
succeed
in
a
foreign
culture
by
Cris+na
Vázquez-­‐Herrero
Associate
Professor
at
University
of
La
Coruña,
Spain
cvazquezh@udc.es
“For
a
long
*me
the
individual
will
understand
what
the
na*onal
is
saying,
but
he
is
not
always
sure
what
the
na*onal
means”
Dr.
Lalervo
Oberg;
Anthropologist

2. Foreword
The
author
expresses
her
gra+tude
towards
engineers
PE
Eduardo
Fernández
de
la
Pradilla,
Genaro
Daroca
and
Jose
Cordovilla,
whose
original
debates
and
accurate
remarks
posted
in
ingenieros
por
el
mundo
(linkedIn)
have
inspired
this
lecture.

3. Purpose
statement
• This
lecture
(2
hours)
opens
the
Interna+onal
Master
in
Water
Engineering,
that
welcomes
students
from
Germany
and
Spain.
• The
purpose
of
these
clases
is
to
reflect
on
the
interna+onal
character
of
this
master,
and
to
promote
a
good
understanding
among
its
students
and
professors,
given
their
different
background
and
the
exis+ng
genera+on
gap,
which
are
likely
to
generate
some
kind
of
culture
shock.

4. What
is
culture?
What
is
culture?
• Culture
is
defined
by
Hofstede,
as
the
collec6ve
mental
programming
(so<ware
of
the
mind)
which
dis6nguishes
one
group
of
people
from
another.
• Our
own
culture
is
defined
by
our
values
(learned
in
childhood),
which
are
not
visible.
The
external
manifesta+on
of
our
culture,
its
prac+ces,
include
rituals,
heroes,
and
symbols
(see
next
figure,
according
to
Hofstede,
1991).

6. ¿What
is
culture
shock?
• Culture
shock
is
the
subjec+ve
feeling
of
distress,
or
helplessness
and
of
hos+lity
toward
a
new
cultural
environment,
be
it
a
new
country
or
a
new
organiza+on
(i.e.
“in
laws”).
• Culture
shock
usually
happens
several
weeks
or
months
aber
we
contact
this
new
culture.
Examples:
• These
romans
are
crazy,
debate
ini+ated
by
Eduardo
Fdez
de
la
Pradilla
at
ingenieros
por
el
mundo
on
linkedin
• “Qué
bella
es
la
nieve”,
youtube

7. Phases
of
culture
shock
(Hofstede)
• Euphoria
(honeymoon)
• Culture
shock
• Accultura+on
• Adapta+on
or
flight!

8. Limbic
system
(emo+ons)
frontal
lobe
(ra+onale)

9. How
could
we
overcome
culture
shock?
§ Be
self-­‐aware
of
your
personality
and
culture
(i.e.
use
Culture
GPS
to
evaluate
your
personal
culture).
Are
you
flex-­‐
humble
or
monumentalist?
Are
you
ethnocentric?
§ Develop
a
posi+ve
ahtude:
cau+ous,
humble
and
flexible:
Master
Yoda
of
Star
Wars:
May
the
force
be
with
you!
§ Intensive
study
of
local
language
and
thorough
observa+on
of
local
culture.
§ Rule
of
100
days:
listen,
watch,
smile,
be
quiet
§ Develop
a
local
I.
Never
judge
the
new
culture
and
country.
§ Get
in
love
with
the
country…
(and)
a
local
alien

10. How
could
we
overcome
culture
shock?
§ Prac+ce
sports
regularly
(so
as
to
maintain
high
endorphin
levels),
socialize
through
sport
apps,
i.e.
endomondo
§ Avoid
resennul
expatriates
from
your
country
§ Expect
and
learn
to
iden+fy
culture
shock
§ Ask
for
help
from
local
new
friends
and
adapted
expatriates
§ Be
pa+ent
and
delay
dras+c
decisions
for
some
weeks
or
months
(so
as
frontal
lobe
to
decide,
instead
of
our
limbic
system)

11. Cross
cultural
training
• Working
abroad
and/or
dealing
with
people
from
other
cultures
(i.e
people
from
Germany
and
Spain)
poses
certain
challenges
that
could
be
addressed
through
cross
cultural
training.
• Different
cultures
are
based
on
different
sobware
of
the
mind:
values,
rituals,
heroes
and
symbols,
which
condi+on
the
prac+ces
of
that
par+cular
culture.
• In
these
classes
the
differences
among
cultures
will
be
scien+fically
addressed.

12. Mul+culturality
• Mul+culturality:
development
of
several
local
I
– It
allows
problem
solving
in
mul+ple
ways
– Mul+cultural
countries:
USA,
Canadá,
Australia,
New
Zealand,
Singapore,
United
Kingdom,
+
innova+ve!
– Expats’
children:
third
culture
kids
(specific
issues)
Example:
Barack
Obama
lived
in
Malaysia
for
5
years,
and
volunteered
in
marginal
Chicago!

13. Dimensions
of
culture
• Dimensions
of
culture
according
to
Hofstede
Center
6th
dimension:
Indulgence
versus
Restraint
Cultures
and
individuals
can
be
represented
by
6D
vectors
Example:
(PDI,IDV,MAS,UAI,LTO,IVR)=(30,70,90,35,15,89)
%

14. What
is
power
distance
index?
• Power
distance
is
the
emo+onal
distance
that
separates
subordinates
from
their
bosses
• PDI
stands
for
the
extent
to
which
the
less
powerful
members
of
a
society
expect
and
accept
that
power
is
distributed
unequally.
• The
use
of
Sie(usted)
vs.
Du(tú)
is
one
sign
of
power
distance
between
genera+ons,
between
social
classes,
and
inside
hierarchies.
How
do
you
address
professors?
Can
you
disagree
with
them?
What
PDI
do
you
expect
in
your
country?

15. Power
distance
index
PDI

16. What
is
individualism?
• When
the
interest
of
the
group
prevails
over
the
interest
of
the
individual,
a
society
is
collec+vist.
In-­‐
groups
(clans,
families,
organiza+ons)
look
aber
the
individual
in
exchange
of
loyalty.
Iden+ty:
We.
• When
the
interest
of
the
individual
prevails,
a
society
is
individualist.
Iden+ty:
I.
• Exclusionism:
treat
others
depending
on
group
affilia+on
(in-­‐group
and
outsiders)
• Universalism:
treat
others
on
the
basis
of
who
they
are,
disregarding
group
affilia+on

17. Individualism
vs.
collec+vism
IDV

18. What
means
masculinity/feminity?
• Masculine
cultures
promote
achievement,
heroism,
asser+veness
and
material
reward
for
success.
• Asser+veness:
confident
and
direct
approach
in
claiming
one's
rights
or
puhng
forward
one's
views
(wordreference.com).
• Feminine
cultures
promote
caring
for
others
and
quality
of
life,
and
modesty.
• Modesty:
the
quality
or
state
of
being
modest,
i.e.
having
or
showing
a
moderate
opinion
of
one's
merits,
importance,
etc.
(wordreference.com)

19. Masculinity
vs.
feminity
MAS

20. What
is
uncertainty
avoidance
index?
• Uncertainty
avoidance
index
is
the
extent
to
which
the
members
of
a
culture
feel
threatened
by
uncertainty
and
ambiguity
and
try
to
avoid
such
situa+ons.
– High
UAI:
“What
is
different
is
dangerous”
– Low
UAI:
“What
is
different
is
curious”
• Should
we
control
the
future
or
let
it
happen?
• Ways
to
reduce
uncertainty
caused
by
nature
are:
– Technology
(civil
works,
buildings,
energy,...)
– Law
(norms
and
regula+ons)
– Religion

21. What
is
uncertainty
avoidance
index?
• UAI
relates
to
anxiety,
stress,
need
for
rules.
Neuro+cism
or
anxiety
is
the
state
of
being
uneasy
or
worried
about
what
may
happen.
Some
cultures
are
more
anxious
than
others.
Anxious
cultures
tend
to
be
expressive
cultures.
Average
alcohol
consump+on
is
high.
• Strong
UAI
cultures
require
a
structured
environment:
everything
must
be
predicted
in
advance.
High
UAI
can
present
corrup+on
&
xenophoby.
• What
UAI
score
do
you
expect
for
your
country?

22. What
is
uncertainty
avoidance
index?
• Weaker
UAI
countries
are
good
at
inven+on:
supplying
new
ideas
• Strong
UAI
countries
are
good
at
implementa+on:
developing
ideas
into
products,
services
• Coopera+on
between
these
two
types
of
cultures
is
very
produc+ve!!!
A
good
understanding
is
key
towards
success
• How
do
you
think
Spain
and
Germany
score,
0%-­‐100%
of
UAI?
Make
an
educated
guess.
• How
do
we
engineers
score,
as
a
culture?

23. Uncertainty
avoidance
index
UAI

24. Long
term
orienta+on
(LTO)
“The
superior
man
goes
through
his
life
without
any
preconceived
ac*on
or
any
taboo.
He
merely
decides
for
the
moment
what
is
the
right
thing
to
do”
The
second
*me
Duke
Ching
called
Confucius
to
an
audience,
he
again
asked
him.
“What
is
the
secret
of
good
government?”
Confucius
replied:
“Good
government
consists
in
being
sparing
with
resources”
K’ung-­‐tzu
(China,
≈500
B.C.)

25. What
is
long
term
orienta+on?
• LTO
stands
for
the
extent
of
which
a
society
shows
a
pragma+c
future-­‐oriented
perspec+ve
rather
than
a
conven+onal
historical
or
short-­‐term
point
of
view.
LTO
fosters
virtues
oriented
towards
future
rewards-­‐
in
par+cular,
perseverance
and
thrib.
• Short
Term
orienta+on
(STO)
stands
for
the
fostering
of
virtues
related
to
the
past
and
present:
respect
for
tradi+on,
preserva+on
of
face
and
fulfilling
social
obliga+ons.
• STO
stresses
on
results/LTO
stresses
on
virtue
• What
LTO
score
do
you
expect
for
your
country?

26. Long
term
orienta+on,
LTO

27. What
is
indulgence/restraint,
IVR?
• Happiness
or
subjec+ve
well
being,
SWB
is
defined
• Indulgence
stands
for
a
tendency
to
allow
rela+vely
free
gra+fica+on
of
desires
related
to
enjoying
life
and
having
fun
(loose
society)
• Restraint
stands
for
a
tendency
to
regulate
gra+fica+on
through
strict
social
rules
(+ght
society)
• Higher
SWB
in
a
country
relates
to
fewer
deaths
for
cardiovascular
diseases
• What
SWB
score
do
you
expect
for
your
country?

28. Subjec+ve
well
being
Source:
University
of
Leicester

29. Hofstede
Center
h•p://geert-­‐hofstede.com/mobile-­‐apps.html

30. Prac+ce
#1
• In
slides
30
and
31
you
will
find
the
average
culture
dimensions’s
scores
of
two
countries.
Can
you
guess
which
country
is
Spain
and
which
country
is
Germany,
and
why?
• Remove
the
red
rectangles
from
these
pictures
so
as
to
iden+fy
each
country.
What
common
features
do
these
countries
share,
and
what
are
the
main
differences?
Is
culture
shock
expected
among
their
ci+zens,
and
related
to
which
dimensions?

31. Country
2
Country
1

32.
Comparison
between
both
countries

33. Prac+ce
2
• In
slide
33
alien
#1’s
culture
is
depicted.
Alien
#1
has
recently
remigrated
to
his/her
own
country,
aber
having
lived
some
years
abroad.
Which
of
the
na+onali+es,
A,
B,
or
C
is
the
most
likely
for
this
alien?
Why?
Do
you
believe
that
people
are
representa+ve
of
their
na+ve
cultures’
average
scores?
• Now
remove
the
red
rectangles
from
these
slides.
Considering
the
current
na+onality
of
alien
#1.
Do
you
expect
she
will
experience
reverse
culture
shock
aber
coming
back
to
her
country?
Why
and
how?

34. Alien
#1
Country
A

35. Country
C
Country
B

36. Final
remarks
to
debate
• The
existence
of
this
lecture
evidences
the
high
UAI
of
this
lecturer:
that
culture
shock
“should”
be
taught
in
a
structured
way
is
truly
uncertainty
avoidance!
• Do
you
think
that
intercultural
differences
should
be
addressed
in
school
and
college?
• Are
professionals
such
as
teachers,
professors,
doctors,
policemen,
engineers
aware
of
the
intercultural
differences
where
you
live?
• Do
you
believe
in
the
future
of
the
European
Union,
given
the
exis+ng
differences
among
cultures?

37. Recommended
books
• Geert
Hofstede
et
al.
Cultures
and
Organiza+ons:
Sobware
of
the
Mind
• Doing
business
report
2014,
2012
• Global
Compe++veness
report
2013-­‐2014
• Spencer
Johnson.
Who
moved
my
cheese?
• Daniel
Goleman.
Emo+onal
intelligence
• Stephen
R.
Covey.
The
7
Habits
of
Highly
Effec+ve
People
• Jeffrey
Sachs.
Economics
of
a
crowded
planet
• Muhammad
Yunus.
Crea+ng
a
world
without
poverty
• Jack
Welch.
Winning
• h•p://www.worldwide.edu/travel_planner/culture_shock.html
• h•p://www.n•d.com.tr/images/faqanswers/a6.pdf
• h•p://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-­‐hofstede-­‐cultural-­‐dimensions/

38. Gross
Domes+c
Product
(GDP)
Map
Interna+onal
monetary
fund

39. Transparency
interna+onal
A
global
coali+on
against
corrup+on

40. World
literacy
(United
Na+ons)
• PISA
report
2006:
Spain
23,
USA
24
• PISA
report
2009:
USA
17,
Spain
34
¿2012?

41. Personal
security
Source:
United
Na+ons
• USA:
2.3E6
personas
en
la
cárcel,
1%
de
la
población
(HBR,
Jan
12)
• Centroamérica:
gasto
10%
presupuesto
empresas
en
seguridad
• España:
uno
de
los
países
de
mayor
seguridad
personal
y
familiar

42. Income
inequality
Gini
coef.:
equal=0,
unequal=1

43. Freedom
of
expression

44. Distance
to
Top
10
in
EU-­‐27
Doing
Business
2013

45. Unemployment,
UE
The
economist,
May
10th
2014