Handling Culture Shock Effectively 1

Culture Shock Video 2

Defining the Terms: Culture Shock and Country Shock Stages of Culture Shock Managing Country and Culture Shock The Role of Culture in Conflicts and Conflict Resolution A Leader’s Role in Handling Culture ShockOverview 3

How would you define culture shock? Reaction to psychological disorientation Fish out of water feeling What is Culture Shock? 4

Causes of Culture Shock Being cut off from cultural cues and patterns Living/working over an extended period of time in ambiguous situations Having your values questioned Being expected to operate at maximum skill and speed without fully understanding “the rules” What is Culture Shock? 5

Effects/Symptoms of Culture Shock Intense discomfort Resentment Homesickness Depression Variety of physical symptoms from psychosomatic illnesses What is Culture Shock? 6

Country Shock – Physical circumstances – The setting of the culture – Occurs/resolves quickly Culture Shock – Interaction among people – Behaviors that seem strange to others – Takes longer to begin/resolve Country Shock vs. Culture Shock 7

What can bring on country shock? – Unfamiliar weather patterns – “Strange” foods – “Bugs” (insects, spiders, etc.) that make life uncomfortable – Infrastructure differences Country Shock 8

What can heighten the intensity of country shock? – New faces and communities – Getting physically sick Country Shock 9

Honeymoon Irritability/Hostility Gradual Adjustment Adaptation Stages of Culture Shock 10

Characteristics – Occurs at beginning of deployment – Positive mindset – High expectations – Focus on similarities between home and host culture – Typically lasts 1-6 weeks The Honeymoon Stage 11

Actions during irritability – Withdrawal from host culture – Interacting only with other Americans – Interacting only with other military personnel Actions during hostility – Verbal aggressiveness – Physical aggressiveness – Stereotyping Irritability/Hostility Stage 12

What it takes to get there – Time – Recognizing subtle cultural cues – Less isolation/greater comfort – More interaction with host culture Gradual Adjustment Stage 13

How you know you’ve arrived – Greater enjoyment of local customs – Comfort with host culture communication norms – Realization that you will miss aspects of host culture when you return home Adaptation Stage 14

Ineffective responses Returning to “mother culture” Hide out (stay on base/compound) Travel to areas of greater cultural diversity Effective response Establish new routines for basic life skills Dealing With Country Shock 15

Effective responses Realize almost everyone experiences a certain level of culture shock Develop self-awareness of your behavioral expectations Understand the local’s expectations for your behavior Managing Culture Shock 16

We inflict culture shock on others by… – being ethnocentric – not becoming “other” – failing to practice empathy – reinforcing the concept of “the ugly American” Managing Culture Shock 17

Conflict Video 18

What is conflict? Struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power, and resources Perceived divergence of interests Our working definition: When two related parties find themselves divided by perceived incompatible interests or goals, or in competition for control of scarce resourcesConflict 19

Causes of conflict? – Value differences – Relationship clashes – Disagreement over data – Diverging interestsConflict 20

Role of culture in conflict – It’s about who we are so it’s bound to impact conflict – It relates to what we think is important, and we often respond strongly when that’s challenged – It can be the direct cause of conflict – It can be a contributing factor Culture and Conflict 21

Culture affects conflict in how we… – Name (describe it) – Frame (conceptualize it) – Blame (assign fault for it) – Tame (resolve it) Culture and Conflict 22

Think about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – How does culture affect how it is described? – From what framework is it viewed? – Who is blamed? – What is the best way to resolve it? Culture and Conflict: An Example 23

How would you define conflict resolution? – Eliminating the root cause of a conflict and seeking the solution to the problems which led to the conflict – Methods and processes of negotiation, arbitration, institution-building which promote the peaceful ending of social conflict and war Culture and Conflict Resolution 24

Methods of conflict resolution – Mediation – Diplomacy – Negotiation (most commonly used) – War Culture and Conflict Resolution 25

What is negotiation? – Striking a deal with someone – Bargaining – Discussing an issue with the hope of settling it – When two or more parties confer with one another to reach a mutually accepted outcomeNegotiation 26

Situations requiring negotiation skills – Personal life – Within squadron – While deployed with local population and leaders – With joint/coalition/allied forces – With other organizations (governmental and nongovernmental)Negotiation 27

Impact of personality on negotiation – Some traits more conducive to successful negotiation than others – Some traits counterproductive to negotiation – Some traits are better suited to other conflict resolution techniques, e.g., mediation, diplomacy, competing-forcing, etc.) Personality & Negotiation 28

Military personality and negotiation – Typical Airman may not be predisposed to negotiation – Hierarchical mindset (chain of command) – Leans more toward compliance than negotiation Negotiation in the Military 29

When can negotiation skills be helpful to you? – Contingency ops – Peacekeeping ops – Humanitarian relief responses – Personal life Negotiation in the Military 30

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions – Power Distance – Uncertainty Avoidance – Individualism vs. collectivism – Long-term vs. short-term orientation Cultural Dimensions & Negotiation 31

As an Air Force leader, what is your role in handling culture shock effectively? Wrapping Up Our Discussion 32

Defining the Terms: Culture Shock and Country Shock Stages of Culture Shock Managing Country and Culture Shock The Role of Culture in Conflicts and Conflict Resolution A Leader’s Role in Handling Culture ShockSummary 33