How Culture Drives Behaviours | Julien S. Bourrelle | TEDxTrondheim

Introduction

  • Speaker describes an experience in Brussels that triggers a self-reflection about cultural interaction.

  • Transition from a French-speaking Canadian to adapting to Norwegian social norms.

Cultural Adaptation

  • Three ways to relate to culture:

    • Confront: Believing one's own behaviors are superior.

    • Complain: Isolating oneself within social bubbles of foreigners.

    • Conform: Adapting to local behaviors to benefit from diversity.

Cultural Perspectives

  • Anecdote from northeastern Spain emphasizing cultural expectations in emotional feedback during communication.

    • Cultural Interpretation: Guide's reaction interpreted through her own cultural framework leads to misunderstanding of neutral facial expressions.

Personal Experiences in Leadership

  • Experience with a university's gender-specific leadership class raises questions of equality:

    • Equality of Results vs. Equality of Opportunity: Not having the chance to attend due to gender restrictions, yet understanding the university's goal to balance gender representation in academia.

    • Evidence that diversity leads to better organizational performance.

Communication Across Cultures

  • Cultural Connect Project: Initiative to foster understanding of cultural differences through humor and illustrations.

    • Over one million people reached to discuss cultural situations and bridge gaps.

Influence of Cultural Background on Friendship

  • Varied cultural expectations on friendship:

    • Interdependent cultures expect constant support and attendance at events.

    • Independent cultures, like Scandinavian, may find comfort in silence together.

    • Misunderstandings arise when cultural expectations are not shared.

Miscommunication in Social Spaces

  • Personal Space Variations: Understanding different perceptions of personal space across cultures.

    • Example of communication behaviors at a bus stop, misinterpreted due to cultural assumptions.

    • South American and North European interaction showcases this disconnect.

Norms of Politeness

  • Cultural Norms: Politeness varies among cultures, shaping expected behaviors in social contexts.

    • Importance of understanding local definition of politeness when relocating to a new culture.

Conclusion: Embracing Diversity

  • The key to benefiting from diversity lies in perception and understanding:

    • Everyone interprets the world through their cultural glasses, which shapes their interactions.

    • Acknowledging that it’s not solely about what is seen, but how it is perceived can create bridges between cultures.

  • Call to Action: Take small steps to embrace and understand cultural differences to truly benefit from diversity.