Exploring cultures: Introduction to the concept of cultural values

In the blog last week, we concluded the series on the influence and interpretation of non-verbal emotional signalling during interpersonal communication. This week we begin a new series exploring a range of models that provide contrasting interpretations of cross-cultural value orientations. The primarily focus will be on how complex patterns of values are interwoven to shape unique daily behavioural expectations that ultimately define and distinguish contrasting cultural contexts.

Defining the concept of culture

Culture is often described as being an invisible glue or web that defines and binds members of society together. It also shapes the way people perceive themselves, interact with each other, make sense of everyday life, and ultimately distinguish themselves from outsiders.

The key components of culture include shared beliefs, customs, behavioural expectations, and more deeply rooted and largely subconsciously learnt values. These distinctive cultural orientations are transmitted across generations by a process known either as socialisation or enculturation. This is achieved through both formal institutions such as the family and educational system, or more informally by constant immersion in everyday social interactions.

Consequently, the defining characteristic of culture is that it is a shared experience of a particular group that facilitates common understandings and expectations that consequently enables functional everyday interpersonal interaction and cooperative behaviour.

Understanding the complex layering of cultural values

The Hofstede's Cultural Onion Model

Hofstede depicted culture using the metaphor of an onion with several layers that can be peeled away to reveal ever deeper and more distinctive cultural characteristics.

Symbols

At the initial surface level are located symbols that are meaningful actions and artifacts that reflect the attitudes of members. These symbols include gestures, images, and objects that possess significant emotional meanings that are only fully apparent to those embedded in the cultural context. Examples of symbols include fashion, flags, gestures, and facial expressions. At this surface level, symbols are subject to adaptation over time and can occasionally change quite rapidly.

Heroes

At the next level comes what are called heroes, alive or dead, real or fictitious, that embody characteristics that are highly valued and are therefore regarded as cultural role models to be honoured and emulated.

Rituals

Next come an abundance of often complex rituals. Somewhat curiously Hofstede defines rituals as behaviours that are superfluous to the achievement of personal goals but are nonetheless considered socially necessary or even essential. Examples include gestures of greetings or acknowledgement and religious customs or ceremonies.

Behavioural practices

After this, are the everyday behavioural practises that arise from a combination of the first three levels and are typically publicly visible even to outsider, though the exact meaning and significance may remain somewhat elusive. However, with patience and practice even those recently arrived in an unfamiliar cultural context can gradually learn to imitate many of these behaviours.

Values

Finally, at the core of the social onion are deeply rooted values that are acquired largely subconsciously by members while often being mysterious or even invisible to outsiders. Examples of these values include beliefs about what is right or wrong, good or evil, and taboos about cleanliness and dirtiness.

Understanding the roots of contrasting cultural values

Cultural values vary significantly between nations and should be regarded as a distinctive package of shared attitudes, expectations, beliefs, and practises that influence the behaviour of members and distinguish them from those in other cultural contexts. Variations in these orientations are shaped and influenced by factors such as geography, climate, religion, and the socio-economic environment. For example, in the Western cultural context, individualism is highly valued that motivates members to be more self-reliant, assertive, and independent.

Conversely, in more collectivist societies such as those in East Asia, members are encouraged to prioritise group harmony and interdependence over individual goals, expectations or personal achievement. Moreover, such cultural perspectives also promote an orientation of greater deference and respect towards figures of authority, together with acceptance of inequalities in society such as those relating to the unequal distribution of wealth and gender discrimination.

In conclusion, having laid the foundation for the new series with definitions of culture and cultural values, we can now proceed to examine a range of models that provide contrasting interpretations on our topic of the exploration of culture. Next week we will commence by evaluating an overview of cultural value orientations as illustrated on the Schwartz map.

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Question 1

Why is it often so challenging to coherently define the concept of culture?

Question 2

Are there any universal cross-cultural values and behavioural expectations?

Question 3

What is the practical purpose of defining the key contrasting orientations of cultural values?

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We shall explore Question 3 in the next blog.

Reference

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: software of the mind (2nd Ed.). McGraw-Hill.