Cultural awareness is often mistaken with learning about habits and behavioural models of people, who don’t share the same culture with us. Before a business meeting, it´s most certainly useful to know that in Japan bowing is a form to address respect and deeper the bow is, higher position the person who receives it, has. For example, for a friend 30-degree bow is more than enough, but an office superior will most likely require an extended 70-degree demonstration of respect.

However, this piece of information little has to do with cultural awareness. The real thing goes way deeper.

Us versus them

I´ve been listening to Yuval Noah Harari´s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind -audiobook, and there was a part that claimed: “Homo sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them.” And boy wasn’t he right!

In some intercultural training´s focus seems still to be learning about how “other people” do and don’t do things. A valid point of view, don´t get me wrong, but it does not necessarily teach to appreciate another’s point of view.

Shaped by the world around us

The first step in the process of gaining cultural awareness is to recognize that we are all shaped by the world that surrounds us. We absorb values, imitate accepted social behaviours and reflect them. However, we need to make sure that we know that none of these values is necessarily “good” or “bad” – just different.

Start with writing down your own values, and think are they stereotypically representing your national culture. Didn’t think so. Next, make a distinction between the values that you have adopted without questioning and practises that best describe who you are. When you can map what´s important to you and how you behave in certain situations, you can explore other´s perspectives unjudgementally.

Misinterpretations of each other’s behaviour are common

Misunderstandings between individuals will happen, but the way to address them can be changed. Rule of thumb is not to expect others to share your values and behave just like you. By doing this you reduce anxiety and frustrations of others not doing what YOU expected. Why would they?

This applies to all relationships and not only intercultural encounters.  Rather seek common ground by asking yourself these questions:

  • What is important to you? (money, power, society, family, etc.)
  • What do you want to achieve in this … (moment, meeting, project, deal, etc.)?
  • How do you get to your goal? (relationship-building, negation style, timing, business strategy, etc.)

Remember that your counterpart might have very different answers. Communication, information sharing, and expected behaviours vary, but when you can recognize your values, goals and behavioural patterns, those presumptions are not blocking the interaction with the others. Negative presumptions become possibilities to learn.

Working in a cross-cultural environment is an open-minded, curious process where you get to challenge your own culture constantly – enjoy it!