Dominant Cultures and Subcultures
The cultures that exist within a society or an organization are numerous. However, there is one
culture that is dominant mostly because of the prevailing community. A smaller group of people
may share a culture that is relatively different from the one held by the majority in the society or
organization. Cultures are formed when people share the same experiences, situations and
problems (Baack, D., 2012). Culture impacts how people relate with one another, their work
ethics and level of motivation, worldviews on issues affecting them among others. It is important
to understand the impact that culture has on an individual. Once a supervisor or manager
understands the culture and subcultures of the people he is handling, they can be better able to
implement changes in efficient and non-offensive ways, deal with problems pertaining to culture
better, and maybe learn their communication patterns in order to enhance communication and
understanding.
I once had an uncle visit from Kenya together with his wife. He had lived there for close to 12
years and visited us frequently. From his frequent visits I learned that people in Kenya value
respect for elders, courtesy and familiarity with those older than yourself is discouraged. So
when he finally came with his Kenyan wife, I knew how to behave around her so as to not offend
her and her customs.
Cultural diversity is a state of life that is not likely to change any time soon. That is why
everyone needs to learn the social norms of the person they are relating with in order to promote
harmony and understanding. Diversity of cultures can be understood better during festivals and
celebrations. Attendance of the festivals of other cultures enables once to appreciate the beauty
and understand some of the values held by those cultures. Reading material also provides
excellent references when one needs to understand another culture. Associating with those of a
different culture also helps one to understand them. Ultimately, one cannot fully understand the
dynamics of a different culture so one has to just accept that they are different and there is
nothing wrong with that. Someone somewhere is also trying to understand your own culture and
may not fully understand it.
