Gospel & Culture: Dr. Pothana's Teaching

1. COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies, Hyderabad
Gospel & Culture
Dr. Pothana

2. Indian Cultural Values &
Communication

3. Cultural Values
Collectivist
 Identifies self within a
more important
group(s)
 Group decision
making
 Individual praise is
uncomfortable even
shameful
 Group welfare is goal
Individualistic
• Privacy valued
• Competition valued
• Individuals praised
• Loyalty to self
vs
How team work is approached, how
life decisions are made (whom to marry, which school to
attend, where to live?), how view of self is influenced, when/how individuals
lose face/are shamed

4. Polychronic
 Relationships and
spontaneity are
drivers of one’s time
Monochronic
• “Time is money”
• Punctual
• Values time,
appointments, or
productivity over
people
When a guest arrives at a host’s house for
dinner/party, when to arrive at a meeting, how
emergencies are handled and what constitutes
an emergency; how much “small talk” takes place at the
beginning
of a conversation
vs

5. Direct
Communication
 One means what one
says
 Do not keep one’s
feelings to oneself
(positive or negative)
 Little guessing of
another’s meaning
Indirect Communication
• What is said is not
necessarily what one
means
• One must infer
meaning
• Saving face is valued
• Third party/liaison
used to communicate
information
vs
How a manager motivates or enables change within the work place; how
to correct someone; how to say “no”; how to communicate bad news

6. Low Power Distance
 People are more or
less equal or
deserve to be
treated equally
High Power Distance
• Rigid hierarchies
• Status matters
Application: Degree of formality or informality that is easily
established within the workplace, classroom, etc.; when to
address someone by first name; how to greet another person
vs

7. Low Uncertainty
Avoidance
 Comfortable with risk
 Differences among
individuals and
groups more easily
tolerated
 Less
regulation/control
over life’s situations
High Uncertainty Avoidance
• Risk averse
• Differences within or
outside groups not easily
tolerated
•Conformity is comfortable
vs
Application: How one views
people/positions of authority; how many
times one asks/rephrases a question; how
readily someone accepts something as
“fact”; how quickly one tolerates outsiders
or situations that challenge the status quo;
loyalty to tradition vs desire for innovation

8.  “Indian time” vs “American time”
 Many are native English speakers (British)
 Defined gender roles
 Highly bureaucratic system of government
 Hierarchical; Status matters
 Body language
 May not say “no” directly; need to infer
 Titles are important
 Less touching among people, especially
between genders
Indian Value and Communication
Styles