{"id":20759,"date":"2019-01-30T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T20:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=20759"},"modified":"2019-01-11T11:37:19","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T19:37:19","slug":"cross-cultural-dynamics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/cross-cultural-dynamics\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-Cultural Dynamics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laden with accessible language, practical advice, and relatable stories, Erin Meyer\u2019s Culture Map <\/em>is a practical and insightful guidebook about leading and managing across cultures. The book is written from a Western perspective and with an effort toward humility in that regard. Culture Map\u00a0<\/em>is an accessible book, written for the popular audience.<\/p>\n

Meyer earns credibility with the reader almost immediately in two important ways: 1. She displays self-reflection. This book clearly arises out of our own experience and her personal inner negative feedback of which she was able to develop awareness. There is a sense of urgency and awareness that Meyer has experienced in her own cross-cultural business relationships. This became clear to her when she learned the values behind the behavior of the other person. For example, when she learned that Chen was taught to value the practice of listening and attentiveness, she was able to remove her lens of judgment to the common stereotypical judgment: “Asians don’t participate in meetings.” 2. Perhaps more unique is her display of awareness of cross-cultural complexity beyond the most general and widely understood ways. For example, Meyer’s illustration of the managerial relationship between Webber and Dulac displays nuance and complex understanding of the French-American relationship, along with unique insight. It became apparent that the stereotype of Americans being blunt does not apply when the American is a supervisor and has to give negative feedback. In this context, the American is not blunt, but measured, careful and \u201cnice.\u201d Meyer immediately tells the reader that in the pages ahead, she is going to challenge stereotypes while putting them in their proper places.<\/p>\n

Meyer insists that people working across cultures\u2014which is increasingly moving toward everyone\u2014need not only to be open and sensitive to differences and stereotypes but actually to be informed about the intricacies of how dominant cultures view one another and how the differences play out when\u00a0the conditions\u00a0<\/em>of the relationship change. Just as Charles Taylor suggested that the conditions\u00a0<\/em>of the West have changed, out of which faith arises in a new way, when a French person is supervised by an American, now the conditions of the relationship have changed. They are not simply passersby at a restaurant or winery or coffee shop, now there is a power dynamic to throw into the mix, whereby the cultural differences play out in ways that are not as readily apparent.<\/p>\n

Meyer\u2019s aim is to inform and instruct. In this way, Culture Map\u00a0<\/em>is a practical guidebook that is helpful for leaders, particularly Western leaders, to challenge our assumptions and to become more informed. The intent is that becoming informed will lead to fewer culture clashes in business relationships, along with more fruitful and effective production. Imagine the innovation that could be possible when people of different cultures come together and truly understand one another and the values that lie behind the behaviors, and to develop a synergy out of which something new can arise. In some ways, this sounds like Pentecost to the Christian leader.<\/p>\n

Meyer intends to inform the reader by suggesting \u201ceight scales\u201d (each one representing a chapter of the book) or areas in which managers and leaders would be served well to become aware:<\/p>\n