Assignment5

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APPLES TO APPLES: MAJOR ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL PATTERNS

Linda Dotson

Walden University

INTRODUCTION

What are cultural patterns?

  • Refers to a set of:
  • Behaviors and beliefs shared by a group of individuals
  • Transmitted through social systems
  • e.g. the government, the education system and the family
  • Individuals from a particular culture are conforms to the cultural norms

Conforming to the norms and ways of a particular culture is one of the ways in which individuals from the culture show their compliance and respect to the belief and values of their culture. The norms determine was is considered right or wrong within the particular society. As such, the social structures mentioned above help to ensure that individuals from the culture are well informed and aware about what is expected of them in regards to the beliefs, norms and the overall ways of their culture.

Image sourced from: https://www.hsdinstitute.org/resources/blog-cultural-patterns-of-generative-engagement.html

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COMPARING THE PREFERENCES

  • Focuses on:
  • Hofstede’s Cultural Taxonomy
  • Suggests that cultural norms and beliefs are developed during development
  • They are then expressed through dominant values

The assertion used in the approach is founded on the idea that the human brain functions like a computer program which is developed during the development of an individual. In this case, culture plays a significant role in shaping their values and how individuals from that particular cultures view and perceive them.

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CONTINUATION…

Activity Orientation

  • Individuals have the ability to change their lives
  • My culture focuses work and happier living

Social Relations Orientation

  • We believe that individuals are equal
  • There is no expectation for spiritual interactions

Individuals from different cultures may have different norms and values regarding their activity orientation. In my while there those who believe that their lives are determined by faith, in my culture, we believe that individuals have the ability to change their circumstances provided they take the necessary steps or initiative. Individuals are conscious of having a job that is fulfilling job is one that gives the employees enough time for work and also time personal/family time. This is where we derive happiness. All individuals are equal in society and there is no special or superior treatment, (Mercer 2006). Even though individuals have the freedom to focus on the religion of their choice, there are no expectations for spiritual interactions among individuals irrespective of their religious denominations.

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CONTINUATION…

Self Orientation

  • Individuals are self centered in my culture
  • First responsibility is to an individuals self

World Orientation

  • In my culture individuals have no control over nature
  • Spirit of the dead not significant in the culture

Even though there are cultures where individuals seem to be selfless and putting the needs of the others first, my culture is quite the opposite. Individuals that they have their own unique identities which makes them unique from the other individuals within the culture. Self does not reside in a group but rather in the individuals. Here, I am different from my own culture because I believe in collaborative work and working together to realize the desired positive outcomes, (Bell, 2014). Regarding World View, my culture I believe that individuals have no control over the forces of nature and can only take precautionary measures to deal or cope with nature. This is different compared to other cultures where they believe that the forces of nature subjugate individuals.

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CONTINUATION…

Time Orientation

  • In my culture time is a scare resource
  • Individual desire a fast paced life
  • More focus on the present and future

My culture believes that time is a limited resource that should be utilized effectively in order to realize the desired positive outcomes. A fast-paced life is preferred where individuals take care of their duties and responsibilities within the required time frame or even earlier. Even though the past is reviewed to inform present and future decisions, more attention is given to the present and future. In this case, I believe that I am different from my culture in the because I prefer a systematic and planned approach to life without giving much attention to the pace. This is the case because my culture considers there is little that can be done to change the past. However, much can be done to change or improve the present and the future. In order to change the present and the future, it is imperative to understand the issues in the past, present and also those that could be experienced from the future as argued by Liu & Liu (2016).

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WHY THE DIFFERENCE

  • Personal preferences
  • This results from:
  • Differences in development environments
  • Influence from cultural diversity

Even though I am accustomed to my culture, it is imperative to recognize that I exhibit a certain difference from the cultural beliefs and norms. For instance, I instead of focusing on individualism I believe in collaborative work to realize positive outcomes. I believe that this is so because I was brought up in a family that focused on and promoted collaborative work. As such, it comes more naturally to me because of it something that I have grown and developed with. This has also affected my approach to time orientation because I prefer a slower paced life with much more perfection or efficiency in the process and activities. This too is influenced by the environment in which I grew up.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF CULTURAL PATTERNS IN UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Helps us to understand and appreciate difference cultures

  • This promotes:
  • Effective communication
  • Building healthier relationships among difference cultures

Understanding cultural patterns help individuals to know about different cultures which improve how individuals from different cultures relate. Individuals can act in a manner that does not violate or compromise the other culture. When the different cultures feel respected and appreciated, it increases the chances and the ability of the different cultures to communicate effectively without encountering conflicts. This helps to build healthier relationships which promote the desired positive outcomes within society, (Pang et al., 2011).

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CONTINUATION…

Opportunity to learn new ideas

  • Different cultures have different ways of life
  • This helps individual to:
  • Find out new ways of solving social or community challenges

Interacting with different cultures provide an opportunity for the involved person to get to know about the culture of the other group. Even though the culture may be different, they may be able to learn new and more effective ways dealing with the challenges facing the societies by using what they have learned to improve on their own cultural process. For instance, a culture with little regard to time orientation may be influenced to improve their time consciousness in order to improve their productivity.

Image sourced from: https://hbr.org/2018/09/how-to-get-better-at-reading-people-from-different-cultures

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APPLICATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CULTURAL PATTERNS

  • The selected culture is:
  • The Chinese Culture
  • The knowledge can be applied through:
  • Undertaking collaborative and interactive cultural programs
  • Encouraging cultural diversity
  • Overcoming barriers to cultural diversity

The application of knowledge focuses on improving social interactions among individuals. This can help improve how individuals from my culture can interact with those from the Chinese culture in social settings such as the workplace or school among others. The collaborative programs will increase the ability of the individuals from the two cultures to improve who they work or interact with each other as suggested by Bell (2014). Encouraging cultural diversity helps the two culture to be proud of their culture and thus be more comfortable to open up and share their culture. The result is that the barriers to cultural diversity will be overcome.

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CONCLUSION

  • Understanding cultural patterns promote social interactions
  • Hofstede’s Cultural Taxonomy:
  • Cultural values and norms are developed over time
  • The various dimensions help to understand cultural diversity
  • Through a more detailed evaluation of different cultures

The world is becoming a global village where different cultures interact with one another. In order for these cultures to interact effectively without facing challenges that may compromise the desired outcomes, it is imperative to ensure that they understand and apricated their cultural diversity.

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REFERENCES

Bell, R. (2014). A semiotic and critical approach to teaching inter-cultural management. European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management 10, 3(1), 18-39.

Liu, Y., & Li, B. (2016, March). Research on Traditional Cultural Elements Penetrating into Interior Design. In 2016 International Conference on Education, Sports, Arts and Management Engineering. Atlantis Press.

Mercer, C. (2006). Cultural planning for urban development and creative cities. Self-published manuscript.

Pang, V. O., Stein, R., Gomez, M., Matas, A., & Shimogori, Y. (2011). Cultural competencies: Essential elements of caring-centered multicultural education. Action in Teacher Education, 33(5-6), 560-574.