As a student from Hong Kong who is going to study in the United Kingdom, I find that cultural differences are evident in the different beliefs, norms, and values that affect communication and behavior. The unique cultural identity as a person from Hong Kong contributes significantly to behavior and communication with peers and other individuals during day-to-day interactions within the school, at work, and in the neighborhood. Cultural dimensions guide relationships, communications, and behaviors in the presence of others, and upholding them maintains respect and belonging to the cultural identity.
Utilizing Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions separates Hong Kong’s culture into five dimensions: individualism/collectivism, orientation power distance, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 1980). As an individual from Hong Kong, my culture is collectivist. Due to in-group collectivism, I take pride in the accomplishments of my team members and family and view loyalty to the group as more important than individual goals. Hofstede’s dimensions show that Hong Kong is viewed as a long-term orientation culture (Hofstede, 1980). The orientation is evident in my behavior. I have a can-do attitude regardless of the situation or work and value effort, initiative, and urgency in completing tasks. Also, my behavior and communication around individuals with higher status and older than me are respectful. The behavior is due to the high power distance maintained in the culture in Hong Kong where being elderly and having a higher social and economic status is respected. Experience, age, contribution to society, and socioeconomic status are things to be respected, a common part of Hong Kong’s cultural norms.
Besides growing up in Hong Kong, acquiring money and material goods was prevalent. Even after moving to the UK, my behavior is directed towards making money and material gains. The behaviors are related to the high degree of masculine values within Chinese culture in Hong Kong (Hofstede, 1980). Relationships and sensitivity within the culture are upheld; however, acquiring money holds greater importance, even if it means spending less time with family and friends. The Chinese culture in Hong Kong also discourages assertiveness. As such, when elders and people who are more educated and experienced speak, one is expected to be deferent from authority. Deference to authority is a critical aspect of my behavior, whether it is parents, instructors, or managers; when they speak, I keep quiet and listen to them without complaints or trying to assert my ideas and thoughts without being asked.
Consequently, attribution theory explains cultural effects on behavioral consistencies, distinctiveness, and consensus in different situations. My culture emphasizes consistency in behaviors and communication, especially when dealing with elders and respectable individuals who have earned their position in society. Handshakes are quite common in Hong Kong; however, in most cases, a slight bow shows respect before beginning or after ending communication. The behavior is therefore attributed to cultural values and norms, which is part of the cultural identity and, thus, an internal or dispositional attribution (Dean & Koenig, 2019). Other consistencies in communication include not interrupting the host, being punctual, and being patient during negotiations.
However, there is also distinctiveness in behavior based on the situation. For instance, in Chinese culture, titles are expected to be used when referring to people, especially when they are older, more educated, or more successful. Hence, I mostly refer to elders, educators, and others by their titles. However, having moved to the UK, the situation is not the same, and some people tell you to call them by their first name. Hence, the communication behavior of using titles when referring to individuals is distinct and attributed to external situations (Dean & Koenig, 2019). Therefore, in Hong Kong, strict behavior and communication are upheld, but in the UK, it is situational and is guided by the preference of the person being communicated to.
Being from a collective culture, I view groups as cohesive and expect people from similar cultural groups to behave similarly. Collectivists are likely to be more stereotypical of individuals based on their membership in a group (Dean & Koenig, 2019). The situation is true considering my experience with someone not removing their shoe before entering my apartment. I just thought they did it because they belonged to a certain group. However, despite the differences in cultural dimensions between Chinese culture in Hong Kong and UK culture, working in diverse teams is still possible through experience. Surface level diversity, such as age and gender, have not been a problem (Braun et al., 2020). However, deep-level diversity in values and attitudes requires initiative and compromise to secure the team.
References
Braun, M. T., Kozlowski, S. W., Brown, T. A., & DeShon, R. P. (2020). Exploring the dynamic team cohesion–performance and coordination–performance relationships of newly formed teams. Small Group Research, 51(5), 551–580.
Dean, K. K., & Koenig, A. M. (2019). Cross Cultural Differences and Similarities in Attribution. Cross Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives,575–597.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
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