Culture Bump!!

Baseball Style

What is a culture bump?

• A culture bump is merely a cultural difference….

• “A culture bump occurs when a person has expectations of a specific behavior within a specific situation but notices a different behavior when interacting with a person from another culture”. (Archer, 1990)

• A Northamerican baseball player was playing on a Japanese team in Japan. A teammate (Japanese) lost his temper and threw a fit! But this wasn’t the culture bump – the culture bump was AFTER he threw the fit and began to feel bad about his behavior….Let’s watch….

I

• I saw a Japanese baseball star humble himself after throwing a temper tantrum!!

• Says, the Northamerican baseball player.

2.Define the “universal” situation

• The after-effect of a temper tantrum thrown by a star athlete…feeling remorse…

3.List “their” behavior

• He appeared before his entire team. He bowed deeply. He said,

• “I am sorry for my childish action. I upset our team spirit and I apologize.”

4.List your behavior

• I watched.

5.List “your” feelings.

• I felt– Shocked– Embarassed– Amazed– Suspicious

6.How do people in your culture act in this universal situation?

• When an American baseball star throws a fit, he may apologize to the individual he shouted at or he may do nothing… He might say something like, “Man I was a jerk out there…I’m sorry…we good?”

7.When people do this, I say they are….

I say they are “a man’s man.”

8.How do Japanese express “a man’s man” or other people?

• I don’t know. But now I am ready to have a conversation for connection…a conversation about our common humanity – that all begins with a cultural difference!!

Culture Bump Approach

Deals with the difference itself.

Humans…Being Connected

What is a culture bump?

• A culture bump is merely a cultural difference….

a seed

What is a culture bump?

• A culture bump is merely a cultural difference….

a seed

What is the seed?

Stereotypes grow from our culture bumps

Why does this happen?

At the moment of the bump, two things occur simultaneously

• We experience Emotional disconnection• We experience

– Rationaldisconnection

Knowledge Dichotomy

• We experience Emotional disconnection

Leading to a lack of awareness of how we are the same….

• We experience– Rational

disconnection

Leading to a lack knowledge of why we are different…

We try to “reconnect” by understanding “them”

• Which really means.

• Why didn’t he do what we do?

• Why are they different from us?

• WHAT!!??

• What’s going on?

• Why did he do that?

His emotional disconnection

• I was surprised, fearful and confused. I actually lost my certainty about my role as a player. How do they see me? I was not sure where I was in relationship to them.

My rational disconnection

My need to know expressed itself through such thoughts asWhy are they doing that?Why aren’t they doing what I/we do?Why are they different?Why questions…..

Why questions simply lead to

• More distance

• More disconnection

• They really are different – maybe better maybe worse but different…

Who do we ask?

Culture Bumps can be…

• And can change depending on our mood…

Without understanding they always…

Sometimes we mirror…

• Those Japanese are…

• Yes, they are very…..

• Those gaijin are…. • Yes, they are very…..

“Culture Bound” Conversation

Experience emotional

dissonance: Pulled up short

Attempt to alleviate discomfort by asking

why

Get information about the Other

which confirms the we/they dichotomy

Become confirmed in original impression; further investigation

unnecessary

Future culture bumps reinforce original

impression of Other

We have to move beyond “why” are we different to “how” we are the same…

• The first step is to say the words….

I had a culture bump!!

We still need to know…

How we are the same? How we are connected. We need to self-reflect

Joe asks himself– How do I express remorse when I’ve acted badly? (universal)

I go to the person that I disrespected. I tell him that I was wrong and I apologize. I may tell him that I was a jerk or an idiot – that he was right. I may also give him some reason for my behavior – e.g. my wife and I had a fight or I’m worried about my son. But I have to be careful to not make it an excuse and I will probably say, it’s not an excuse. I will offer my hand to shake.

“Expected”

Other human ideas that can come from this include sincerity, phoniness, arrogance…

These are great conversations that connect us as human beings…

This is a conversation about life - about living life – a “Culture Free” interaction

• A conversation that can continue for a very long time and one that deepens our human connection…

• Includes cultural information but• Allows for personal and individuality• Includes self-reflection

Examples of universal or common situations are countless but, include…

• Female saying “No” to a male’s invitation• Letting a member of the opposite sex know you are interested in

him/her; flirting behavior• Asking for a favor from a (1) superior or an (equal)• Being part of a community of people; feeling connected to a group• Wanting to help another person or people• Being inspired; having goals and hopes• Showing respect to a person who is (1) older (2) younger (3) same age• Being in a situation where you are bored/uncomfortable/scared but

cannot extricate yourself.

• Toolkit for Culture and Communication

Examples of universal or common meanings are countless, but include qualities such as…

• Successful• Competent• Modest• Sensitive• Loving• “Cool”• Decent• Caring

• Unsuccessful• Incompetent• Show off• Insensitive• Hateful• “Dorky”• Indecent• Inconsiderate

Toolkit for Culture and Communication

Within a conversation, we listen for the…

BUMP

DIFFERENCESCOMMONALITIES

This is a conversation about life – about living life

• A conversation that can continue for a very long time and one that deepens our human connection…

• Includes cultural information but• Is also about the individual and• Includes self-reflection

FINAL REFLECTION:

• Has this presentation changed your ideas about cultural differences?