In this article, we will look at Culture Types - What it is and how it affects us, along with Elements, Levels, and Examples. Culture is a complex concept, and it is easy to misunderstand if you don't understand what it means to be part of a particular culture.
What is Culture?
In human life, every person internalizes a culture, including the patterns of thought and behavior that determine what a person does or says. The culture we grow up with determines the outer limits of our actions.
For example, the mental programming we develop as adolescents is similar to programming a computer. Different cultures will have different interpretations of the same situations. So how do we define culture? Let's explore some common definitions of culture and how they influence behaviors on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. For enhancing your social media presence, consider using SocialWick for followers, likes, viewers, and subscribers.
Culture is a shared set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that teach us proper behavior and perspectives. It is formed by people learning from each other over time, resulting in unique cultures that can be a product of evolution or human adaptation.
Culture is behavior patterns in society that act as norms. People adapt to their environment to define their culture.
Examples
The examples of a culture that are most readily identifiable are customs, traditions, and social standards. Other cultural examples include religious and traditional practices.
Cultural symbols reflect shared experiences and beliefs, shaping a group's identity. They encompass various types of cultures, blending facts and fiction to represent traditions and ethics.
For example, a traditional culture may have rituals and ceremonies that mark a particular milestone in a person's life, such as marriage and childbirth. Similarly, a cultural holiday may be a common example of a symbolic element.
Glocalization is when global and local cultures merge to create a unique third culture. For instance, the Metis people of Canada blend Indigenous and European cultures to form distinct dance, food, and traditions. Similarly, Santeria in Latin America combines Indigenous spirituality with Catholicism.
Elements of Culture
Source: CrashCourse
Culture encompasses social practices, values, norms, symbols, and language that influence people's lives. S7 and PS2 explore civic life, politics, and economic systems. Students can create forms to assess culture personally and as a group.
Students analyze elements to define culture based on life experiences. Beliefs shape cultural norms; Japanese prioritize social harmony and avoid conflict.
Christians, on the other hand, wear a cross or a cotton thread around their neck. All of these aspects form a society's nature. Without a clear understanding of these factors, marketers can make disastrous decisions.
Cultural Levels
There are three levels of culture: artifacts, beliefs, and assumptions.
- Artifacts are tangible items, like ping pong tables, free lunches, and office layout, while beliefs are more abstract concepts.Â
- Beliefs include things the company says it believes, such as its mission statement or code of conduct. These ideas are often a talk during all-staff meetings.Â
- Similarly, assumptions are the underlying assumptions that employees don't necessarily recognize. The third level of culture involves the inner values and beliefs of the individual employees within the organization.
Subcultures are smaller groups within a country sharing cultural traits, often with regional differences. They have unique symbols and traditions, setting them apart from larger cultures and creating a distinct identity.
Types of Culture
People differ widely in their ideas about what is culture. They define culture as learned collective behavior that differs from instinctive behavior. Culture includes ideas, beliefs, and practices passed down through generations.
Popular culture reflects the shared attitudes and practices of a large group of people. It is influenced by the organization's environment, management style, and employee beliefs.
In a typical competitive culture, employees follow a strict hierarchy and focus on building relationships with external parties to gain competitive advantages. Another type is collaborative.
This kind of culture emphasizes working together as a team and being supportive of one another. Different types of cultures illustrate how different people define and experience the culture. What are some examples of popular culture? Check them out!
Societal Culture
Society's culture affects leadership and organizational evolution, influencing leaders' behavior and their ability to achieve goals.
In the world today, societal culture plays a crucial role, and the effectiveness of contemporary leaders will depend on how they deal with it. This article will explore the different aspects of societal culture and how it affects organizations and states.
Societal cultures are usually classified according to their degree of dominance in a group. These cultures can be either homogeneous or heterogeneous, with the former being the more predominant and having a unified set of cultural beliefs.
Some societies are homogenous, while others are diverse. Here are examples of cultures in various environments. To understand cultural differences, examine the characteristics of each culture.
Organizational Culture
Source: Steelcase
An organization's culture consists of shared beliefs, values, traditions, and practices common across all members. These beliefs are expressed in the members' self-images, behaviors, and interactions with the outside world.
It is often difficult to change an organization's culture, which contains patterns of assumptions and behaviors that are shared by all members. They can also be unconscious, making them difficult to measure and analyze.
Organizational culture is crucial for understanding an organization's dynamics and working conditions. Different types of cultures exist, with visible culture demonstrated through language, customs, and traditions.
Orthogonal culture aligns with dominant values, while countercultures oppose them and often clash with core organizational beliefs. Understanding organizational culture requires recognizing its continual evolution, influenced by incentives like rewards, punishments, and promotions.
Functional Culture
A functional culture is a way people interact with one another and their environment. This is in contrast to passive and defensive cultures, which encourage members to engage with others in ways that don't threaten their own security.
In aggressive cultures, force is favored in tasks, often represented by Roman buildings. Differences between these cultures include approach, representation, and values. Let's delve into each. Consider the significance of each.
Performance-oriented cultures tend to generate higher financial growth, have high employee involvement, and encourage healthy risk-taking. Performance-oriented cultures also emphasize the growth of their industry and technology.
A functional culture aims to achieve optimal results for the company and shareholders by analyzing current culture, setting future goals, and promoting employee retention.
Conclusion
Different cultures exist in the world- from Peru to Togo, Namibia, Indonesia, Libya Arab, and Ecuador. Their language, cuisine, arts, music, social habits, and religion greatly differ. So do their dress, laws, and architectural styles.
Diverse cultures influence our interactions and behaviors. Culture is complex and influenced by different factors. Our upbringing shapes our actions, and understanding culture helps people interact safely.