Georgian National Culture Essay Example

gifts can be small presents.

Meals are meant to be little get-togethers and Georgians go a long way to ensure the guests are well fed and enjoy the meals (MacFarlane, 1997). The fork is to be held in the left hand while the knife is for the right while the elbows should not be rested on the table while eating. The norm is serving the elder guests first and with the eating time accompanied with lively conversations. The host will, in most cases, offer second and even third servings and it is rude to turn them down. As such, it is prudent have smaller quantities at the first serving and clear everything on one’s plate.

In meetings, the norm is shaking hands upon arrival and before departure with the handshake expected to be initiated by the person with higher status. One should maintain eye contact and one should shun using first names unless invited. Exchange of business cards requires no ritual and it is nice to have parts of them translated into either Russian or Georgian. Georgians are generally emotional and it should not come as a surprise if they show extreme displeasure or anger during business meetings. Their conversations may be animated and raised voices should not be frowned upon.

Languages and Communication Styles

Majority of Georgians speak Georgian language which belongs to the Kartvelian linguistic group. The origin of the language is the Kartli kingdom, a historically dominant kingdom in the eastern part of the country. Georgian is the literary language used by all Georgians, making it the only language of the Kartvelian group to be taught and written. However, there are other languages of the same

group that are spoken by some subgroups in the country.

Other languages used in the country include Russian, Abkhazian, Azeri, Armenian and Ossetian. Gruzinic, a Jewish language, is spoken by about 20,000 Georgians (MacFarlane, 1997). In Abkhazia, both Georgian and Abkhazian are recognized as the state languages. It is common to find most urban dwellers using Russian as opposed to Georgian. Nonetheless, bilingualism and trilingualism are common throughout the country with most parts embracing Russian (MacFarlane, 1997). Besides Georgian, the other official languages are Azeri, Russian and Armenian. ‘Gamarjoba’ is the Georgian way of saying hello while ‘gmadblot’ means thank you. “Gt’khovt’ ” on the other hand is used to mean please.

Georgians use a lot of gestures in their conversations. Notably, non-verbal communication is more prevalent in the eastern part of the country than in the western. Touching someone during chats is totally expected. In conversations, people generally tend to make eye contact. Erected thumb is used to indicate approval or to mean someone likes something. For instance, one can use an erect thumb to indicate the food tastes great. Georgians perceive silence as a signal of embarrassment, boredom or disapproval. A finger place over the mouth means that one should shut up. The use of forefinger and the thumb to form a finger ring has positive sexual connotations and is used to mean one is sexy. A V shaped arm may imply numerical two or victory in Georgia.

Low or High-Context Culture

In discussing culture, one has to evaluate if a country’s culture is low- or high-context. A high-context culture is one which conveys their messages implicitly and one has to rely on the context of the

message in order to understand it well. Low-context cultures on the other hand are explicit in their messages and one needs no context to derive the meaning. USA, German and Canadian cultures are low-context while Japanese, Georgian and Arab cultures tend to be high-context. In low-context cultures, there are clear directions on the streets and organizations such that one needs no personal help in navigating around. They also have thorough regulations as part of corporate practice (Hooker, 2008). In such countries, contracts are usually written down in much details with the anticipated outcomes clearly articulated. In such cultures, people are more comfortable with written agreements which make them feel more secure as opposed to taking a relationship approach to business.

Georgian culture is more high-context compared to the American one. In Georgia, it is common to see some unhelpful and vague street signs. As a result, one would require extra assistance to navigate around; a role that Georgians happy to play. Despite the existence of written regulations, Georgians prefer they be explained to them. In the corporate space, it is common for Georgians to seek verbal permissions instead of writing formal letters (Kutateladze, 2015). Generally, the approach is that written documents need to be followed up by personal explanations. For a visitor, this implies one has to be friendly to the locals in order to effectively navigate the country and transact business.

Ranking on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

On Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Georgia significantly varies from the US. One key difference in their cultures is the time management approaches. The US on one hand has a sequential culture while the Georgian culture is synchronic. Sequential cultures like the American

one tend to approach one agenda at a time. There is a strong belief that the future can be influenced by planning ahead in business (Hooker, 2008). The Americans tend to be very strict on punctuality with 5 minutes delay being seen as lateness. The synchronic Georgian culture despite being goal oriented does not clearly put forward the way to achieve the goal since one can switch between activities as nature dictates. The approach to planning is more long-term than short term (Dingemans, 2011). Georgians are not that strict with timing and punctuality and 5 to 10 minutes-delay is viewed as normal.

Even though the Georgian culture cannot be said to be completely collective, American culture is more individualistic as compared to the earlier. In Individualistic cultures such as the American, there is a strong emphasis on personal achievement, abilities and happiness while in the collectivistic cultures, the society is more interconnected and members of the social groups are concerned with the welfare of others. Georgians value relationships and social connections and tend to form close bonds with family members and friends. To them, life without the support of family and friends is meaningless (Kutateladze, 2015). However, there are a couple of Georgians who value individual happiness and achievement more than social support. It is widely acceptable and expected that different people will have different values, opinions and preferences all which should be respected.

Georgian culture tends to have high uncertainty avoidance. Georgians tend to be uncomfortable with risk and establish bureaucratic measures to help them check the risks. They tend to cautious with risky businesses preferring those ventures that have been tested and tried. American culture

on the other hand has low uncertainty avoidance as most Americans tend to be risk takers in comparison to Georgians. As a result, the US is more flexible in business communications than Georgia (Rugman & Collinson, 2009).

Another differentiating feature of the two cultures is their take on power distance. In Georgian culture, elders and superiors are held in high esteem and treated with a lot of respect. In the American culture, which has low power distance, tends to have an equal treatment approach. In workplaces, it is common to see elders being revered unlike in the US where the society is more egalitarian (Kutateladze, 2015).

On the Hofstede’s cultural dimension of task orientation, the US and Georgia seem to share a similarity. Both countries have cultures that are masculinity-oriented. In Georgia, people value success, money and other material things. For example, a Mercedes car is seen as a symbol of success and affluence. Similarly, owning an apartment in a prestigious area or going on vacations in France are perceived symbols of success too. Georgians are very competitive with going to casinos being viewed as a climb in the social ladder. The rich send their children to study in private American or British schools. The Georgian culture has few femininity traits in it. Generally, Georgian culture is more masculine than the American culture (Kutateladze, 2015).

Likely Causes of Culture Shock and How to Combat It

Georgian culture differs from the Americans in several ways that are likely to cause cultural shock. First, Georgian society being relationship-oriented, one needs to have a wide contact list if he or she needs to get things done. Introductions mostly need dinner invitations unlike

the American way where you can meet someone, share names and have some small talk. In the workplaces, Georgians frown on the habit of escalating conflicts to superiors and prefer direct confrontations (Ruhadze, 2015). Another critical difference is how colleagues should be addressed at the workplace. Whereas it is normal to use first names in American setting, in Georgia, it is expected that he addresses colleagues suing surnames preceded with the right titles. Georgians are generally emotive and it is not uncommon to see people have a fist fight in public. However, showing aggressive behavior in the public towards the elderly and women is frowned upon. Again, it is common for acquaintances to plant a kiss on the cheek as a greeting (Ruhadze, 2015). Besides these challenges, there are also language barriers for English speakers. Most of these practices differ from what most Americans are used to and are likely to create a culture shock.

To deal with culture shocks, one first needs to understand that it is caused by the expectation that one is required to demonstrate maximum skill despite not knowing the local rules of conduct. It helps to try and gather as much information about the host company as one can get. Using the gathered information, one should try to ascertain the causes for cultural differences. Instead of trying to look for other foreigners where then one spends time with them ridiculing the host culture; the best approach would be to befriend a local to share the feelings (Rugman & Collinson, 2009). With such local friends, one can consult on how to handle some cultural dilemmas. Keeping an open mind and being curious

about the culture helps one overcome the shock.

What to Learn and What to Share

During the visit, one should aspire to learn about the history of the state right from how it emerged. The strong clan system would be of interest together with ethnic relations. Having to stay in the country for some time, the Georgian cuisine would be of interest. The governance structures together with legal systems are important to know.

Having formed friends with the locals, it is a good idea to leave a good image of the home country. Engaging the Georgians about the vibrant political system of the US, especially after the recently concluded general elections, would be entertaining. One could also share the American culture with reference to the five Hofstede’s dimensional aspects, majority of which differ from those of Georgia. Some other observation like how English is the only official language across all states as compared to Georgia’s several would suffice. The strong national identity among Americans would form another interesting topic for the hosts. The identity is an important comparison to the Georgian ethnic affiliations. Again, telling the hosts about the shared social problems of drug addiction and organized crime would draw attention to the similarity between the two nations (Ruhadze, 2015).

The Role of Exchange Programs in Creating Global Awareness for All Countries

Having student exchange programs creates bridges between the exchange countries forging lifelong ties and business networks. The students get into direct and meaningful relationships with members of these host countries. The exchange does not only increase global awareness among the students but also helps them build global diplomacy skills which are highly necessary in the globalized 21st century.

Students who are fascinated by other people’s cultures become more competitive on a global scale and in effect making their home countries more competitive (Akachukwu, 2013). Having spent significant time in the host country studying these students have a good understanding of the country and are likely to invest in them after schooling, resulting in shared prosperity for the nations. Thus, having many countries participate in these student exchange programs enhances their awareness globally.

References

1. Akachukwu, O. (2013, January 30). Raising Awareness of Global Education Amongst Young People. Global Education Magazine.
2. Dingemans, A.-M. (2011, February 15). Sequential vs Synchronic. Retrieved December 22, 2016, from Globalizen: http://www.globalizen.com/sequential-vs-synchronic-time-perception/
3. Hooker, J. (2008). Cultural Differences in Business Communication. The Romanian Economic Journal, 51-69.
4. Kutateladze, M. (2015). Cultural Values and Georgian Society in Business Communication. Journal in Humanities, 4(2), 35-37.
5. MacFarlane, S. N. (1997). Democratization, Nationalism and Regional Security in the Southern Caucasus. Government and Opposition, 32(3), 399–420.
6. Rugman, A. M., & Collinson, S. (2009). International business . Harlow, England: Prentice Hall Financial Times.
   Ruhadze, N. B. (2015). Georgian Culture. Georgian Journal, 6-10.