DEALING WITH CULTURE CLASHES. ACCULTURATION AND ENCULTURATION AS TERMS IN DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Abstract

This article describes cultural clashes and differences of acculturation and enculturatuons how to resolve this problem in the society. As all know cultural conflicts in negotiations tends to occur for two main reasons. First, it’s fairly common when confronting cultural differences, for people to rely on stereotypes. Stereotypes are often pejorative (for example Italians always run late), and they can lead to distorted expectations about your counterpart’s behavior as well as potentially costly misinterpretations. You should never assume cultural stereotypes going into a negotiation. Instead of relying on stereotypes, you should try to focus on prototypes—cultural averages on dimensions of behavior or values. There is a big difference between stereotypes and prototypes. For example, it is commonly understood that Japanese negotiators tend to have more silent periods during their talks than, say, Brazilians. That said, there is still a great deal of variability within each culture—meaning that some Brazilians speak less than some Japanese do. Thus, it would be a mistake to expect a Japanese negotiator you have never met to be reserved. But if it turns out that a negotiator is especially quiet, you might better understand her behaviour and change your negotiating approach in light of the prototype. In addition, awareness of your own cultural prototypes can help you anticipate how your counterpart might interpret your bargaining behaviour. It’s not just about being aware of their culture, but also how yours might be viewed. American work habits can seem downright oppressive when viewed from a far.