Intercultural communication is innate in my life. Inside of me are Finnish, American and Ecuadorian programmings that live in a mysterious but integrated symbiosis. Often their impulses go unnoticed by my cultural-identification radar, so intrinsic are they. But once in a while, like today, I get into a pondering zone, provoked by this
entertaining ted talk on the subject by Pellegrino Riccardi.
I was entertained by the speaker's description of queueing in different countries. Picture a line at the check-out of a store. When a new line opens up, what do the people in line do? In the UK, the first four people in line stay in line, while the rest move--in the same original order--to the newly opened cash register. In Norway, it is a free-for-all when a new cash register opens. It's first come first served. Why do the Norwegians run for it? Because equality means that everyone has the same chance at it. And equality is a value ingrained in Norwegians.
The same thing actually happens in Finland. Equality is a core value, and anyone has the chance to go to a newly opened register if they get there first, (although perhaps the Finns would be a bit slower than the Norwegians as they consider whether staying in line is a more effective choice while others run. Staying = quicker = get out faster = get more done = effectiveness, value). But as I conversed about this idea with my sister, she mentioned the same behavior in Israel. The same thing happens there as in Norway, but it's not because they believe in equality. Their reason is much more instinctual. It's survival. In uncertain times and circumstances, you have to look to your own survival, so they will go for it to make sure they get what they need, lest they should be left without.
In Ecuador we had queues, I'm sure. But I most frequently think back to the lost baggage desk at the airport. There I was, second in line, when suddenly a surge of other passengers engulfed me, and they didn't queue. They surrounded me and went up to the desk trying to elbow their way to the front to get their lost luggage dealt with. I was shocked (having just arrived from Finland, where we dutifully queue). And I began to feel fearful that I would never get my chance to make a claim about my luggage, and I suddenly got the same urge to push to the front. I think the reason behind this Ecuadorian elbow technique might be that they don't trust the system (prone to corruption) to give them a fair chance, so they will fight for their place.
Anyway, ponderings. Finding the values driving behavior is an interesting exercise in intercultural understanding and communication. Perceptions change when depth is added.
