Mind the Gap
Several years ago, me and my husband visited London for the first time and were impressed by the efficiency we experienced on the tube system. It became our most enjoyable mode of transportation and felt quite proud of our ability to navigate the routes throughout our time in the city. We also quickly noticed that although we were in an English-speaking country, as our lead mentor would say, we were speaking a different version of English and Londoners obviously had the proper version. We began taking particular interest in the various idioms, verbiage and customs that were different than ours. One in particular that we learned to appreciate was discovered while on the tube system, “mind the gap.” Anyone who has seen the news report of the person in Perth, Australia who failed to do so and was trapped between the train and the landing knows the dangers of not doing so.[1]
I thought of this terminology while reading The Culture Map. Erin Meyer utilizes her experience as an educator and international business consultant to tell stories that reveal what research has shown regarding globalization and multi-cultural relationships in business. Meyer gives eight scales based upon keep aspects of organizational practices and the global cultures’ varied approaches and paradigms by placing them on a continuum.
“Culture has been defined as the total pattern of a people’s behavior that is learned and transmitted by the symbols (language, rights, artifacts) of a particular group. These symbols focus on certain ideas or assumptions that become a worldview. Culture expresses the values and purposes of each community as well as its sensitivities and spirituality.”[2]
Culture is often downplayed, ignored, or underestimated rather than grasping the significant impact it has upon relationships at work and elsewhere. Not minding the gap in cultures can cause all sorts of failures that are often seen as personality clashes rather than cultural misunderstanding and communication breakdown. “If you go into every interaction assuming that culture doesn’t matter, your default mechanism will be to view others through your own cultural lens and to judge or misjudge them accordingly.”[3]
It is quite natural to look at our own culture and see where we are plotted on the scale and believe that is the right approach. We may even get to know others and get an understanding of how they view the world yet “what matters is not the absolute position of either culture on the scale but rather the relative position of the two cultures.”[4] Minding the gap between the two is where strategic intentionality can bring about effective relationship and synergistic impact as the differences are used to develop rather than divide.
I have discovered an attitude, particularly in the church, that implies we are to be “color blind” and as a result, culture blind, in an effort to unify. When we do so we are actually acting inhospitable and denying the beautiful differences given to us by our Creator. “Colorblindness assumes that we are similar enough and that we all only have good intentions, so we can avoid our differences.”[5] True unity requires diversity, otherwise it is uniformity, which may seem easier to lead or work in, yet reflects a slothful care of the other and their uniqueness. To appreciate differences is to have a humble disposition toward learning and believing we are not complete as a mono culture, rather we are better together. Minding the gap is not eliminating it, it is paying attention to it and understanding it is necessary and appreciating the space that provides the ability for the train to have movement.
In this era, leaders in any organization, profit and non-profit, must recognize our global context and fully engage the aspects of “increased uncertainty, complexity, and diversity.” Meyers provides critical insights that will aid in “transforming a global organization to a global network of interconnected and integrated operations” if followed.[6] It will require leaders who appreciate the distinctives of each culture, who mind the gap between them, and who have “the ability to work with and influence individuals inside and outside the corporation, representing a diversity of cultural backgrounds” in order to experience the greater outcomes possible with a multi-cultural environment. [7]
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIQxrArMI7M
[2] Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, S. Steve Kang and Gary A. Parrett, A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 167.
[3] Erin Meyer, The Culture Map (New York: PublicAffairs, 2014), 13.
[4] Ibid., 22.
[5] Sarah Shin, Beyond Color Blind: Redeeming our Ethnic Journey (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 5.
[6] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Corp., 2010), 336.
[7] Ibid.
About the Author
Tammy Dunahoo
Tammy is a lover of God, her husband, children and grandchildren. She is the V.P. of U.S. Operations/General Supervisor of The Foursquare Church.6 responses to “Mind the Gap”
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So true Tammy, great post. In New York, the subway voice says, “stand clear of the closing doors, please,” which isn’t nearly as memorable. However, it could still remind us to beware of those areas where we are ‘colorblind.’
Tammi, Thanks so much for your thoughtful post. I so appreciate your connecting color blindness with culture blindness. My limited experience tells me this is the device of the dominant culture who, much like the clueless fish does not even realize they are swimming in a specific environment (i.e., culture or water). Intentionality requires both humility and the unrelenting effort to watch more, listen more, and speak less. Meyer reminds us of this for cross cultural business applications, but the global church and perhaps especially the church in the US must grasp this if we are to ever see, listen, and serve beyond ourselves. Thanks again for your post. P.S. I saw where you are speaking at a church planting boot camp with Jason & Bev Clarke, Steve Nicholson, and Michael Gatlin (some of my Vineyard tribe). I would love to be there to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for pointing out the wrong notion of color-blindedness when it comes to addressing cultures. I know our society and even well-meaning Christian leaders advocate for such a view. As you pointed out, it diminishes the appreciable differences we have and ignores the advantages these differences bring. The metaphor I use instead is that of a salad vs. a vegetable puree.
Multi-culturalism done right will resemble more of a salad; and done wrong will resemble more of a vegetable puree. I know which one I’d rather prefer to eat. 🙂
Hi Tammy. Awesome blog! I think your post holds a lot of great insight and I loved your use of “mind the gap.” I hadn’t heard of the ‘gap’ in the tube system, but it was a great analogy. As you noted, not minding the gap in cultures can cause many failures that aren’t clearly identified. Cultural differences need to be recognized, so “bridging the gap” can take place. Thanks for sharing your post, Tammy. Your insight is truly a positive light for me and so many others you have touched along your journey. Blessings, my friend.
Hi Tammy. Being a Pom I have ‘mind the Gap’ indelibly imprinted on my mind. In New Zealand, we did the ‘Colour Blind’ thing a couple decades back and it went badly, simply because it’s the language of the dominant culture – white European (or Pakeha). Personally, I think the differences in colour and culture should be thoroughly observed in a childish sort of inquisitiveness. We need to see, touch and feel for each other. We need to laugh at ourselves and with others. I have never yet met anyone who has taken offence at discussing backgrounds, cultural nuances and struggles; if anything they welcome it. Where we come unstuck is ignoring previous injustice, or making restitution. I wonder if ‘Colour Blindness’ isn’t a euphemism for avoidance of pain.
Thank you Tammy for this insightful blog. It enriches our understanding of the beauty of diversity that God has affirmed thru his creation. Thank you ?.