Intercultural Communication
Learning path 1: Culture, Communication & global citizenship
What is culture?
According to interculturalist Edgar Schein, culture consists of layers. He uses the visual
representation of an onion for this. The onion consists of three layers:
• The outer layer: artefacts of culture – Visible Cultural Differences
o first things you notice when entering a new country / a new company
▪ language, housing, food, clothes…
o easy to perceive / nice to know
• The second layer: norms and values
o written and unwritten standars of correct, desired behaviour
o what we can do & can’t do, what is right/wrong
o takes some time to notice and learn them
• The deepest layer: basic assumptions – Key Beliefs
o abstract and invisible
o we are unaware of their influence
o our understandings about what is true
"Intercultural communication is about bringing basic assumptions of our own culture to our
awareness and to recognise the basic assumptions of other cultures". (Intercultural Sensitivity, p.
15)
1
,A second visual representation is that of the Cultural Iceberg
Definitions of Culture:
= a collective programming of the human mind, which distinguishes the members of one group or
category of people from another.”(Hofstede, 1991)
= a learnt set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which affect
the behaviors of a large group of people” (Lustig and Koester)
= “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other
capabilities & habits acquired by man as a member of society” (culture belongs to a society/group)
(culture is something that we learn) → Edward B. Tylor = 1st to define culture: 1871
= “a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problem of external
adaptation & internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid & therefore to
be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think & feel in relation to those problems.
→ Schein, 2004
= “a group’s set of shared norms & values expressed in the behaviour of the group’s members.
→ Huijser, 2006
Cultural programming
Interculturalist Geert Hofstede considers culture as a kind of 'programming'. We are
programmed through upbringing, socialization, norms and values, and perception.
Examples:
• upbringing: no child would shake hands unless it was programmed to do so
• socialization: what kind of handshake do we give? A limp or a firm one?
vb. In EU: firm handshake = desirable, limp = associated with weakness of
2
, charact., In Asia: firm = seen as aggressive, limp/modest, gentle = more polite
• norms and values: value of showing respect for the elderly -> giving up your seat
on the bus is the norm
• perception: by looking around us, we make conscious choices about how we want
to behave
Cultural programming, however, does not reduce us to cultural robots. Each person is a
unique individual.
Human nature makes us look for food & to devour it with our hands, and deciding to put
food on a plate & eat it with fork & knife (= cultural programming), however an individual
may choose not to use fork & knife, regardless cultural programming.
In some cultures your programming teaches you to always share food & never eat alone →
there too, individuals may choose to eat it up all by themselves, regardless of the
community’s disapproval or possible sanctions.
3 levels of programming:
Cultures & subcultures
Collective = the groups or subgroups we belong to.
Not everyone in the country shares one set of cultural patterns. On the contrary, there are a
lot of subgroups or subcultures that we belong to.
Here is a list of possible subcultures:
3
, • a continent (Asian culture, American culture)
• a country (Chinese culture, Somalian culture)
• ethnic (culture of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands, such as Indonesian,
Moroccan, Turkish)
• regional (vb. catalan culture in spain)
• urban/rural
• religion (catholic, islamic, protestant)
• social class, friends (vb. middle-class culture)
• gender (culture of men, women, LGBTQ+)
• age (culture of gen Z, gen Y, babyboomers)
• profession (healthcare, economics, management culture)
• hobby (culture of hockey, soccer, dancers)
• corporate (diff between culture of Utrecht Uni & Utrecht Uni of Applied sciences)
! Be aware of the differences as well as the similarities and overlaps in your subcultures.
! Have an open attitude for understanding multiple identities and a collective identity.
! Culturally diverse teams: are they the worst or the best? = both
➔ The worst: when cultural differences are ignored → problems when understanding
each other & coming to an agreement
➔ The best: when cultural differences are appreciated → the most creative, effective &
dynamic teams
What is intercultural communication
= the communication between sources and receivers from different cultures.
(= ongoing circular process)
All communication, takes place within a context, vb. A business context, family context, crisis
situation.
An international setting has an international context.
SOURCE → ENCODING (using approp language, gestures, non-verbal expressions) →
MESSAGE → CHANNEL (medium for comm.) → DECODING → RECEIVER → responds or
feedback.
Response = again encoding & decoding
Medium:
➔ in face-to-face comm. = air & space between you
➔ With email: medium = electronic
➔ With written comm. = paper
Requires intercultural competences:
- an interculturally sensitive attitude,
4
Learning path 1: Culture, Communication & global citizenship
What is culture?
According to interculturalist Edgar Schein, culture consists of layers. He uses the visual
representation of an onion for this. The onion consists of three layers:
• The outer layer: artefacts of culture – Visible Cultural Differences
o first things you notice when entering a new country / a new company
▪ language, housing, food, clothes…
o easy to perceive / nice to know
• The second layer: norms and values
o written and unwritten standars of correct, desired behaviour
o what we can do & can’t do, what is right/wrong
o takes some time to notice and learn them
• The deepest layer: basic assumptions – Key Beliefs
o abstract and invisible
o we are unaware of their influence
o our understandings about what is true
"Intercultural communication is about bringing basic assumptions of our own culture to our
awareness and to recognise the basic assumptions of other cultures". (Intercultural Sensitivity, p.
15)
1
,A second visual representation is that of the Cultural Iceberg
Definitions of Culture:
= a collective programming of the human mind, which distinguishes the members of one group or
category of people from another.”(Hofstede, 1991)
= a learnt set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which affect
the behaviors of a large group of people” (Lustig and Koester)
= “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other
capabilities & habits acquired by man as a member of society” (culture belongs to a society/group)
(culture is something that we learn) → Edward B. Tylor = 1st to define culture: 1871
= “a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problem of external
adaptation & internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid & therefore to
be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think & feel in relation to those problems.
→ Schein, 2004
= “a group’s set of shared norms & values expressed in the behaviour of the group’s members.
→ Huijser, 2006
Cultural programming
Interculturalist Geert Hofstede considers culture as a kind of 'programming'. We are
programmed through upbringing, socialization, norms and values, and perception.
Examples:
• upbringing: no child would shake hands unless it was programmed to do so
• socialization: what kind of handshake do we give? A limp or a firm one?
vb. In EU: firm handshake = desirable, limp = associated with weakness of
2
, charact., In Asia: firm = seen as aggressive, limp/modest, gentle = more polite
• norms and values: value of showing respect for the elderly -> giving up your seat
on the bus is the norm
• perception: by looking around us, we make conscious choices about how we want
to behave
Cultural programming, however, does not reduce us to cultural robots. Each person is a
unique individual.
Human nature makes us look for food & to devour it with our hands, and deciding to put
food on a plate & eat it with fork & knife (= cultural programming), however an individual
may choose not to use fork & knife, regardless cultural programming.
In some cultures your programming teaches you to always share food & never eat alone →
there too, individuals may choose to eat it up all by themselves, regardless of the
community’s disapproval or possible sanctions.
3 levels of programming:
Cultures & subcultures
Collective = the groups or subgroups we belong to.
Not everyone in the country shares one set of cultural patterns. On the contrary, there are a
lot of subgroups or subcultures that we belong to.
Here is a list of possible subcultures:
3
, • a continent (Asian culture, American culture)
• a country (Chinese culture, Somalian culture)
• ethnic (culture of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands, such as Indonesian,
Moroccan, Turkish)
• regional (vb. catalan culture in spain)
• urban/rural
• religion (catholic, islamic, protestant)
• social class, friends (vb. middle-class culture)
• gender (culture of men, women, LGBTQ+)
• age (culture of gen Z, gen Y, babyboomers)
• profession (healthcare, economics, management culture)
• hobby (culture of hockey, soccer, dancers)
• corporate (diff between culture of Utrecht Uni & Utrecht Uni of Applied sciences)
! Be aware of the differences as well as the similarities and overlaps in your subcultures.
! Have an open attitude for understanding multiple identities and a collective identity.
! Culturally diverse teams: are they the worst or the best? = both
➔ The worst: when cultural differences are ignored → problems when understanding
each other & coming to an agreement
➔ The best: when cultural differences are appreciated → the most creative, effective &
dynamic teams
What is intercultural communication
= the communication between sources and receivers from different cultures.
(= ongoing circular process)
All communication, takes place within a context, vb. A business context, family context, crisis
situation.
An international setting has an international context.
SOURCE → ENCODING (using approp language, gestures, non-verbal expressions) →
MESSAGE → CHANNEL (medium for comm.) → DECODING → RECEIVER → responds or
feedback.
Response = again encoding & decoding
Medium:
➔ in face-to-face comm. = air & space between you
➔ With email: medium = electronic
➔ With written comm. = paper
Requires intercultural competences:
- an interculturally sensitive attitude,
4
