A very accurate summation in my opinion.
Thank you
John
Imre Samu wrote on 5/3/2023 1:03 PM:
Courtney <courtney.william...@gmail.com
<mailto: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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