What is Culture?

Culture comes from the Latin word "colere", meaning to build on, to cultivate, to foster.

Culture is a set of accepted behavior patterns, values, assumptions, and shared common experiences.

Culture defines social structure, decision-making practices, and communication styles.  

Culture dictates behavior, etiquette, and protocol.  

Culture is something we learn.  It impacts everyone, and influences how we act and respond.

Culture is communication.  It is a way people create, send, process and interpret information. 

The Cultural Iceberg

Culture is like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg is easy to see. This includes the visible aspects and do's and taboos of working in other cultures.  

The remaining huge chunk of the iceberg hidden below the surface includes the invisible aspects of a culture such as the values, traditions, experiences and behaviors that define each culture. 

Venturing into different cultures without adequate preparation can be just as dangerous as a ship maneuvering icy waters without charts, hoping to be lucky enough to avoid hitting an iceberg.  The difference is that the ship will know immediately when it hits an iceberg.  

Unsuspecting companies may never realize they hit an iceberg but they will, nevertheless, feel the impact.  It appears in the form of delayed or abandoned projects, misunderstood communications, frustrated employees and a loss of business and reputation.  The costs of cultural myopia and the inability to adjust can be staggering.

By definition, cross-cultural awareness means not only becoming culturally fluent in other cultures but having a solid understanding of your own culture. 

Cultural differences must be understood and acknowledged before they can be managed. What happens when these differences are not managed?