[OSM-talk] Intercultural differences / cultural diversity / OSM communication behaviors

Wed May 3 18:07:21 UTC 2023

A very accurate summation in my opinion.

Thank you

John

Imre Samu wrote on 5/3/2023 1:03 PM:
> Courtney <courtney.williamson at gmail.com 
> <mailto:courtney.williamson at gmail.com>> ezt írta (időpont: 2023. ápr. 
> 30., V, 19:06):
>
>     This conversation has opened up important new questions.  Why is
>     the main "Talk" channel the only one that is producing pushback?
>     Why is it the only one that is producing such a negative tone? 
>
>
> Hi Courtney,
>
> I think it's important to mention the problems arising from 
> *intercultural differences*
> in your SOTM US - OSM Communication Presentation, as the OSM community 
> currently struggles with misunderstandings between different cultural 
> groups.
>
> Although the "OSM Diversity Statement" has been accepted, its 
> practical implementation isn't fully successful yet. *Ethnocentric 
> attitudes* need to be addressed, and we must be more open to other 
> cultures. However, this is easier said than done.
>
> IMHO:
> Most conflicts within the OSM community and on the OSM-Talk mailing 
> list are due to *intercultural differences,* and there's no current 
> mediation or conflict resolution in place. It might be helpful to have 
> "intercultural mediators" who can bridge the gap between cultures and 
> help understand other cultural groups.
>
> I mainly notice the clash between American and EU/German cultures, but 
> other cultural conflicts are likely as well.
>
> Probably the EU/German OSM community needs to learn how to wrap their 
> raw, honest messages in a sugar coating, making it more palatable for 
> those with an American cultural background. Conversely, the American 
> community should strive to be less sensitive towards differing norms 
> from other cultural communities, embracing the deep-level diversity 
> that comes with global collaboration. ( [1], [2]  )
>
> Unfortunately, the current OSM Etiquette Guidelines [ 
> https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Etiquette/Etiquette_Guidelines ]  
> do not provide much assistance in understanding and resolving 
> intercultural issues. To improve the guidelines, it would be 
> beneficial to incorporate information on intercultural communication 
> and provide resources to help community members navigate these 
> challenges effectively. This would promote a more inclusive and 
> harmonious environment within the OSM community.
>
> In addition to this, new OSM community members should be prepared for 
> the potential culture shock they may encounter, especially those who 
> come from a top-down corporate environment. It's important to remember 
> that OpenStreetMap is characterized by a bazaar-style, bottom-up 
> communication approach, which may be an adjustment for some. Embracing 
> this unique aspect of the community will help newcomers adapt and 
> thrive in the OSM environment.
>
> In fact, this is a big topic, and when I consider the OSM community 
> problems from the past few years through the viewpoint of cultural 
> differences, it gives me a good understanding of the reasons.
>
> Generally, the OSM Talks mailing list is characterized by *"deep-level 
> diversity," and as a result, more productive conflicts are expected 
> than usual,* which is normal based on some diversity research [3]. 
> This means that diverse perspectives and experiences can lead to more 
> engaging discussions and ultimately result in innovative solutions and 
> ideas for the community.
>
> I would be curious about others' opinions as well. To what extent can 
> cultural diversity be a problem? And how can we alleviate conflicts 
> and amplify the advantages arising from cultural differences?
>
>
>
> contexts:
> [1]
> /""According to Hofstede, a typical conversation in a German cultural 
> context is characterized by a large degree of honesty, even if it hurts./
> /Consequently, Germans are perceived to be among the most direct 
> communicators in the world (Yin, 2002).
> Presumably, the strategy “be honest even if it hurts” offers the other 
> party the opportunity to understand and learn from possible mistakes.
> In a qualitative study, Yin (2002) explored the concept of  German 
> wahrheit (truth), in terms of a German standard for communicating in 
> public.
> She describes wahrheit as expressions of an individual’s personal 
> opinions, using the first pronoun: “The wahrheit can be displayed in a 
> manner that implicitly or explicitly indicates the rightness of one’s 
> own opinion. In public talk, as one German informant put it, ‘Telling 
> the wahrheit hurts a little bit, but it’s okay’” (Yin, 2002, p. 249).  
> As a result, frank and forthright discussion with open disagreement 
> for the sake of the discussion is preferred" Indeed, not directly 
> telling the wahrheit was perceived as hiding personal opinions or 
> lying by the German participants in Yin’s (2002) study.
> ...
> Additionally, Yin’s (2002) findings suggest that German and 
> U.S.-American meetings might differ in terms of the frequency of 
> counteractive meeting behaviors. Her finding that Germans were more 
> outspoken, cared particularly for telling the honest truth (even if it 
> hurts), and expected others to do so as well, could imply a higher 
> tendency to show counteractive behavior. For example, complaining as 
> one type of counteractive behavior can also be an expression of honest 
> criticism of the current situation. Similarly, complaining can be used 
> as a means to “vent” about the current situation of a team (cf. 
> Lehmann-Willenbrock & Kauffeld, 2010). We argue that these behaviors 
> will only occur if they are socially acceptable. According to Yin 
> (2002), open and honest criticism is far more likely among Germans 
> compared to U.S.-Americans.
> """/
> Observing Culture: Differences in U.S.-American and German Team 
> Meeting Behaviors
> March 2014 Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 17(2):252-271
> DOI:10.1177/1368430213497066
> read more:
> https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260425358_Observing_Culture_Differences_in_US-American_and_German_Team_Meeting_Behaviors
>
>
> [2.]
> /"Generally speaking, Americans do not like to directly disagree with 
> another person. They are more harmonious in negotiating and like to 
> find a “Win-Win” solution. Therefore, Americans don’t usually use the 
> word “No”. When disagreeing they may say, “I see your point, however 
> you might want to consider…” or “Additionally, I would add…” or 
>  “Perhaps we might want to look at this way…”/
> /
> /
> /Germans prefer to debate a point to find the best option, and this 
> debate can be quite direct, and even hurtful for Americans. When 
> Germans disagree they will start a sentence with, “No, I think…” or 
> directly say, “I disagree.” Or even, ‘That idea doesn’t make any sense.’
>
> /
> /Americans interpret “No” as a blocking the conversation. It ends the 
> conversation for them. As well as seeing it as rude and potentially 
> harming the relationship. Germans interpret someone agreeing all the 
> time as weak and not able to make a good point. “No” for Germans is 
> making a good argument by offering another idea. But it does not 
> necessarily mean they have made up their mind in a final manner. 
> Additionally, the American subtle (positive) way of disagreeing is 
> misunderstood by Germans and they can walk out of a meeting thinking 
> they have agreement when they don’t.
>
> /
> /Another word that is different is “problem”. Germans use problem to 
> describe any issue, concern, worry, difficulty, and obstacle or 
> possible mistake. To an American’s ears everything is a problem to 
> Germans and again they interpret this as a block to a solution. The 
> word “problem” for an American is usually a crisis. It is something 
> that may not be easily solvable. For a German a problem is something 
> that can most likely be solved. It does not sound as negative to a 
> German as to an American. Americans use “issue”, “concern”, 
> “challenge”, or “opportunity” for the word “problem”. And in turn, 
> these words may be confusing to the German who again may think there 
> isn’t a problem."/
> /
> /
> read more: 
> https://blogs.sap.com/2006/07/24/german-american-cooperation-unexpected-cultural-differences/
>
> [3.]
> "Team creativity/innovation in culturally diverse teams: A meta-analysis"
> First published: 27 February 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2362
> PDF: https://gwern.net/doc/sociology/technology/2019-wang.pdf
> /"This meta-analysis investigates the direction and strength of the 
> relationship between diversity in culturally diverse teams and team 
> creativity/innovation. We distinguish the effects of two diversity 
> levels (i.e., surface level vs. deep level) in culturally diverse 
> teams and examine the moderators suggested by the socio-technical 
> systems framework (i.e., team virtuality and task characteristics in 
> terms of task interdependence, complexity, and intellectiveness)...."/
>
> Best regards,
>   Imre
> From the Hungarian culture, which might be closer to the German 
> culture than the American one.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> talk mailing list
> talk at openstreetmap.org
> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk

-- 
Sent from Postbox <https://www.postbox-inc.com>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/attachments/20230503/2a7fd024/attachment-0001.htm>