Leadership Focus: Adapting to Other Cultures

International Travel: Adapting to Other Cultures

BY DR. LOUISE FERGUSON (30) AND DR. AMANDA CRUMP CORE FACULTY MEMBERS, UC DAVIS

AMONG THE REASONS FOR TRAVEL IS EXPOSURE TO OTHER CULTURES. HOWEVER, EXPERIENCING ANOTHER CULTURE IS NOT ALWAYS COMFORTABLE. WHEN EXPOSED TO OTHER CULTURES, ALL OF US FALL ALONG A CONTINUUM OF PERSONAL ORIENTATIONS.

DENIAL

One may notice obvious cultural differences, such as food, but not deeper aspects, such as how conflict is resolved. As a tourist perhaps this is unimportant, but it could be disastrous for a business person.

POLARIZATION

A judgmental “us” and “them” orientation. It can take the form of being uncritical of another culture and critical of one’s own, but generally it is the reverse. We most often evaluate, negatively, cultures from the perspective of our “superior” one.

MINIMIZATION

Focusing on commonalities, particularly in universal values and principals. However, this approach is often patronizing in that we view our culture as superior and are validating another’s by equating it to ours and failing to recognize differences.

ACCEPTANCE

Recognizing and appreciating the differences and commonalities in other cultures compared to one’s own. However, this does not mean interaction with another culture is comfortable.

ADAPTATION

An orientation that allows us to shift our cultural perspective and interact in a culturally appropriate and authentic way. Those who have achieved cultural adaptation generally speak the language and have lived within another culture. In Ag Leadership, we travel to learn. If we better understood our personal and group orientation, perhaps we would learn more from – and better appreciate – other cultures.

In the following commentary, Dr. Amanda Crump describes how we might better develop understanding of other cultures.

My love of traveling and international service was kindled by my second-grade teacher. She had been a Peace Corps volunteer and showed us photos of her work in Central America. I grew up in a ghost town and didn’t really get an opportunity to travel until after I finished college. The first time I climbed aboard an airplane was when I was 20. Somehow, two years later, I managed to get the courage to move to Europe, where I lived in Germany and worked in the Balkans. I’ve now worked in almost 20 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Central America. Encountering new cultures and ways of being has been the most exciting and intimidating part of my career.

Adjusting to another culture is hard. When we visit a new place and encounter new experiences, we rely on our own experiences to guide our adjustment. In my experience, it is important to forget about my own experiences and expectations, though. Let me share a few stories of how I learned this the hard way.

FIRST LESSON: Learn the Norms

One of my first business trips was to Singapore. I wanted to take a gift for my hosts and found a UC Davis-branded clock that I thought would be a perfect gift. However, while on the plane to Singapore, I decided to read the section of my guidebook on Singapore culture.

Dr. Amanda Crump in Honduras with colleagues from around the world sampling bananas. Dr. Louise Ferguson standing on site of an erosion control project in Afghanistan using pistachios as the major tree to provide local villagers with a wild forest to harvest.

What I discovered was, in Singapore, clocks are associated with funerals and so if I gave a clock, it would be equivalent to “sending someone to their funeral.” Luckily, I read this before committing a major mistake. I gave them UC Davis pens instead.

That story was about a gift, and it can seem trivial. However, I’ve made this mistake of making assumptions several times. But the better prepared I am before I travel, the fewer assumptions I tend to make. I definitely start preparing long before the plane ride now.

SECOND LESSON: Try to Understand, Not Interpret

When new things don’t make sense, it’s normal to try to make sense of them using what you already know. In my experience, using the things I already know about my own culture to interpret another culture rarely works. This expands to agriculture.

I once worked on a team to introduce smaller containers for produce transport. We were working in Tanzania and produce was packed into very large baskets. Each basket would contain 100 kilograms of tomatoes (that’s 220 pounds). And at the end of a long journey in the back of a pickup, the tomatoes at the bottom of the basket resembled sauce. My team embarked on an effort to convince farmers to adopt smaller baskets – stackable ones that could be cleaned easily. We did this without truly understanding the constraints.

After all, it made sense to us as American agriculturalists that this was the best solution. After failing, we finally asked and sought to understand why these larger baskets were the norm. The answer: taxes. Farmers were taxed per container, not per kilogram. So, until tax laws were changed, there was no way to adopt a better system. We wished we would have taken time to ask simple questions, but we chose to interpret the problem instead of to understand it.

Now, I have some new strategies. Long before I travel for work or pleasure, I take time to get to know the place where I am going.

· First, I visit the World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/the-worldfactbook) and familiarize myself with the country’s history and people. · Second, I put a guidebook on my kindle. The first section usually outlines the country’s history and culture. After making the mistake in my “first lesson” above, I always do this well before leaving. · Third, I take a moment to reflect on myself. Are there ways I could adapt to this culture? Are there things about myself that will contrast with this culture? How will I maintain a high level of self-awareness? · Fourth, I practice being empathetic and patient – to listen and learn instead of interpreting. · Finally, I take time to learn how to pronounce some words. I write these words on a piece of paper and keep them with me. Knowing how to say please and thank you and numbers will help your experience.

Remember, making mistakes while traveling is normal and it can make you feel uncomfortable, but errors and discomfort lead to personal growth and cultural competency. And you might just make a lifelong friend along the way.