CD 251 Culture

Questioning authorities is typically done in cultures

Low power distance</txt>
Focus on how to ensure harmonious relationships.</txt>
Which statements below refer to the concept of group
Understand that all group members are equal.</txt>
orientation (collectivist)?
Seek group consensus.</txt>
Prefer fixed rules and regulations</txt>
Which phrases below describe a person from a culture
Easily stressed when unknown situations occur</txt>
with high level of uncertainty avoidance
Employ officers who know all the answers</txt>

Feel comfortable with ambiguous situations and unfamiliar tasks</txt>

Which phrases below describe a person who belongs to a
Tolerate deviant and innovative ideas and behavior</txt>
culture with weak uncertainty avoidance
Understand that teachers may say: "I don’t know"</txt>
Believe in generalists and common sense</txt>

Which statements below pertain to the development of Understand that communication is a two-way process where both
intercultural communication skills parties have a responsibility to develop meaning together.</txt>
Develop a common language.</txt>

A rating has observed a problem in the engine room. He

knows that it is a safety risk, which should be dealt with.
High power distance</txt>
However, in order to find a solution, he needs to involve
his superior officer. The only problem is that he is afraid
of the officer's response, so he decides not to say
anything. What cultural orientation does he manifest
Group orientation</txt>

An officer is talking to a group of ratings about a safety

problem on deck. It is usually the officer who is doing the High power distance</txt>
talking and trying to come up with solutions. He brought
out a solution coming from one of the ratings. In his
mind, he disagrees because the one who suggested was Group orientation</txt>
“only” a rating. What cultural orientation does he
manifest?</

His strong need for uncertainty avoidance</txt>

Conduct meetings or dialogues.</txt>
You are an officer onboard a container vessel with a
number of new crewmembers. How would you show good Ask open-ended questions such as: 'What would you suggest to do?'
intercultural communication skills towards your
subordinates?</ Involve them in the decision-making process. Start slowly and don’t
expect them to show much initiative at once.</txt>
Feel comfortable working with other cultures and do not get frustrated
when you encounter annoying behavior.</txt>
Adaptability is important in developing intercultural
Be able to understand and accept the reality that there are othrt way fo
competencies. Which statements below explain the
doing things
concept of adaptability?</txt>
Be ready with frustrating experiences you encounter in the process
before you could understand another culture.</txt>

In order to develop intercultural competencies, it is

important for you to first assess and develop your Be honest about your attitudes and be able improve them.</txt>
personal attitudes. Which statements below explain this
principle?</
Show a non-discriminating attitude.</txt>
To be able to understand the term culture, it is important to understand the meaning of the word – how do we define it and wha
us. However, before we give the answer, we would like to hear your perception of the word culture. Answer the questions below
we share the same perception.</txt>
Culture influences our idea of what is polite or impolite.</txt>
It is always easy to tell the difference between the various cultures.</txt>
Culture models our individual perception of what is right and wrong.</txt>
Culture means that a number of people share a number of common habits, ways of living, or rituals.</txt>
A country’s architecture, clothing, art, products, or rituals are never influenced by its culture.</txt>
The way we communicate with each other is heavily influenced by our national culture.</txt>
Safety onboard a ship is never influenced by our national culture.</txt>
When we experience other cultures, we get very irritated and provoked.</

Which safety behavioral headlines below do you believe are influenced by our cultural background?</txt>
Professional and personal skills</txt>
Ability to communicate</txt>
Sharing information</txt>
Group roles and duties</txt>
The way we manage time</txt>
Assertiveness</txt>
The way we learn from our mistakes</txt>
Our ability to cooperate</txt>

Which behavioral characteristics below are manifested in low power distance culture?</txt>
Parents treat children as equals.</txt>
Children treat parents as equals.</txt>
Teachers expect initiatives from students in class.</txt>
Students treat teachers as equals.</txt>
Parents treat children as non-equals.</txt>
Teachers are expected to take all initiatives in class.</txt>
Students treat teachers with respect.</txt>
Centralization is popular.<

Which behavioral characteristics below are manifested in high power distance culture?</txt>
Privileges and status symbols for managers are both expected and popular.</txt>
The ideal boss is an autocrat or good father.</txt>
Subordinates expect to be told what to do.</txt>
Wide salary range between top and bottom of the organization.</txt>
Decentralization is popular.</txt>
Narrow salary range between top and bottom of the organization.</txt>
Subordinates expect to be consulted.</txt>
The ideal boss is a resourceful democrat

Which behavioral characteristics below are classified under collectivism?</txt>

Harmony should be maintained and direct confrontation should be avoided.</txt>
Trespassing leads to shame and loss of face for the individual and group.</txt>
Collective interests prevail over individual interests.</txt>
People are born in extended families or other in-groups, which continue to protect them in exchange for loyalty.</txt>
Speaking one’s mind is a characteristic of an honest person.</txt>
Trespassing leads to guilt and loss of self-respect.</txt>
Everyone grows up to look after his immediate family only.</txt>
Individual interests prevail over collective interests

Which behavioral characteristics below are classified under individualism?</txt>

Employee-employer relationship is supposed to be based on mutual advantage.</txt>
Everyone has the right to privacy.</txt>
Everybody is expected to have a personal opinion on certain matters.</txt>
Laws and rights are supposed to be applied to all.</txt>
Employee-employer relationship is linked with family relationship.</txt>
Group(s) intrudes private life.</txt>
Opinions are predetermined by the group.</txt>
Collective interests prevail over individual interests.</txt

Which behavioral characteristics below are classified under strong uncertainty avoidance?</txt>
Acceptance of familiar risks, fear of ambiguous situations and unfamiliar risks</txt>
Students are comfortable with structured learning situations and appreciate right and wrong answers.</txt>
Teachers are supposed to have ready answers to any question.</txt>
Need for rules, even if these will never work</txt>
Comfortable with ambiguous situations and unfamiliar risks</txt>
Students are comfortable with open-ended learning situations and appreciate good discussions.</txt>
Teachers may say: “I don’t know”.</txt>
There should not be too many rules, and the rules that exist must only be those considered necessary.</txt

Which behavioral characteristics listed below are classified under weak uncertainty avoidance?</txt>
Suppression of deviant ideas and behavior, resistance to innovation</txt>
Citizen incompetence versus authorities</txt>
Belief in experts and specialization</txt>
Opponents cannot be personal friends</txt>
Tolerance of deviant and innovative ideas and behavior</txt>
Citizen competence versus authorities</txt>
Belief in generalists and common sense</txt>
Opponents can be personal friends

While addressing questions concerning onboard safety risks, the Captain was able to learn and understand how it was like work
from high power distance culture. Which statements below pertain to the Captain's experience?</txt>
Everything he said was accepted and agreed upon.</txt>
At one point, the Captain said something which he realized later on to be wrong, but no one corrected him.</txt>
The meeting was short.</txt>
The Captain did not experience much initiative from crewmembers.</txt>
Everybody wanted to express his opinion.</txt>
The crew often disagreed and questioned the Captain’s opinion.</txt>
The meeting lasted for a long time.</txt>
The Captain left with a lot of new ideas gathered from crewmembers.</txt>

After the meeting, the Captain called the 1st officer coming from a high power distance culture to discuss the matter. What do y
Captain might have said to the 1st Officer?</txt>
The Captain would like the crew to become more assertive when discussing safety problems.</txt>
That the opinion of the crewmembers is as important as his own</txt>
That he expects all crewmembers to show initiative and not just wait for orders to be given</txt>
Safety concerns all crewmembers; therefore, it is everybody’s responsibility.</txt>
That he will be hoping for more inputs in the next safety meeting</txt>
The Captain informs the 1st Officer that he appreciates the way the crew accepts and acknowledges his opinion. </txt>
That the Captain expects complete loyalty from crewmembers</txt>
Safety is the responsibility of the Captain; therefore, everybody has to listen to his opinion and not question it. <

While addressing a spillage risk during the bunker operations, the Captain was able to learn and understand how it was like wo
from a collectivist culture. Which statements below pertain to the Captain's experience?</txt>

The AB, who experienced the situation and knew that his colleague didn’t follow procedures, did not say what really happened.<

Only the Bosun or 2nd Officer said something.</txt>

The Bosun spoke on behalf of the ABs.</txt>

The best way to give corrective feedback to an AB from a collectivistic culture is to do it away from other crewmembers.</txt>

Everybody wanted to give his opinion.</txt>

It was primarily the AB who made a mistake while doing all the talking.</txt>

The AB told the Captain that it was unnecessary to waste the time of other crewmembers, and so they decided to discuss the incident on thei

The Captain experienced a lot of initiatives from the AB who made the mistake.</txt>

During the meeting, the Captain found it difficult to get a clear answer from the group on what happened. He called the Chief En
from a collectivist culture to seek advice. What advice do you think the Chief Engineer will give the Captain?</txt>

Explain the procedure to all crewmembers involved in the incident.</txt>

Initially, discuss the matter with the 2nd officer.</txt>
At first, deal with the matter discretely to avoid embarrassing the person(s) involved.</txt>

If the Captain wants to give the AB a corrective feedback or warning, the best thing to do is to discuss the matter with him discr

To continue what the Captain was doing</txt>

Get angry and force crewmembers to speak up.</txt>
Call a meeting and ask each crewmember about his opinion.</txt>
Make sure the group understands that the Captain is angry with the AB who made the mistake