Individual Assignment: Bridging Your Cultural Gap

Rizqi Ghani Faturrahman

29120382
YP64-B
Task 1: Bridging Your Cultural Gap Knowing Yourself Quiz
My score for every statement in knowing yourself quiz:
Relationships
Tendency Score
Individualist 40
Flat Hierarchy 40
Acquired Status 50
Personal 30
Physically Distant 40

Communication
Tendency Score
Low Context 40
Reserved 40
Spoken 50

Time
Tendency Score
Monochronic 40
Patience 40
Long-term 40
Past 40

Truth

Tendency Score
Relative 40
Analytical 40
Empirical 50
 The Meaning of Life

Tendency Score
Choice 50
Risk-averse 40

Presentation Style

Tendency Score
Low-key 40
Short 40
Selective 40
Inform 40
Logical Structure 40

Comparing My Scores with The Manual:

• Relationship
➢ Individualist

Based on the comparison of individual scores with the analysis in the manual I can interpret that I am
an individualist, like the average American, British, and Dutch. I tend to take a personal responsibility
for my career development and focus on my task and take a full responsibility for my action.

➢ Flat Hierarchy

Based on the manual it can be concluded that I am person that like to express opinions in an
organization, if there is one thing that needs to be said, I also tend to always give new ideas in groups
or organizations. In this behavior I fit in the type of Scandinavia and Australia people.

➢ Acquired Status

I chose acquired status and based on the manual it can be concluded that I am a person who always
respects older people and tries to be a good example and mentor for young people, and I believe that
we respect each other in the work environment and in society we will live in prosperity and peace. I
also really believe that the process will not betray the results of every achievement there must be hard
work that must be done.
 ➢ Personal

I chose personal and based on the manual it can be concluded that I tend to have to know the person
that I will do business with because we must assess the character of the person so that we can build a
close relationship and create trust between each other.

➢ Psychically Distant

Based on the manual it can be concluded that I fit in the type of East and South-East Asian cultures
who respects people's privacy and tends to keep my distance so as not to disturb the person too much,
but for those closest to me, I am usually more open and emotionally close.

• Communication
➢ Low Context

Based on the manual it can be concluded that I fit in the type of Americans and Germans people that
tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason and expressing myself
in explicit, concrete, and unequivocal term.

➢ Reserved

Based on the manual it can be concluded that I fit in the type of Japanese and Chinese when discussing
with friends or colleagues I tend to wait and listen to their opinion first before I start talking because I
respect people's arguments.

➢ Spoken

Based on the manual I’m the type of people that think that matters or issues are very important require
direct interaction to be conveyed clearly compared to just writing or social media because there will be
many misunderstandings, and in this behavior, I tend to be like North Europeans people.

• Time
➢ Monochronic

Based on the manual I'm better suited for monochronic culture that tend to be like Germans and Swiss
people, therefore, I prefer to schedule meetings or events in advance, and then try to be punctual,
thoughtful, and inclined to trust the people who can manage their time.
 ➢ Patience

Based in the manual I choose patience because in making decisions I always need time to think about
the right steps and be careful and patience in making decisions, in manuals I tend to be like Spanish
people.

➢ Long-term

Based on the manual I fit in the type of Chinese people who always thinks long-term in making a
strategy or decision, therefore I choose the long-term because by planning a long-term strategy the
results tend to be more effective.

➢ Past

Based on the manual I fit in the type of Japan, India and China people that believe in the traditional
values such as cultures should be respected and viewed as a reference for innovation in future decision-
making.

• Truth
➢ Relative

Based on the manual I choose relative behavior, so I tend to believe that the circumstances dictate the
way people behave, and my loyalty is more to the group. In this behavior I fit in the type of Asian,
African, and Mediterranean people

➢ Analytical

Based on the manual it can be concluded that I’m an analytical person that tend to use my education to
take a factual balanced and logical view in any situation and always believe in a comprehensive and
consistent argument. In this behavior I fit in the type of French, Germans, and Swiss people.

➢ Empirical

I’m an empirical person and based on the manual I’m more believe in concrete experience rather than
theory so when making decision I tend to make decisions based on experience. In this behavior I fit in
the type of German and Swiss people.
• The meaning of life
➢ Choice

Based on the manual I choose choice so that means I believe that I am in charge in my life choices, so
I must take responsibility for what I do and prepare myself the best for the future.

➢ Risk-averse

Based on the manual I tend to be risk-averse person because I usually avoid taking risk because I must
think carefully before I’m making a decision such as the consequences and long-term plan, but I
sometimes take risks if the risk is small and can be avoided but if the risk is too big, I will not take it.

• Presentation
➢ Low-key

Based on the manual I’m a low-key person so I always try to give a factual and balances view of a
presentation. I always try to get the job done and let my achievement speak for themselves. In this
behavior I fit in the type of Swiss and British people

➢ Short

I choose short and based on the manual I like to keep my presentation short and straight to the point
and speak concisely as possible like American and British people.

➢ Selective

I choose selective and based on the manual I tend to select only the key points and avoid clouding my
message with the unnecessary detail so the audience can still understand the message. In this behavior
I fit in the type of Americans and British people.

➢ Inform

Based on the manual I choose inform so it means that I’m a type of person that give detailed and
balanced view of the problem so that the audience can understand and make their own conclusion. In
this behavior I fit in the type of Americans, Italians, and British people.

➢ Logical Structure

I choose logical structure and base on the manual I’m a type of person that appreciate a structure and
an argument that supported by logical assumptions. In this behavior I fit in the type of Americans and
British people.
My Opinion About How to Bridge Cultural Gap:

After doing a comparison of my knowing yourself quiz by reading the manual, I learned that each person’s
behavior in each country is differently influenced by cultural and community factors. Culture and national
identity are very important so when we are traveling to different countries or just hired a diverse team of
skilled worker around the world, we must always be ready to meet and overcome cultural differences and
language barriers. Here are some ways on how to help bridge the gap between culture and create a more
comfortable and diverse environment:

➢ Recognize Culture and individual differences

When we recognize the cultural and individual differences, we can be more aware of the culture and
behavior of different people, by always being aware of differences in each culture we can think about
how these traits might impact on our approach to understanding the differences. By acknowledging
each cultural differences, we become more accepting and appreciative of each person culture and
behavior and to learn that differences are good.

➢ Respect

Respecting the differences in people cultures make it easier for us to build close relationships with
people whose cultures are different from ours. Each Country has its own culture that influences people
behavior so we must always respect cultural differences to be able to bridge cultural gap.

➢ Cultural Acceptance

The ability to learn and interact with people from our own culture and others in a respectful way is
called “cultural acceptance”. Cultural acceptance requires being open to the opinions, ideas, and
experiences of others. This is not to change other to become more like us. Rather it is about exploring
and respecting the differences of others.

➢ Transparent

We must be aware of cultural gaps, being transparent about cultural differences will avoid
misunderstandings and miscommunication. By being transparent we cane be more open to cultural
differences that exist in a group or society and provide a place to actively participate and bring their
opinion in order to create an environment that can provide comfort for all cultures.