atavistic (atavism) | reappearance in a person of a characteristic which has not been seen for generations |
Buddhism | a religion of east and central Asia growing out of the teachings of Buddha, that one must become free of human desires in order to escape from suffering |
cadres | an inner group of highly trained and active people in a particular group (company, army, etc.) (French) |
Cartesian | relating to René Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician |
chauvinism | very great and often unthinking admiration for one’s country; proud and unreasonable belief that one’s country is better than all others |
collective programming | the way a particular group of people or nationalities is trained from a very early age to internalize the behavior and attitudes of the group |
communication gap | lack of understanding of people of other cultures, because of differences in language, cultural attitudes, etc. |
compartmentalize projects | concentrate single-mindedly on a project, not allowing it to be influenced by other goals or activities |
complete action chains | finish one task completely before commencing another one |
complete human transactions | finish all one’s business with a particular individual before going on to another task |
Confucianism | a Chinese way of thought which teaches that one should be loyal to one’s family, friends and rulers, and treat others as one would like to be treated, developed from the ideas of Confucius |
context centered | depending on a situation |
core beliefs | basic concepts of a national group which have been learned and internalized from an early age |
cross-culture | comparison of beliefs, attitudes, etc. of different cultural groups of nationalities |
cultural display event | something we do or say which reveals our core beliefs (cultural attitudes) to people of other cultures |
cultural imperialism | attempt to impose the tenets of one’s culture on others |
cultural myopia | inability to see another culture’s points of view |
“cultural spectacles” | the way our own core beliefs influence how we view other cultures |
culture | the customs, beliefs, art and all the other products of human thought made by a particular group of a people at a particular time |
culture shock | the feeling of shock or of being disoriented which someone has when they experience a different and unfamiliar culture |
cyclic time | recurring events |
danwei | work unit (Chinese) |
data-oriented (culture) | a culture whose people gather information mainly through print and database sources |
deviants | people who are different in moral or social standards from what is considered normal |
dialogue-oriented (culture) | a culture whose people gather information through direct contact with other people |
double truth | two ways of looking at things: the immediate reality and the poetic whole |
dusha | the Russian soul (Russian) |
école normale superiéure | prestigious tertiary level institute of learning in France specializing in various ares of pedagogy, leading to a career in higher education of research (French) |
empathy | the ability to imagine oneself in the position of another person and so to share and understand that person’s feelings |
extrovert | a person who likes to spend time in activities with other people rather than being quiet and alone |
faux pas | social mistake in words or behavior (French) |
feng shui | wind-and-water superstition (Chinese) |
force majeure | an event beyond one’s control (French) |
gaffe | an unintentional social mistake (French) |
GDP | gross domestic product |
giri | duty (Japanese) |
guanxi | the linking of two people in a relationship of mutual dependence (Chinese) |
hara kiri | ritual suicide using a sword to cut open one’s stomach, formerly practised by Japanese Samurai to avoid dishonour |
hautes écoles | tertiary level in education in France in specialized areas, such as commerce, engineering etc. (French) |
high context (culture) | networking, dialogue-oriented culture |
honorific expression | indicating respect for the person being addressed, especially in Oriental languages |
horizon (cultural) | one’s world view (limited) |
human mental programming | the practice of instilling one’s beliefs in the young under one’s responsibility (or any “captive” audience) |
inscrutable | describes people whose meaning or way of thinking is not at all clear, mysterious |
introvert | concerning oneself with one’s own thoughts rather than sharing activities with others |
Islam | the Muslim religion started by Mohammand |
itadakimasu | literally: I am receiving (Japanese)—similiar to bon appétit |
kaisha | company, firm (Japanese) |
karma | the force produced by a person’s actions in life which will influence him or her later or in future lives |
kibun | saving face (Korean) |
lagom | spirit of moderation in all things (Swedish) |
language mold | the way our language channels or molds our thoughts |
language of mangement | how certain management styles are facilitated by the nature of the language of the manager and the group being managed |
linear time | a concept of time as a “line” of sequential events with the past behind us and the future in front |
linear-active (culture) | a culture whose people are task-oriented, highly organized planners, perferring to do one thing at a time in the sequence shown in their diary |
listening (culture) | a culture whose people listen well, never interrupt and show great deference to others’ opinions; they do not precipitate improvident action, allowing ideas to mature |
low context (culture) | data-oriented culture, few oral contacts |
meritocracy | a social system which gives the highest positions to those with the most ability |
messianic | belief that one has an important mission |
monochronic (culture) | a culture dominated by precision and propriety, preferring to concentrate on doing one thing at a time |
mores | the moral customs of a particular group |
“muddling through” | achieving one’s goals without proper planning |
multi-active (culture) | a culture whose people tend to do many things at once, often in an unplanned order, usually people oriented, extrovert |
networking | the establishing of professional connections with the aim of sharing information, advice or support |
notions | the perception by a cultural group of certain basic concepts |
on | obligation (Japanese) |
Ordnung | order (German) |
polychronic | someone who likes to do many things at once, often without precise planning |
power distance | a measure of the interpersonal power of influence between superior and subordinate as perceived by the latter, often determined by the national culture |
pundonor | honor, dignity (Spanish) |
reactive (culture) | a culture whose people rarely initiate action or discussion, preferring first to listen to and establish the other’s position, then react to it and formulate their own |
ringi-sho | decision making through consensus (Japanese) |
saudades | nostalgia, sentimentality (Portuguese) |
sisu | perseverance, stamina (Finnish) |
skål | cheers! to your health! (Swedish) |
space bubble | the personal space which an individual dislikes being encroached on |
stereotyping | fixing a set of ideas about what a particular type of person or nationality is like, which is (wrongly) believed to be true in all cases |
task orientation | giving instructions or directions to colleagues or subordinates |
tatami | straw floor mat, the number of which is often used to denote the size of a room in Japan |
tenets | principles, beliefs |
USP | unique selling point |
values | standards or principles, ideas about the importance of certain qualities, especially those accepted by a particular group |
Volkswirtschaftshochschule | tertiary level education in Germany in the area of economics and commerce (German) |
web society | an interdependent society excelling in networking |
Weltanschauung | world view (German) |
Weltschmerz | “world pain”, i.e., depressed state (German) |