The Cross-Cultural Coaching Kaleidoscope: A Systems Approach to Coaching Amongst Different Cultural Influences (The Professional Coaching Series) by Jennifer Plaister-Ten

Author:Jennifer Plaister-Ten [Plaister-Ten, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Karnac Books
Published: 2016-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

The impact of cultural values on the self

A person's values can be restrictive, potentially being the source of limiting core beliefs, (Ellis & Harper, 1997). These can be expressed as culturally mandated imperatives such as “shoulds” and “oughts”. Trilling draws a comparison of culture—when expressed as a custom or mandate—to a prison, suggesting that it “lies like a weight” upon the prison house (1955, p. xiv). Hall argues that, “It is in fact a prison unless one knows that there is a key to unlock it” (1959, p. 182). Furthermore, Hofstede explains that identifying culture-related behaviour is difficult. He states, “It takes a prolonged stay abroad and mixing with other nationals there for us to recognise the numerous and often subtle differences in the ways they and we behave, because that is how our society has programmed us” (2001, p. 18). This is because our cultural values and beliefs are held subconsciously and it can therefore be incumbent on the cross-cultural coach to surface them. According to Hall, “Culture hides more than it reveals and what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants” (1959, p. 29). This means that the coach must be aware of the risk of making assumptions that are made from his own cultural lens. These acknowledgements can provide the coach with fertile ground for exploration as he seeks to raise culturally derived awareness, of both the client and himself.

Yet it was identified in the literature search that there is still relatively little understanding pertaining to the internalisation of culture and the meanings attributed by individuals to cultural values and beliefs (Gilbert & Rosinski, 2008). From awareness, cultural meanings may be explored. Hofstede asserts, “awareness is where it all starts” (2003, p. 230).

Thus it may be perceived from a review of the cultural literature that there are certain tendencies exhibited by people from different cultures, typically translated into cultural norms, which are changing. Furthermore, as individuals we are not always or even often aware of our own cultural influences. Raising these to awareness in the coaching relationship would help.

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