The peach and the coconut
Several weeks ago I introduced the notion of dimensions of culture, and took a look at the system of dimensions devised by Geert Hofstede. Others have devised other systems. One of the most famous of these is the "seven-dimension" system created by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner. Today we're taking a look at one of these seven dimensions, because it aims to encapsulate the spirit of the "Layer 3" issues I wrote about yesterday and last week.
The dimension is called "specific" versus "diffuse," with Americans toward the "specific" side and Chinese toward the "diffuse" side. The metaphor of a peach versus a coconut helps explain the dimension.
Think of a peach. Its soft flesh makes it easy to cut into and to separate into "specific" areas. This is meant to capture two things. First, that it's easy to make entry into the life of someone from a "specific" culture — though not too deeply, as you'll soon run into the pit. Second, that people from "specific" cultures tend to have many distinct groups of people that they do different things with, with some but overall little overlap: your golf buddies, the people you work with, etc. Americans, as "specific" people, thus end up having relatively superficial relationships with a large number of people — just as Francis Hsu and Fei Xiaotong noted about America.
The "diffuse" coconut is hard to crack. Once you're in, though, you're in everywhere. Diffuse cultures tend to mix business and personal. If you're in my in-group, you're in my in-group, period, regardless whether the relationship began as a work relationship or as a personal relationship. Relationships are hard to get going, but once they're going, they go deep — just as Francis Hsu and Fei Xiaotong noted about China.
If you're an American in China, and if you're not prepared for these differences, you're liable to make serious missteps. The divide between "business" and "personal" that we like to keep hermetic in the U.S. is much more porous in China. You will find yourself being invited to social functions that might not seem appropriate for business. Remembering that China is "diffuse," and that your Americanness has trained you to be "specific," can help you overcome your automatic resistance to such affairs, and help you succeed in China.
As with any of these dimensions, we shouldn't take them too seriously by themselves. They're best thought of as useful guidelines that capture high-level differences among cultures.