Comments for Valérie Antoinette's Blog

Comment on The Cross-Cultural Concept of Community by Loren Guerriero

Loren Guerriero — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:04:46 +0000

This is a very good point, and one that came across in your original blog post. It appears the main cultural difference here is degrees of separation.

Comment on The Cross-Cultural Concept of Community by Valérie Antoinette (@ValerieAntoinet)

Valérie Antoinette (@ValerieAntoinet) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:56:00 +0000

I agree, Loren, that in United States we rely on referrals and recommendations FROM friends, but is it your experience that we eagerly HIRE friends because we believe that they are the ones who will serve us best? What I tried to convey by comparing a few cultures is that in the U.S. the concept of hiring a friend is partly taboo. In some other cultures, people will ONLY hire friends and not only people who are recommended to them. I hope this distinction comes out clearly.

Comment on The Cross-Cultural Concept of Community by Loren Guerriero

Loren Guerriero — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:06:49 +0000

This reminds me of a wisdom we’ve come across while promoting our Business Foundations Course to Spanish-speaking communities – that Hispanic cultures traditionally rely on referral and trust to make new connections. In this way, one will be less likely to be successful with traditional advertising methods in these communities.

Although this is certainly true of Hispanic culture, I find to be also true in Western culture. Referral and trust are consistently the most effective and sustaining way of developing a constituency (at least for business services for beginning entrepreneurs). Although our communication style may be less direct, we still are more likely to rely on existing connections to influence our economic behavior, before resorting to a nonpersonal search. I ask openly if this behavior is a human trait first and then modified by cultural factors second.

Comment on About Valérie Antoinette by Scot Walstra

Scot Walstra — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:34:46 +0000

Valerie,

Great newsletter and blog site!
I found the information relevant and very useful.

Best-

Scot

Scot Walstra, Vice President CEDC
Cowlitz Economic Development Council
2452 Hudson Street, Suite 208
Longveiw, WA 98632
(360) 423-9921 ext 611 o
(360) 921-4534 c
walstra@cowlitzedc.com
http://www.cowlitzedc.com

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Comment on Trust at Risk by FELOresearch

FELOresearch — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:52:43 +0000

Very, very insensitive behaviour from that American manager indeed. All the more disappointing given that he apparently worked in a joint-venture organisation with significant local characteristics. It seems that individual was not even aware of the proverb “When in Rome . . . .”

Which does not mean, by the way, that foreign executives cannot and should not manage differently from their local peers. There can be advantage as well as liability of foreignness for foreign executives in local organisations (FELOs). There are good reasons why FELOs are appointed, and why these positions are not filled with local executives. In many cases, reasons extend well beyond the acquisition of ‘hard skills’ and international experience. Much can be learned by expatriates and managers in joint-venture organisations from those who bridge cultural distance in workplaces where they have been appointed by, and report to, local boards and superiors. The power dynamics of these workplaces are significantly different from those of typical expatriate assignments. Issues of allegiance, trust and control are important themes.

Comment on You Look Fat Today! by rosine evans

rosine evans — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:23:41 +0000

political correctness can also be a sign of lack of interest, fear of reactions and inability to make an honest statement.

Comment on What Time is It, Anyway? by kathleen

kathleen — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:48:17 +0000

Great post, Valerie. And no, most people do NOT know there are 24 time zones. That’s a good question for the first pop quiz on cultural competence!

Comment on Why Can’t You Wait? by Karma Lhundup

Karma Lhundup — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:13:57 +0000

I do so love the thoughtfulness that you bring to every discussion. I felt tears welling up in me as I read this post — what a wonderful and sensitive relationship we can have with each other and the process of eating together. Thank you Carmen and Valerie for reminding us of it!

Comment on On Being a Good Host by Karma Lhundup

Karma Lhundup — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:37:04 +0000

As a “third culture kid”, I spent my childhood in Lebanon with American parents in the 60s and early 70s. I really can’t imagine a more hospitable culture than that one. Recently, I went to the Rainbow Gathering, an annual hippie festival that takes place in the US national forest. There is no charge or registration fee, and food is given out freely from one of the many kitchens that feed upwards of 20 thousand people that are attending. I spent 2 dollars over the 3 days I was there, nobody wanted any money. “Welcome home” is the catchphrase that greets you when you walk in the front gate, and “Loving you!” is what you hear over and over throughout your stay. The reason I am sharing this right now is because the hospitality I experienced at the Rainbow Gathering is very much like what I experienced growing up in Lebanon. These cultures of generosity value giving and inclusion as a rule. The Rainbow Gathering is a glimpse into an alternative reality for most Americans, one that they have never experienced. But for me it was a refreshing reminder of the hospitality I felt in Lebanon growing up. I can appreciate how you as an engineer in corporate America miss the culture of hospitality you describe in other places. I am also a small business owner, and have found a reflection of a culture of hospitality in the book titled, “Love is the Killer App”, and am enjoying implementing some of the business ideas that are grounded in giving. Life can be a joy and a celebration, and it would be a shame if we could not share that while doing the thing that takes up most of our waking hours — our work. Thank you for reminding us of other ways of living and of cultures that are different from our own!