understanding culture

"what is culture"

In trying to define culture three attributes are important. Firstly culture is not bound to individuals but belongs to a group of people. Secondly, it is made up of shared values and norms rather than written rules that are easier to perceive. Thirdly, culture is invisible and intangible and manifests in group practices. The only way to truly understand a particular culture, I believe, is to embrace it, bury yourself in it, and experience it. Recognising your own culture, especially the prevailing values and norms, is extremely difficult as it is ingrained in one's being. However, looking from the outside in, it is easier to notice things about certain cultures particularly those that are different from your own.

Many things influence a nation's culture. Sri Lankan culture, like many others, is strongly influenced by religion and history. Colonization by the Portuguese, Dutch and later the British has had a strong impact on the values and norms of even modern day society. More recently, our culture has been powerfully influenced by the ethnic conflict and escalating violence at all levels. One has to be cautious, however, about trying to explain culture and applying a 'one size fits all' notion of culture to every citizen of the country. In actual fact, cultural norms and value differ greatly between different groups of people, different religious and geographical groups. Our biggest mistake would be in trying to define and box people into particular cultural stereotypes instead of understanding each person as an individual, although influenced by some aspects of their group and national cultures.

Our biggest mistake would be in trying to define and box people into particular stereotypes instead of understanding each person as an individual

One of the more easiesr to understand concepts of culture comes from the research of a Dutch professor named Geert Hofstede. 1 Geert Hofstede, 1991. Cultures and Organisations: Software of the mind. McGraw-Hill, London In the early 1970's he conducted a large scale study covering more than 70 countires from 3 regions in the world, on data collected by IBM. In trying to understand cultural differences, he measured differences along 4 scales or dimensions. The names of these dimensions are rather inappropriate but the concepts behind them are useful in trying to understand people who are not like you.

collectivism versus individuality

The first dimension refers to collectivism versus individuality. It measures how much people are integrated into groups, or do things as a collective. A country like Sri Lanka has a strong collectivist culture. We are, from birth, bound and incorporated into groups, extended families with uncles, aunts and grandparents (who may not even be blood relatives!), who continue to look out for us and to whom we are unconditionally loyal. It also explains our strong ties with our old schools. A 'Royalist' or a 'Thomian' will proudly hold dear that part of his identity throughout his life. In a class full of people, if a teacher asks a question, even if you know the answer, our first instinct is to look around and see who else knows the answer before raising our hand. Being different is frowned upon in every collectivist culture and it is rare to see people express their individuality. We tent to follow crowds. If you drive past independence square in the evenings, you will see a multitude of walkers all walking in the same direction; it's an unspoken code, it's the done thing. This is one manifestation of our collective culture.

; a society's level of inequality is endorsed by its followers as much as by its leaders.; It also means that the more powerful people in society are difficult to reach by those not part of that collective;

power distance

The second dimension of national cultures is that of power distance: measured along a scale of high and low. Power distance refers to the extent to which the less powerful members of society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This means that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by its followers as much as by its leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are fundamental characteristics of any society: 'all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others'. In our country, power distance is high. This is represented in the way we stand up in class when a teacher walks in, or the way in which our politicians clear the roads of civilians when they drive through. It also means that the more powerful people in society are difficult to reach by those not part of that collective. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor is a manifestation of large power distance.

uncertainty avoidance

Uncertainty avoidance is another dimension used in measuring national culture. It refers to the extent to which the members of a society feel threatened by uncertainty or unknown situations. Societies with strong uncertainty avoidance tend to avoid or try hard to prevent risks and hence have many rules and regulations in place to avoid uncertainty. Uncertainty is felt as a continuous threat which must be fought; often leading to high levels of stress. People express aggression and emotions more freely and regard what is different as dangerous. Sri Lanka has comparatively weak uncertainty avoidance and this is expressed beautifully in three unique words we often use in our conversations: 'Heta' meaning 'tomorrow' – as in everything can be done tomorrow (which doesn't literally mean the next day). 'Balamu' which means 'we'll see' - not wanting to say yes and make a firm commitment for fear of not fulfilling a promise and hence losing face. And, finally our attitude summed up in one word 'Ohay'. 'Ohay innawa' or 'just being', 'just hanging', 'just simply waiting' for a tomorrow that may never come. We glow in our collective but subjective feeling of well-being, and aggression and emotions are well hidden. We live for the day and let tomorrow take care of itself. Because of this, many Sri Lankan consumers are driven by price more than quality, making a deal today is worth more than the quality of the product tomorrow.

masculinity versus femininity.

The forth dimension of measuring culture is called masculinity versus femininity. Although the name of the aspect may be misleading, the content is fundamental to understanding national culture. Hofstede calls a society in which the gender roles are clearly defined, as masculine. A society in which both male and female can fulfil the same roles, and carry out the same activities, Hofstede calls feminine. In most societies this means that men are supposed to be assertive, tough and focused on material success while women are supposed to be modest, tender and concerned for quality of life. Sri Lanka is somewhere in between on this scale, for although women are not encouraged to take up men's roles, women leaders and decision makers abound in many walks of life. Yet, traditionally the women's place is in the home and centred on the family, making it extremely difficult for today's woman to juggle a family and career. In Sri Lanka, the demarcations between men and women are clear. If you go to a party, its common to see men on one side and women on the other. Also what the men do, i.e. drink alcohol, is not that women'should' do.
Sri Lanka has comparatively weak uncertainty avoidance and this is expressed beautifully in three unique words:
'Heta' meaning 'tomorrow'

'Balamu' means 'we'll see'

'Ohay innawa' or 'just being',

Even within a single national culture, many sub cultures can exist. For example, a collectivist culture may exist in society at large but in your workplace, a different type of culture may be more pronounced. Even in families, different cultures abound. This is particularly seen in migrant families, where at home certain rules and regulations apply but in school or at work things may be totally different. This can often be a source of conflict.

For example, if you come from a predominantly low uncertainty avoiding country and are not used to planning each detail of a particular event, you may find this hard to do if your work place requires such an approach. If you are held individually accountable for you own actions and results and you come from a collectivist culture, this may cause a certain amount of uneasiness in you. Such cultural differences are often the source of great conflict between people and nations.

Our focus should be on what we have in common as a nation of diverse individuals rather than on our differences. In trying to resolve differences, the best place to start is our own common culture.
