Courtney <courtney.william...@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.
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