Culture 1 Definitionns and Concepts

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Introduction

This introduction on culture is meant to give an idea of what culture is. Although it is a complex phenomenon, it is not slippery. Ultimately everyone has his or her own idea of culture.

This documents will be followed by up to nine other texts on e.g. national cultures, organisational culture, values, living and working abroad, multicultural society and dealing with cultural differences.

Furthermore, these documents are part of a wider project, enhancing the understanding of culture and learning how to deal with it. The core of this project is the website www.culturalcompetence.eu. The website consists of a mind-map with some 100 labels on culture. Each label contains three icons, one with quotes on the topic in question, one with a summary of the literature and one with a self-study exercise.

This text is based on my fifteen years of teaching on culture at BA and MA level and before that my experience as a diplomat and an international consultant. However, the major source of inspiration consists of the papers of over 1,000 MA students about their experiences with living and working abroad.

This document discusses

1. barriers to studying culture

2. definitions of culture

3. concepts of culture

The choice of the front’s colour is inspired by the colour theory of change management guru De Caluwé. Yellow stands for power oriented organisations and has been chosen here for the power of culture.

Learning about culture is

learning about yourself!

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Culture 1 Definitionns and Concepts

By Pieter

Overview of definitions and concepts of culture.

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