The Approach of Cultural Standards
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In his research on cultural standards A. Thomas gave a special definition of culture. In his opinion culture is
„the part of the environment which is created by humans“.
Cultural standards, according to his approach, can be understood as an orientation system that is typical for a nation, an organisation or a group. They allow to cope with the challenges of life and environment by defining certain rules, norms, values and recommendations for acting. Perception, thinking and attitudes of the respective group are largely controlled by the cultural standards of their environment.
Thomas underlines that cultural standards create possibilites of acting, set up conditions of acting and also define limits of acting. The orientation system shared by a group, region, nation or organisation make it possible to define „meaning and sense“ of objects, persons or events. It is a kind of „common framework“, assuring individuals that their perspectives and mindsets are shared and understood by their fellow human beings.
dbreen, pixabayIn this approach, cultural standards are sort of tools, helping to deal with requirements and demands of the social reality. Their origin are learning processes which usually happen on an unconscious level. However, they can be reflected and modified. Usually the standards create routines that are considered as „normal“ and „appropriate“ in the respective group.
The cultural standards can refer to all fields of life. Whether it is family life, relationships, acting at the workplace, traditions of communicating, eating, clothing, celebrating, mourning, religious rituals, hierarchies, gender roles or the roles of individuals in social groups – all those fields and more are influenced by the standards implicitly defined within a cultural group.
In his model Alexander Thomas postulates that intercultural communication settings fail to have the routinely implicitness existing in interactions within a certain culture. Therefore, in his point of view, intercultural communication can cause „critical incidents„: Members of the different culture can show unexpected behaviour or reactions, meaning and sense of the situation are not self-evident.
Two businessmen, one from India, one from Germany, discuss a transaction. According to the cultural standard model Indians tend to have an „indirect“ conversation style whereas Germans prefer a more direct communication style. While the Indian man uses long and decorated phrases the German likes to come to the point very quickly. This might be a source of midunderstanding and irritation: In the end, the Indian considers the German as impolite, the German feels annoyed about the unclear diction of his Indian colleague.
Interacting with persons from a different cultural background can be regarded as „playing a game when you don’t know the rules“1. Thomas speaks of „cultural assimilators“2, based on cultural standards, which can be used as tools improving intercultural communication.