Blog Posts tagged with "culture"
When Cultures Collide
Let’s face it: in this complex world, we can’t always all “just get along.”
Often, friction is the result of cultural collisions – disagreements stemming from differences in fundamental belief systems, well established processes, and patterns of execution.
To take an example that often pops up in the United States, we sometimes encounter cultural differences between 3 key interagency actors: the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. But since success in the 21st century security environment is dependent on the “3D” approach (Diplomacy, Development, and Defense), it is imperative that we develop means to overcome any cultural divides that may arise from institutional paradigms and pre-existing “turf” boundaries – factors that can affect countries’ relationships just as much as agencies.
I began trying aggressively to bridge such cultural divides at my previous job as Commander of U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida. I’ve continued efforts to resolve cultural differences at U.S. European Command and as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO.
Over time, I’ve identified a handful of techniques I think are helpful in resolving these kinds of differences. The following techniques apply not only in interagency divisions, but also more broadly in the international arena as we seek creative solutions to complex challenges to 21st century security.
- Learn the Language. For relations between nations, this simply means we should all be studying each other’s languages. To know another language is to understand another life. Similarly, within the interagency, every organization has its own set of key words, phrases, and sayings. Knowing what a partner means when they speak is invaluable.
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Read the History. In both the international and the interagency realm, take the time to really develop a deep understanding of those across the historical divide. See my reading list here.
SACEUR, Admiral James Stavridis talks to French troops during a visit to FOB Morales-Frazier, ISAF, Afghanistan. Image by SGT Sebastian Kelm (DEU Army)
- Know the Heroes. Nations and organizations have heroes. Who are they? Know theirstories and you’ll know another nation or organization well.
- Meet the People. Personal contact trumps everything. Sending all the well meaning emails and posting messages can be helpful, but knowing your partners’ key players as people is essential.
- Communicate Constantly. Use every vehicle imaginable – from letters of congratulations to postings on web-sites, to weekly updates, to targeted communication – to let your partners know clearly and transparently what you are thinking. And above all, be sure to demonstrate that you are listening.
- Expand the Problem. Letting other actors into the mix in contentious situations, while undeniably complicating the situation, can often shake the system and unlock disagreements.
- Share Credit Lavishly. Everyone likes to get credit. Colin Powell said once, “You can get anything done in Washington if you’re willing to not get credit.” This is a good philosophy within the interagency and in the international arena.
- Disagree without being Disagreeable. People tend to take things personally when culture is involved. Keep your differences at the academic and professional level and check your ego at the door. Never make a disagreement personal.
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No Drama. When working across cultures, turn down both the highs and lows, and keep it cool. What motivates in one culture can be a “turn off” in another.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ray Hensley, a loadmaster with the 86th Operations Group, speaks with an Israeli after helping to deliver fire retardant to Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 4, in response to wildfires near Haifa, Israel. EUCOM routinely provides foreign humanitarian assistance in response to crises in the region in the same manner as other regional partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Wilson)
- Find a Common Problem to Solve. When two or three potential partners – interagency or international – can agree on something that is not working, this can often be a bridge.
- When on Death Ground, Fight. It is important to get along and connect, but in the course of doing so, protecting what is essential in your culture is important. There should be few redlines, but those that exist must be vigorously defended.
- Build the Right Organization. There is more than one way to organize, and if the goal is good intercultural partnership, creating special nodes on a staff (for example, a J-9 for interagency or a J-10 for private-public partnering on a military staff) can help. Having liaisons from partners at a high level with real authority (not just parked in a meaningless staff element way down the food chain) can likewise help.
If you have other ideas on how to bridge cultural divides, I’d love to hear them! We’re working hard at U.S. European Command to reach across the cultural divide to State, USAID, and other interagency partners at our level. We’ll continue to work on this internationally, as well. And of course our work at SHAPE is grounded in building common frameworks within the Alliance. The challenges of this turbulent and dynamic 21st century demand it.
Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Find more blog posts tagged with:
- Department of Defense
- department of state
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- development
- culture
- diplomacy
- Interagency
- defense
- allies
- beliefs
- NATO
- USAID
The Road Ahead
I had an experience last week I never expected when I began my naval career in the 1970s during the Cold War period: a four-day visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg, hosted by the Russian Chief of Defense.
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The Importance of Culture
As I mentioned in my vlog last week I was in Bergen, Norway during my official co-hosting duties with the Norwegian Chief of Defense, General Harald Sunde, for the Northern European Chief of Defense (CHOD) Conference. As "The Fjord Capital of Norway", Bergen is often described as "a city with its feet in the sea, its head in the skies, and its heart in the right place." What I didn't mention in the vlog is I found myself in a situation that affected my head and heart before the conference had even begun.
Comments: 7
ADM Stavradis, Thank you for sharing your collected wisdom. Your book Destroyer Captain was passed down to me by my grandfather, a World War II destroyer commander himself, and I read it with great interest. This post is of the same caliber as your book, and imparts knowledge with the same ease. As you note, the U.S. has at its disposal words (diplomacy), weapons (defense) and kindness (development). Each tool on its own is very powerful, but can only be effective in a certain manner at a certain time. It is intuitive to understand that with a combination of the three, the whole could be greater than the sum of the parts. But one has to expand the thinking beyond the basic equation to understand what you are saying here: the three tools don't just automatically cohere. If used together without planning and preparation, they may in fact be counterproductive. Your techniques help ensure that cooperation is in fact productive. Thank you for embracing social media with such passion so that we can share in your learning process. V/R
Admiral, I believe your 12 points provide a concise, to the point summary of what it takes to develop critical overseas partnerships in the forward deployed military environment. There are 2 points that I would like to add sir, if I may. 13. Empathize. Seek not just to be aware of a potential partner's view of a situation, rather seek to actually understand and place yourself in your counterpart's shoes. This way both partners will be able to better tackle the issues at hand as a partnership of equals. 14. Be creative. Ingenuity is an integral part of American culture. Don't be afraid to think outside the box when developing solutions, especially when faced with constraints in budget, capacity or capability. A philosophy of mine when I worked at the US MILGRP in Colombia back in 2007 was "What works for us might not work for you". I advised the Colombian Military on FMS/FMF purchases, training availability, etc. on a daily basis. Some of my advice was very frank: "This equipment/system/training, in my opinion, is beyond the current capability of your forces." But I would then dedicate 100% of my efforts to finding a suitable solution within the scope of COLNAV's budget and force capability. To this day, 4 years after my IA there, I remain good friends with the officers I worked side by side with while at the Colombian Ministry of Defense. Thank you for the very informative post sir. I'm going to print this out and distribute it to our country desk officers on staff. Very Respectfully, LCDR Daniel Betancourt Fleet Readiness Officer U.S. SEVENTH Fleet
Sir: Extremely valuable techniques, succinctly stated and I'll share them with future working teams. I'll add two more: - Develop win/win proposals. Analyze organizational goals and use your knowledge of the culture, language and people to shape and articulate creative proposals that resonate with the organization and individual players. In other words, “put yourself in the other guy’s shoes.” - Engage strategically. Recognize that Senior Leaders are expected, at times, to defend specific organizational goals ("turf") and the resulting bureaucratic tension ensures appropriate checks and balances within the Executive Branch. Accordingly, identify the key managers that shape their boss's engagements and decisions and make them allies in ensuring a solution is prioritized higher than defending turf. vr, sw
These are great to have specified. I pasted this in Word and saved to my computer, and may find a place for the 12 with credit to you on my LinkedIn page if you have no objection. Would be interested in more specifics in the future, such as regarding the interagency and intercultural range of expectations for obedience to authority, which runs from rubbing elbows to blind obedience. You may already be aware that this was a serious issue among air traffic controllers and commercial pilots, until FAA increased the focus after a Colombian pilot ran out of fuel following his culture's customary restraint from contradicting authority, in this case the controller's order to circle. Sense of urgency among agencies and cultures must also vary widely. Perhaps these specifics both relate to #9 and #11 in general? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and missions so freely.
This pretty much nails it in a nice succinct, Navy way, Admiral. More please, more!
What you so ably describe can be characterized as "relationship building", and it takes time. So frequently our time horizons are short. Human relations is non linear. Trust is established over a length of time. Consequently our thinking, especially related to strategic depth, benefits from a long view and policy designs which anticipate the future.
Could not agree more with you on Item #1, Sir. When I was in Stuttgart I taught myself as much German as possible. Once you start thinking in the language, it helps better with insight into the citizens of the nation and the social/cultural constructs. It also helps to one to understand how to socialize in a respectful manner and look at ideas/beliefs in a different light than before. I still to this day work on bettering my German and have dusted my Spanish back off because I now get how important it is to be multi-lingual in today's world. Eventually as I get proficient in those, I'd like to progress into French and Italian. With regards to the second part of Item #1, we in DOD need to be able to communicate with our State and USAID colleagues more efficiently than we do. The "Whole of Government" approach is dependent upon us all being able to understand each other's vocabulary and culture; otherwise, we will not achieve the level of success in a timely and efficient manner that we would've otherwise had we taken the time to learn how to speak better with each other. Excellent post, Sir. Frohe Feiertage, Joyeuses Fêtes, Felices Fiestas, Happy Holidays!