1. Cultural Standards
Xixie Zhang & Prof. Dr. Hora Tjitra
Hangzhou, Dec 11th 2010
2. Agenda
1 Conceptualization of Cultural Standards 3
Background of Cultural Standards 4
How were Cultural Standards developed? 6
Features of Cultural Standards 8
2 Cultural Standards Method 12
3 Examples of Cultural Standards 15
4 Application of Cultural Standards 19
5 References 22
2
4. Background of Cultural Standards
• Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck (1961), Hofstede (1980), Hall (1990), Schwartz
(1992), Trompenaars (1993) and House et al. (2002) have done many
researches on cultural value dimensions. But in most cases they are
quantitatively measured.
• However, cultural dimensions do not directly predict the actual problems
emerging in business and management encounters. They do not explain
how business encounters are perceived, and how and why managers and
staff react in specific ways.
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 4
5. Background of Cultural Standards
• Jean Paul Piaget's (1962 & 1976) developmental psychology
• Ernst Boesch's (1980) cultural psychology
• Concept of action:
• "An acting person is always considering possible views and judgments
of their counterparts as well as own experiences and assumed
experiences of others. A person reacting will always consider the
desirability or necessity to achieve a consensus with a specific partner
and also the norms of judgment of his own culture" or cultural context
of an organization.
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 5
6. How were Cultural Standards developed?
• In 1991, by Alexander Thomas.
• In Article Psychologische Wirksamkeit von
Kulturstandards in interkulturellen Handeln
(Psychological effectiveness of Cultural Standards in
intercultural act )
Alexander Thomas
• In the book Kulturstandards in der
internationalen Begegnung (Cultural Standards in University of Regensburg
international encounters).
• Thomas developed “Cultural standards” as a way
to generate more cultural specific and actionable
knowledge. (Fink, Neyer, & Fölling, 2006)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 6
7. Definition of Cultural Standards
• “Culture standards can be seen as the socially shared and accepted
norms and values that are used by the individuals living within a
particular culture to evaluate the behavior of each other.” (Thomas,
1999)
• Culture standards are used to set standards, limits and to establish a
frame of reference against which to measure behavior.
• They are the central characteristics that define a culture.
• They are the types of perceptions, thoughts, values, and behaviors,
which are treated as normal, typical, and obligatory by the majority of
the members of certain culture. (Thomas, 2005)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 7
8. Cultural Standards as Orientation System
• Culture standards serve as the orientation system for perception,
thought and behavior.
• Culture standards offer us a form of orientation to guide us through the
process of deciding which mode of behavior is normal, typical, and
acceptable and conversely, which mode of behavior is unacceptable.
• Culture standards function as implicit theories or rules and are
internalised by the individual during the process of socialisation. (Sylvia,
2005)
• Culture standards make our fellowman’s behavior predictable. (Reisch)
• Cultural standards regulate behaviour and guide individuals to assess
observed behaviour. (Thomas, 1993)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 8
9. Characteristics of Cultural Standards
• Cultural standards are not static, but constantly undergoing
change.
• Existing cultural standards can be gradually and incompletely
repressed and replaced by more recent developments.
• This only occurs when older elements prove unsuitable and
restrictive in the present context. (Dinzelbacher, 1993)
• However, “mentality is what changes the slowest (Le Goff, 1987)”,
the rhythm of the rise and fall of cultural standards is therefore
measured in generations and centuries. (Sylvia, 2005)
• A cultural standard does not have the same strength in each
member of a society or culture. (Sylvia, 2005)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 9
10. Limitations of Cultural Standards
• Greatly reduces the complexity of reality
• Be guilty of promoting stereotyping
• There does not exist an individual whose thinking, feelings and
actions always correspond exactly to the culture standards of their
respective culture.
• Reality is much more complex and multi-layered than the generalized
and standardized culture standards. (Sylvia, 2005)
• Cultural standards just describe each culture simply, incomplete, and
undetailed. (Slate &Schroll-Machl, 2006)。
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 10
11. Limitations of Cultural Standards
• It is the interplay between cultural identity and individual personality
that defines the spectrum of available adaptation processes and
possibilities for change within a culture.
• Situations and structures also produce variables which in turn influence
behavior: the conditions of the contact, the status of the groups and
individuals involved, any possible competition taking place between
them, etc.
• The use of culture standards is just on way of preparing, planning
and analyzing certain situations in which the cultural factors can
be recognized and labelled.
• All individuals involved as well as the respective situations are
also major contributing factors to the success. (Sylvia, 2005)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 11
13. Cultural Standards Method
• In more detail and more descriptively the cultural standard method
deals with differences in the kinds of perceiving, norms of sensing,
thinking, judging, and acting, which can cause critical incidents in
cross cultural encounters (Thomas 1996, Fink/ Meierewert 2001).
• There are four steps to collect data and to cope with various biases
that might occur in this qualitative research approach:
• narrative interview to collect critical incidents
• transcription and content analysis
• feedback with culture experts from home and counterpart culture
• mirror studies/triangulation studies
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 13
14. Criteria of interview materials
• Daily, often recurring and typical behaviors for the nation
• Confusing and conflict-like behaviors, which often cause false
interpretation
• Can be clearly explained by corresponding cultural background
knowledge
• Relevant to the target group’s action
• (Müller & Thomas, 1991)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 14
16. Different Cultural Standards in different fields of
activity
• German cultural standards in • German cultural standards in
activity with Chinese managers activity with American students
and language teachers/students: and interns:
• 1) Rule-oriented • 1) Differentiate distance
• 2) Individualism • 2) Need for organizing (plan)
• 3) Directness / honestness • 3) Aware of responsibility
• 4) Privacy • 4) Differentiate gender roles
• 5) Authority thinking • (Markowsky & Thomas, 1995)
(Autoritätsdenken)
• (Thomas & Schenk, 1996)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 16
17. Different Cultural Standards in different fields of
activity
• The differences of German cultural standards in different
fields of activity and cultural perspectives show the
importance of environment and point of view. (Tjitra, 2001)
• In contact with different peoples, Chinese cultural standards
can also be quite different.
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 17
18. Chinese Cultural Standards from German
perspectives
• Unit-System
• Hierarchy-oriented
• Trick and tactic
• Social harmony
• Guanxi-System
• Bureaucracy
• Etiquette
• (Thomas & Schenk, 2005)
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 18
20. Relationship between cultural values, personality
traits and cultural standards in management
• Based on Parsons and Shils’ model of action(1961)
• Fink, Neyer, & Kölling (2006) developed a cross-cultural performance model of
cultural values, personality traits and cultural standards in business and
management.
Individuals may adjust their
values and their personality
traits, reconsider their
cultural standards, and may
act different in future actions.
From a management
perspective, this will lead to
less critical incidents and
improved cross-cultural
performance.
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 20
21. Related to the HCLI project
• Currently there’s no Chinese/Singaporean/Indonesian cultural
standards from Asian perspectives.
• Useful for Asian leaders working in other Asian countries or working
with other Asians in providing information to aid their understanding
the peculiarities of behavior of other cultures, which have previously
had a negative effect on their interactions with other Asians.
• Providing the basis for training materials for Asian leaders, so that
they will be better equipped to deal effectively, productively and
enjoyably with people from other cultures.
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 21
22. References
• Fink, G., Kölling, M., & Nezer, A.K., (2005).The cultural standard method. EI Working Papers .
• Fink, G., Kölling, M., & Nezer, A.K., (2006). Understanding cross-cultural management interaction:
Research into cultural standards to complement cultural value dimensions and personality traits.
International studies of management and organization , 36(4), 38-60.
• Holzmüller, H.H., St öttinger, B. (2001). International marketing managers ‘ cultural sensitivity: relevance,
training requirements and a pragmatic training concept. International Business Review , 10, 597-614.
• Reisch, B. Kultur und Kulturstandards (in German).
• Schroll-Machl, S. (2005). Doing business with Germans: Their perception, our perception. Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht.
• Thomas, A. (2005). Grundlagen der interkulturellen Psychologie (in German). Interkulturelle Bibliothek.
• Tjitra, H.W. (2001). Synergiepotenziale und interkulturelle Probleme: Chancen und Herausforderungen am
Beispiel deutsch-indonesischer Arbeitsgruppen (in German). Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag.
• 梁杰 (2010). 在华德国留学生文化适应策略与主观幸福感的关系研究 .
Building the Global Competence for Asian Leaders 22
23. Research Partners:
Global Competence for Asian Leaders
Zhejiang University
www.zju.edu.cn
An applied research collaboration supported by the Human Capital Leadership China
Institute (Singapore) with the objective to derive a model for Asian leaders, which
will lead to systematic global leadership development programs with Asian
characteristics.
Atma Jaya Catholic University
Built on our previous researches on Chinese and Indonesian intercultural www.atmajaya.ac.id
Indonesia
sensitivity, we continue in this study by elaborating the cross-cultural experiences
of the Chinese, Indonesian and Singaporean international assignees and their
respective local co-workers in China and Indonesia. Intercultural sensitivity has
been widely accepted as one of the most significant element of global
competencies and one of the strongest predictor for global leaders and managers
Zhejiang University of Technology
accomplishments. www.zjut.edu.cn
China
The principal investigators of the project are Dr. Hora Tjitra, Dr. Hana Panggabean,
and the research team of the the Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China), Zhejiang Funding Partner:
University of Technology (Hangzhou, China) and the Atma Jaya Indonesia Catholic
University (Jakarta, Indonesia).
Human Capital Leadership Institute
www.smu.edu.sg
Hora Tjitra Xixie ZHANG Teng SHENTUGlobal Juliana MurniatiAsian Leaders
Building the Competence for Jia ZHOU Dan ZHAO Chaohui ZHANG
Singapore
Jiewei ZHENG Hana Panggabean Sebastian Partogi Xiaojuan WANG Quan HE Yuanbo LIU Tayyibah Mushtaq
24. Thank You
Contact us via …
via…
Mail: ceciaz611@gmail.com
Follow: xixiezhang@sinau.me
Website: http://sinau.me/hcli
