How Culture Drives Behaviours | Julien S. Bourrelle | TEDxTrondheim
TLDRIn this engaging talk, the speaker reflects on cultural adaptation and diversity, using personal anecdotes to illustrate the impact of 'cultural glasses' on perception and communication. From the unexpected interactions in Brussels to leadership lessons in Norway, the narrative highlights the importance of understanding and embracing cultural differences for better social cohesion and leadership. The speaker advocates for awareness and adaptation to cultural nuances to leverage the benefits of diversity, including improved problem-solving and innovation.
Takeaways
- 😄 The speaker humorously recounts becoming accustomed to the Norwegian social norm of less spontaneous interaction by reflecting on a personal encounter in Brussels.
- 🌍 The concept of 'cultural glasses' is introduced, illustrating how our cultural background shapes our perception and interpretation of social behaviors.
- 🤔 The speaker emphasizes the importance of confronting, complaining, or conforming as three ways to engage with a new culture, with conforming being the most beneficial for personal growth and understanding.
- 🔄 The idea of rewiring one's brain to adapt to cultural differences is presented as a key to embracing diversity and avoiding isolation.
- 👥 The speaker shares an anecdote about misinterpreting a friend's neutral expression due to cultural differences in expressing interest or engagement.
- 📊 Studies are cited that show diverse groups, in terms of both gender and culture, outperform homogenous groups in problem-solving and innovation.
- 🚫 The speaker recounts a personal experience of gender-based exclusion from a leadership training program, highlighting the concept of 'equality of results' over 'equality of opportunity'.
- 🌐 The importance of understanding and communicating cultural differences to foster effective communication and collaboration in diverse groups is underscored.
- 🎨 The speaker describes a project that uses humoristic illustrations to connect people of different cultures, emphasizing the power of simple, relatable content.
- 🤝 The contrast between collectivist and individualist cultures is highlighted, showing how these underlying principles affect expectations and behaviors in friendships.
- 🚶♂️ A light-hearted example of a Norwegian bus stop scenario is used to illustrate the cultural differences in personal space and how misunderstandings can occur.
- 💬 The script concludes with a call to action for small steps towards perceiving and understanding cultural differences, as a means to truly benefit from diversity.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the speaker's experience in Brussels?
-The main theme is the cultural adjustment the speaker experienced after living in Norway, where social interactions are more reserved, and the surprise of being approached by a stranger in Brussels.
How does the speaker describe the socialization in Norway?
-The speaker describes socialization in Norway as being more framed and organized, with less spontaneous interaction between strangers in public spaces.
What does the speaker mean by 'mental programming' and 'rewiring' of the brain?
-The speaker refers to the process of adapting to a new culture's norms and behaviors, which changes one's expectations and reactions to social situations.
What are the three ways the speaker suggests one can relate to a new culture?
-The three ways are to confront, complain, or conform. Confronting means believing one's own behaviors are right, complaining leads to isolation, and conforming allows one to adapt and benefit from the new culture.
Why did the speaker's friend's neutral facial expression cause confusion in Catalonia?
-The local guide interpreted the neutral expression as disinterest because she was used to more expressive feedback in her culture, not realizing it was a cultural difference in expressing emotions.
What is the concept of 'cultural glasses' as mentioned by the speaker?
-The 'cultural glasses' concept refers to the lens through which one's brain perceives and interprets the world, which is shaped by one's cultural background.
What was the speaker's experience with gender-based education at a university in Northern Europe?
-The speaker was denied entry to a 'Leadership for women' class because he was a man, reflecting the university's policy to promote gender equality by prioritizing women in leadership training.
What is the term 'equality of results' as used by the speaker?
-'Equality of results' refers to policies or measures that aim to achieve balance in representation or outcomes, such as promoting women to professorship positions, even if it means different opportunities for men.
How do cultural differences affect board performance according to the speaker?
-The speaker states that boards with both genders perform better, and boards with diverse cultural backgrounds perform even better, enhancing problem-solving, creativity, and innovation.
What project did the speaker initiate to connect people of different cultures?
-The speaker initiated a project involving drawings and a website to humorously illustrate and explain cultural differences, aiming to foster understanding and connection among people of different cultures.
How does the speaker describe the concept of personal space in different cultures?
-The speaker explains that personal space varies across cultures, with some cultures having a larger personal space than others, which can lead to misunderstandings if not recognized.
What is the significance of the 'Norwegian bus stop' anecdote in the script?
-The 'Norwegian bus stop' anecdote illustrates the cultural differences in personal space and the potential for miscommunication when people from different cultures interact without understanding these differences.
How does the speaker define 'politeness' in the context of cultural diversity?
-The speaker defines 'politeness' as a set of culturally related norms and social codes that vary across societies, affecting how people communicate and interact with each other.
What is the key message the speaker wants to convey about cultural diversity?
-The key message is that everyone perceives the world through their cultural lens, and by understanding and adapting to these cultural differences, we can take small steps towards benefiting from diversity.
Outlines
🗣️ Culture Shock and Adaptation: A Personal Story
The speaker recounts an experience in Brussels where a stranger initiated a conversation, leading to a moment of realization about cultural differences between Norway and Canada. The speaker reflects on how moving to a different country rewires one’s brain, altering behavior to conform to local norms. This story highlights the importance of adapting to new cultural environments and the different ways people can relate to a new culture—by confronting, complaining, or conforming. The speaker emphasizes that conforming and adapting behavior to match societal norms allows for a more meaningful engagement with diversity.
👩🏫 Gender Equality and Cultural Perspectives on Leadership
The speaker discusses an experience with gender-specific leadership training in Northern Europe. Despite being denied access to a 'Leadership for Women' course due to gender, the speaker reflects on the broader implications of such policies, which aim to accelerate women's progress into senior academic positions. This approach, described as 'equality of result,' contrasts with 'equality of opportunity.' The speaker connects this to broader societal benefits, noting that diversity in leadership, including gender and cultural diversity, significantly enhances organizational performance and problem-solving capabilities.
🌍 Understanding and Bridging Cultural Differences
The speaker shares insights into the creation of a project aimed at helping people understand cultural differences through simple drawings. The project, which has reached over a million people, focuses on the diverse ways people around the world are socialized, particularly contrasting collective societies with more individualistic Western cultures. These cultural differences impact friendships and social interactions, often leading to misunderstandings. The speaker uses examples to illustrate how cultural 'glasses' affect perception and emphasizes the importance of changing these lenses to improve cross-cultural communication and understanding.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cultural Diversity
💡Socialization
💡Confront, Complain, Conform
💡Cultural Glasses
💡Leadership
💡Gender Equality
💡Cultural Misunderstanding
💡Personal Space
💡Interdependence
💡Politesse
💡Cultural Adaptation
Highlights
The speaker experienced a cultural shift after living in Norway for 5 years, realizing they had become more reserved like the locals.
In Norway, social interactions are more structured and organized compared to the more open interactions in French-speaking Canada.
There are three ways to relate to a new culture: confront, complain, or conform, with conforming allowing one to benefit most from diversity.
Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings in emotional feedback and social cues.
Everyone sees the world through 'cultural glasses' that shape their reality and perception of behaviors.
The speaker was denied entry to a 'Leadership for Women' class due to gender, highlighting issues with equality of opportunity versus equality of results.
Gender and cultural diversity in leadership positions have been shown to improve performance by 15-35%.
Cultural diversity enhances problem-solving, creativity, and innovation.
The speaker started a project with drawings and lectures to humorously connect people of different cultures, especially in Norway.
Different cultural upbringing affects expectations of interdependence and independence in friendships and groups.
Friendship dynamics vary greatly between cultures, from symbiotic relationships to comfortable silence.
Cultural misunderstandings can lead to feelings of rejection or lack of friends if one is not aware of different communication styles.
Physical space and personal boundaries differ across cultures, affecting how people sit, stand, and interact.
Observing interactions at international conferences can reveal cultural differences in communication and personal space.
Politeness is a culturally relative concept with varying norms and social codes.
Understanding cultural norms of politeness is crucial for effective communication in a foreign culture.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of perceiving the world through a cultural lens to truly benefit from diversity.
Small steps in understanding and embracing cultural differences can lead to a more diverse and inclusive world.
Transcripts
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