So, what are some of these elements that are prevalent in every cultural group? Let’s look at this more closely by breaking things down into three levels. The ‘Iceberg Model’ will help demonstrate how much of what we ‘see’ as culture is just a small part of what lies beneath the surface.
Doing
At the top of the iceberg are those elements which are visible, and relatively apparent when first interacting with/in a new culture. Material artifacts (e.g., architecture, food, transportation), symbols (e.g., written language, money), and certain practices (e.g., greetings, dress) can be experienced immediately (mainly through sensory input: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch).
Example:
At 18 years old, Stan had never been on an airplane. He had always wanted to travel but hadn’t even taken a domestic flight to this point. He saved money and flew to London that same year for a 4-month backpacking trip in the UK and Europe.
Stan remembered arriving at Gatwick airport, and looking around thinking, “this looks just like an airport at home”. He took a train into central London, and although it was his first time on British Rail, the concept of train travel was nothing new to him. In the first two days in London, he remembered thinking how relatively simple it was to navigate around. Stan took public transport and wandered around the music shops (comparing UK and home music charts). He visited parks and was struck by the architecture and the number of men wearing suits.
Things were so different, yet somehow familiar. The food was a source of constant questioning: Why did his morning bacon have a bone in it? Why did they wrap chips (fries) in newspaper? How many pubs does this city have, and why do they drink warm beer?
Reflection Questions:
- What are some of the visible elements in this story?
- Why do you think food was used as a point of comparison?
Thinking
At the mid-level of the iceberg (just below the waterline), are those invisible features which take effort to become aware of and understand. As examples, education, religion, political systems, or the way people work in teams can give insights into how a society/cultural group ‘thinks’, along with some of the accompanying organizational patterns: views on time,hierarchy, roles, and relationships, etc. This level is not immediate, takes time to explore, and is definitely not apparent.
Example:
Kim’s first year in Japan was amazing! She was learning the language, studying calligraphy, and visiting temples and historic cities. She was teaching in a local junior high school as well, which made her feel like there was no limit to her immersive experience.
In her second year, Kim had several episodes of discomfort and frustration. On one occasion, she invited a group of local teachers over for dinner. She asked them to be at her place by 6pm, as she would serve drinks before dinner.
At 5:45, the whole group arrived together, except for one person. Kim wasn’t quite prepared, because in the U.K. (where Kim was from), people didn’t arrive together and were often ‘fashionably late’ (arriving 10-15 minutes after the set time). She poured drinks and told people to get started while she finished preparing the food. They sat quietly, with nobody touching their drinks. Kim wasn’t sure what to do, but luckily the last teacher arrived (at 6:00) to put her mind at ease. When the teacher sat down, she could hear the others indirectly reprimanding him.
As soon as Kim poured the teacher his drink, all the teachers lifted their glasses, shouted “kanpai”, (cheers), and began drinking. The night was going well, everyone finished eating, and Kim was preparing to pour more drinks and engage in conversation. At 8:00pm sharp, everyone stood up, shouted “banzai” to end the evening, and left.
Kim was left wondering about how things went. Was the evening a success or a failure?
Reflection Questions:
- Was the evening a success or a failure? Why or why not? (it’s okay to guess at this point)
- Why does this exploration of ‘thinking’ systems take longer than at the first level of ‘doing’?
Being
Near the bottom of the iceberg, the invisible features become even more difficult, and take much longer to try and figure out. The foundations of culture are found here: assumptions, beliefs, and values (e.g. respect, honesty, integrity, fairness). These elements help define us as individuals, form our identities, and become internalized. They shape our world views and build our perceptions on what is right or wrong, good or bad, accepted and not accepted as we move upward into ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ systems.
Example:
While living and working in Sri Lanka as part of a German development project, Johann had a driver who always called him sir, never chatted during their drives, and would stay in what Johann considered sub-standard ‘driver accommodation’, when they traveled out of the capital. Johann didn’t like this arrangement and tried to build a casual working relationship with the driver. Johann would invite him for lunch or offer to pay for an upgrade to his accommodation. He refused, continued to call him sir, and didn’t engage in conversation.
Johann asked a Sri Lankan colleague about this. She told him that he shouldn’t expect a driver to be his friend, or to join him in a social setting not suited to his level. Johann was angered by this but was reminded by his colleague of the importance of hierarchy in Sri Lankan culture. The funny thing is that Johann’s colleague was a bit annoyed with him for putting his driver on the spot.
While he still didn’t agree with it, Johann realized that he was making his driver uncomfortable by ‘forcing’ him to go against what he knew to be the correct way to do things in his culture.
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