4.5 Functions of Culture
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view other cultures as inferior to one’s own (Martin & Nakayama, 2018). Having pride in your culture can be healthy, but history has taught us that having a predisposition to discount other cultures simply because they are different can be hurtful, damaging, and dangerous. Ethnocentrism makes us far less likely to be able to bridge the gap with others and often increases intolerance of difference. Business and industry are no longer regional, and in your career, you will necessarily cross borders, languages, and cultures. You will need tolerance, understanding, patience, and openness to difference. A skilled business communicator knows that the process of learning is never complete, and being open to new ideas is a key strategy for success.
Stereotypes are “a set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a social group” (Ashmore & Del Boca, 1981, p. 21). Many people immediately hear the word “stereotype” and cringe because it is often filled with negative connotations. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. We may learn stereotypes from our families, peers, media and personal experiences (Martin & Nakayama, 2018, pp. 208-210). Let’s look at a real stereotype that plays out. When people hear the words “flight attendant,” they generally associate women with the term. In fact, in the 1980s only 19% of flight attendants were male, and today 26% of flight attendants are male (Saenz & Evans, 2009). Are all flight attendants’ female? Obviously, not; however, most flight attendants are female. We call these types of jobs sex-segregated because the jobs are held overwhelmingly by one biological sex or the other when there is no real reason why either sex cannot be effective within the job. However, many also hold the stereotype that flight attendants are all young. Although this was historically true, the ages of flight attendants have changed. Most flight attendants are 35 years of age or older and almost half of flight attendants today are over 45 years of age (Saenz & Evans, 2009). In this case, the stereotype of the young flight attendant simply doesn’t meet up with reality.
When we ask our students to nominate examples of stereotypes they have encountered about various groups of people, one stereotype that students have mentioned is “Asian people are good in math.” Another stereotype students have mentioned is “Hispanic people are hard working.” When we use blanket stereotypes to make a priori (before the fact) judgments about someone, we distance ourselves from making accurate, informed decisions about that person (and their cultural group). Stereotypes prejudice us to look at all members of a group as similar and to ignore the unique differences among individuals. Additionally, many stereotypes are based on ignorance about another person’s culture. As mentioned previously, stereotypes can be positive or negative and, in both cases, it may result in unrealistic expectations for individuals (Martin & Nakayama, 2018, p. 208). For example, if we assume that Asian American employees are good in math, we may allocate them projects in which they lack quantitative skills and/or overlook their other skills.
There are key differences among cultures that may affect intercultural interactions: low vs. high power distance; individualism vs. collectivism; masculine vs. feminine; uncertainty accepting vs. uncertainty rejecting; long-term vs. short-term time orientation; indulgence vs. restraint; and high context vs. low context communication.
This section is adapted from the following sources:
“Intercultural Communication” in Communication @ Work Seneca Edition Copyright © 2019 by Jordan Smith, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
“The Function of Culture” in Interpersonal Communication Copyright © by Jason S. Wrench; Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter; and Katherine S. Thweatt, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
