Is Perception Right?
Because we are typically brought up in a single culture where everybody thinks and acts in much the same way as ourselves, we carry through life, a belief that everybody we meet will reason and act in much the same way as we do.
It is only when this is not the case that we notice something is wrong or different.
However, because people throughout the world are brought up with different values and beliefs, they end up seeing the world in a different light from each other. This means that even the smallest actions or comment can take on a very different meaning depending on who sees or hears what was said.
The exercise on the next page will help you see how this works in everyday situations. In the exercise you will work with a few incidents and analyse how they are seen from the viewpoint of people from different cultures.
Is Perception Right – Part One
This exercise will show you, that the basis of almost all cross-cultural problems: the fact that people who are culturally different can look upon the same situation and see two entirely different things.
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Perception Exercise – Part One |
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1. A person comes to a meeting 20 minutes after the stated starting time. |
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3. A manager takes the time to teach a new employee how the coffee machine works. |
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5. A manager takes the credit for brilliant ideas his workers have come up with. |
Is Perception Right? - Part Two
In the second part of the exercise, you must imagine how the behaviours would be perceived by people from cultures that are different from your own.
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Perception Exercise – Part Two |
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Read each situation and describe how you think a person from such a culture would interpret the behaviour. |
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1. A person comes to a meeting 20 minutes after the stated starting time. |
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A. by someone from a culture where people always arrive half an hour after the stated starting time |
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B. by someone from a culture where meetings never start until at least an hour after the stated time |
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A. by someone from a culture where employees do not disagree with their managers |
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B. by someone from a culture where you do not have female managers |
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3. A manager takes the time to teach a new employee how the coffee machine works. |
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A. by someone from a culture where managers do not interact with new employees |
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B. by someone from a culture where managers are ‘just one of the guys’ |
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A. by someone from a culture where lying is unheard of |
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B. by someone from a culture where a bit of overstating and hype is a part of life |
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A. by someone from a culture where managers reward the employees who help them further their careers |
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B. by someone from a culture where managers or workers are of equally importance |
Finally, continue to the last page to learn what your decisions could mean for yourself and the people around you.
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