Book Review: The Culture Map - An African Perspective

Culture Chatter

Conversations about culture are some of the most interesting topics I like to either listen to, participate in or explore in their different elements. What is 'Culture', and how would you define it? Is it an accumulation of your historical beliefs and practices, passed on from your ancestors? Is it how your local football team behaves when you have derbies or face your bitter rivals? Does it have to do with 'the smell of the room' in the organization you work in, and the environment its leaders create to stimulate learning, creativity or challenging the status-quo? I personally try to have an open mind about 'Culture' and allow those I engage with explain it from their point of view, and I engage at that level. Right or wrong, starting this way also allows me to bring in my perspectives and potentially expand the conversation to bring in different nuances or perspectives to the conversation. I try as far as I can to build bridges of understanding.

That ever-intriguing question: Who am I?

I am a South African, Black African male. I practice Christianity as my religion, but I also believe in observing one's customary spiritual practices. I speak 6 languages, have travelled to over 30 countries in 4 continents, am 36 years old. I've worked in 2 financial institutions and attended 7 institutions of learning (from pre-school to university). My mother-tongue is Sesotho, and I have paternal ancestors from Lesotho and maternal ancestors from Kwa-Zulu Natal (a South African province). I've had the privilege of varied life experiences and have had some of the most extreme engagements with people both similar and different to me in many of these aspects of 'who' or 'what' I am. I live a life of contradictions. And with that context, it was easy for me to be lured to reading Prof Erin Meyer's book, 'The Culture Map', because culture conversations usually start with 'identity' - and that mind-boggling question: Who are you?

The Book: 8 Key Dimensions

Erin (I hope it's okay I use your first name Prof) breaks down culture into 8 scales, and maps various countries across these scales at their various places down each scale's spectrum. Each of the 8 chapters looks at the scales individually, giving context and guidance on how to 'be' with those from different cultures to yours. It's a game of relativity - you vs the others, or others vs others. I've had a few 'Aha' moments as I worked my way through each chapter. I've looked at a number of countries I engage with, and did a mapping of my own 'Personal' culture. What is important when reading this book is to remove any stereotypes or defenses you may naturally have and embrace the process. I like the tools that Erin has developed because they span from Country, to Personal, to Team and to Corporate Culture. So my opening above as to 'What is Culture' can be applied across uses relevant to you. It's also interesting to note that South Africa is the only country to have 2 options - Afrikaans (representing the predominantly white population) and Zulu (representing the predominantly Black population). This is book review is based off my experience, and below I've captured my country's mapping vs my selected African peers (note 1 of the 8 scales is missing, but consider this for illustrative purposes):

Many of my fellow Africans have similarities that are quite remarkable to observe. Nigerians are outliers on the Evaluating and Disagreeing scales, but mostly aligned on others. This explains a lot from my own engagements with them ('Aha' moment). But what was more interesting, is looking at my own Personal Culture Map vs that of my fellow country men/women. I have clear outliers too, and I'll get into some of those reasons below as I share my take from the book on each of the scales/dimensions.

Communicating: Listening to the air

A young Sesotho speaking South African boy walks into a predominantly white school in a small town in the Free State (another South African province). Because of his upbringing, when he speaks to his teachers, he doesn't look at them in the eyes because you don't do that when you speak to your elders. He also isn't very direct in communicating things that may 'upset' the teacher, so he speaks around the topics at hand, particularly uncomfortable ones.

Communicating as a South African often ends up in misunderstandings if you know the history of the country and our races. We have 11 official languages, and the dominant Black African ethnic groups are Zulu (my maternal), Basotho (my paternal), Xhosa, Venda, Tswana, Tsonga and Bapedi (in no particular order). There are others, but within these dominant ones, there are massive differences in culture. Now imagine having to engage our white counterparts (English or Afrikaans) - conflict is likely to ensue. Most of our Black African languages have pluralistic forms of engaging. For example, when you greet an individual in Sesotho - you would say 'Dumelang', as though you are greeting more than 1 person. Not only is it a sign of respect and politeness, but if you look at it in an African context, you also include the person's ancestors and who he represents, not just the one individual in front of you when you greet. Our communication is very nuanced and layered as Africans, which makes us mostly 'High Context' communicators.

In addition to spending time with predominantly white individuals at my school, I had the similar exposures at university, my professional career and influences and this has caused my personal communication style to shift towards 'Low Context'. Is it to 'Fit In' or merely an 'Adaptation' trait? Possibly. But I know how to communicate when I'm in a rural community in QwaQwa, vs when I'm in a boardroom full of executives at Canary Wharf in London. My varied life experience has allowed me to adapt, but it doesn't come without its pains and harsh lessons. Call it "Survivors' guilt", but this one needs a pint of beer or a glass of wine.

Evaluating: Many faces of polite

I remember performing my first project for a global financial institution I worked at in 2010, for a 6-month assignment. I was working with an Irish manager in London. The first words that came out of his mouth after going through my work were: "This is rubbish mate!" He went on to put red circles in the document I compiled, and went didn't pull back on how I need to 'up my game'. I had a lump in my throat after that conversation. Later that week, we had beers down at a bar by Paternoster Square, where many bankers gather in London to down a few pints. It's ironic that's it's right next to St Paul's Cathedral tool. While I was trying to not to engage this manager, he came up to me and asked how I was settling in after my first few weeks in London. I learnt he was a big football fan, and we had a great evening. I had almost forgotten about his very brutal, indiscriminate feedback earlier that week. It also didn't feature in our chat over a few more pints. We were mates.

Africans in general, and Basotho specifically, are very polite and diplomatic people in how they communicate. Looking back now, I realize that 'sting' from my Irish manager wasn't meant to be an attack on my person, but a very direct and honest review of the work I did. I couldn't separate the 2 then. My work was me, and I was my work. It's remarkable to see how my lived experience has impacted my own approach to giving feedback now, including the empathy I have to practice when engaging with my fellow Africans. And it goes back to one of 'The 4 Agreements' - "Don't take anything personally".

Persuading: Why vs How

I remember my first experience travelling to Asia and visiting one of those crowded markets to get souvenirs for my loved ones back home. I looked at a few options at a stall, and bought a few items. As I walked down the isle, I saw similar items, but much cheaper. I went back to the stall where I bought my items, tried to get my discount paid back in monetary terms, but the best I could get was one more 'free' item. Not my money back. The valuable lesson here was that in Asia, everything is a negotiation. And it became a principle on subsequent engagements not only in Asia, but generally in personal and professional engagements. BUT - Try going to Tesco or Zara, and attempt negotiating an item with a clear price tag, and see what happens. There are limits to these things.

If we add the fact that I'm an accountant by training and profession, where we are taught 'principles first', and how to apply them, it muddies the waters a bit. Africans are more 'Application first' persuaders (relatively speaking). Our cumulative wisdom is from our ancestors and what they've learnt from years of application. Those lessons get handed down from generation to generation. From the agricultural lifestyles to how chiefs used their various advisors for council (and even passing judgement), we have always been practical people. But when you enter the academic and corporate world, you realize a mind-shift is necessary. And occasionally, it's nice to listen to or read about Simon Sinek's 'Golden Circle' - Start with Why. Being able to navigate different levels of the spectrum is a useful skill, as I've come to realize.

Leadership: How much respect do you want?

From Morena Moshoeshoe of the Basotho nation to Nkosi Shaka of amaZulu, painted in the history books as cunning and bloodthirsty respectively, learning about African leadership is fascinating. Africans are hierarchical in how we have operated as a society. To add more complexity, Patriarchy is dominant, where males are seen to be the decision makers and are not to be challenged by women in many tribes. When a soldier talks to his general or to the king, they have to bow-down or show some kind of reverence to the throne. There's a big distance between leader and subordinate. Needless to say, the Africa we have today is mostly an accumulation of decisions made by male kings and chiefs from various tribes and ethnic groups on the continent.

Status matters in Africa. What was a shock to me when I started my first job as a young banker is how this fundamentally changed by views on leadership, until this day. I was hired as a trainee accountant at one of the leading investment banks in South Africa. The recruitment process was the corporate hiring equivalent of an 'Iron Man' race. But at the end, we were 'hand-picked' by the CEO and his top executives. During our first few days in the office, we had personal engagements with our leaders, and they encouraged us to reach out to them any time. "Here, we don't have an open door policy - there is no door.", talking to the 'open-plan' work set up. From frank engagements challenging their thinking and approach to certain business decisions, to having banter over a few beers with these leaders, it wasn't taboo to disagree publicly with your executive - it was encouraged. Today, I carry this approach with me in my professional career, and yes, it does land me in hot-water occasionally. But it's incredibly liberating. It didn't come naturally, however, because in my upbringing, a youngster must 'not to look at elders in the eyes' - as a sign of respect.

Deciding: Big D or Little d

The book makes a distinction between 'D' - where a final decision has been made after much deliberation, and now it's time to implement that 'Decision'. Versus a 'd' decision, where an 'in-principle' decision is made quickly, but it's subject to changes along the way as implementation brings in lessons on how that 'decision' needs to be modified. The one 'D' that comes to mind for me here is the contemporary concept of 'Design Thinking'. You consult, but build quickly so you can have an iterative process of improving your 'Minimal Viable Product' ('MVP'). "Fail fast, and fail forward", they say. Reminds me of 'decisions'. The other 'D' that comes to mind is 'Democracy'. As a country that inherited the Western approach to governance, due to our colonial history, "The People Shall Govern". But which people are governing - the principals or the agents? The electorate or government executives? And how 'mature' is the nation at question? 'Decisions' made by governments are often final and are to be implemented without question.

It's well known that 'Democracy' spawned from Europe, and Greece to be specific. In Africa, 'Decisions' were made by Kings and Queens. The masses observed and followed. Many still live this way, despite there being only 1 absolute monarch left in Africa. The more recent 'D' I'd like to add to my 'D-Alphabet Soup' is 'Dictatorships' - recent history has given us many of these. Africa has had more than its fair share of Dictators - but this is a global phenomenon. I would argue that there's no fixed formula in decision making - context and content matters. And I would pray that your country, company or club is blessed with a level-headed and empathetic leader to take the right approach when it comes to D/decision making. Either way, it's an unenviable position. But in Africa, 'Town Down' is the norm.

Trust: The 'Head' or the 'Heart'

Trust is the foundation of any relationship. This also happens to be one of my personal core values. Men generally are seen as the 'Heads' of families in Africa, and I'd argue women are the 'Hearts'. Men's decision making process is mostly dominated by logic, while women also consider softer emotional elements - the head and the heart working hand-in-hand. Historically, we also know that European men sat around tables and plotted on how they'd divide and conquer Africa. The continent is still mainly divided based on those decisions made centuries ago. One wonders if history would have been kinder to Africa had Europe been led by women instead of men. I guess we'll never know.

The example that I like when Erin talks about trust is one that I experience often when working on various transactions on the continent: Imagine being a European business man selling goods in Europe, and you sell goods on credit. You know you'll get paid because there are protections in place - there's a contract, the legal framework works and there'll be consequences if they don't pay back what they owe. You don't have to know the person you're selling to on credit from a bar of soap. Now imagine an African business man selling goods to Africans. Legal systems are seen as less reliable, with poor enforcement. But because you've sold to someone you trust, there's no need for a contract, the relationship means they're good for the credit. That person may be your neighbour, someone your family has done business with or you've just invested enough time in that relationship to know you can trust them. Europeans have 'Task-based' trust, while Africans have 'Relationship-based' trust - the former is the 'head' and the latter is the 'heart'. I've personally seen a dramatic shift with my colleagues on the continent that I've met personally - broke bread, shared stories, spent time and had a few drinks with. And they've flourished ever since - Head & Hearts are aligned.

Disagreeing: The Needle, not the Knife

There's a lovely Boheimian proverb that Erin uses in the book: "To engage in conflict, one does not need to bring a knife that cuts, but a needle that sews:" Businesses have this cheesy notions of encouraging 'Courageous Conversations'. It is a fashionable thing to say, especially when thought-leaders like Brene Brown and others encourage this as being a positive element to corporate culture. The reality is that if you disagree with a leader or colleagues, especially publicly, you're either labelled as a trouble-maker or a rebel of some sort. You'll get cut, with no stitches. The strange thing about these labels is that people choose to ignore that some of the best inventions and most inspiring leaders come from disagreements/conflict - our very own Nelson Mandela vehemently disagreed with the Apartheid government, and also had many disagreements with his ANC comrades on how the country should transition post liberation.

The uniqueness of South Africa is that our history is built on conflict. It's built on confrontation and facing the 'enemy'. There was a time when that enemy had a name - 'Apartheid' or 'Swaar Gevaar' ('Black Danger'). Either way, conflict was just another day in Mzansi. Another perspective - there are occasions when people wouldn't confront very personal and private issues that need to be faced. Africans are very proud people, and we have a thing about 'Saving Face'. You just need to look at how spectacular South Africa was at hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A lot of face was saved. But what was left after Spain were crowned World Champions was nation that still has the highest gini-coefficient. We are the most unequal society in the world. And it makes sense. South Africans showed the world what 'Ubuntu' was during those few weeks, and it had a lasting impact. But conflict is still here. And we've seen many episodes of it globally and how people disagree - from Trump & the BLM Movement in the US, to China and their response to the Hong Kong protests, extremes from the West to the East. I believer we need to distinguish between micro-confrontations and macro-confrontations. The latter is easier than the former in the African context, in my view. I on the other hand am confrontational on both.

Scheduling: How late is late?

Terms such as 'African timing' to 'I'll see you now-now', are commonplace in South Africans. The hybrid working environment exasperated the issues of scheduling, where we now have back-to-back MS Teams calls and meetings with internal and external counterparts. No one add that extra 5 minute 'buffer time' to walk from one room/building to the next. Erin covers the topic of timing beautifully in her book. The historical context she gives touches on the practicalities of it: On one hand, consider Germany, one of the first countries to become heavily industrialized. Factory work is clock-work precision. Being 4 minutes late disrupts the conveyer belt of production at an auto plant. This results in massive costs, & possibly a warning letter or immediate dismissal for the perpetrator. Trains need to be on time, bus schedules & other modes of transport. German precision & engineering. On the other hand, Basotho (like most Africans) have always lived off the land. We have herds of sheep and cattle, and ride our horses to tend to them. Livestock don't have a schedule, they'll graze at their pace until it's time for the herd boy to take them back to the kraal. From a timing point of view, you just have to worry about getting them back before the sun goes down - and that's not a fixed point in time, especially as seasons change. To use one of my favourite quotes: "We are the sums of our yesterdays".

Personally, I'm a stickler for time - I like punctuality. It's a sign of respect for my audience and colleagues, and it shows that I'm organized. I prefer to communicate if I will be a few minutes late, and feel uneasy when it's 15:04 and no one has joined our 3pm call yet. In many instances, my anxiety is heightened when I deal with my colleagues from other countries on the continent (which I shall not name to keep my peace). Imagine how I feel when it's 15:05 and I'm about to drop off, and they join casually, asking how I'm doing, how's my family - but not a single apology for keeping me waiting for 5 minutes. 'I've got a dozen other things to do with my time than wait!', I'd think to myself. But in many human engagements, our projections are based on how we'd respond when tables were turned on ourselves, not how others who are different to us/you would respond. It's useful to not personalize issues, and also be kinder to yourself as you should be kind to others, and being generous with your assumptions on reasons for their lateness. But this is easier said than done.

Conclusion

I strongly recommend anyone that works with people from different cultures to read this beautifully written book by Erin. Not only will you be able to reflect on yourself and those in your immediate circle, it may also trigger some memories and help you understand why certain events happened the way they did when dealing with that colleague from a different race from from a different continent as yours (those 'Aha' moments), or make you laugh at how similar you are to your continental sisters or that Asian guy you get on so well with. It's a demonstration that it helps to build bridges of understanding, instead of increasing barriers of misunderstanding. And as the world becomes smaller and globalization continues it's rapid acceleration, I'd argue that this book is a necessity, especially for leaders. Read more here: https://erinmeyer.com/

Keep well, and look after yourselves. Salang hantle (Plural form for 'Good bye' in Sesotho).