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Do we allow culture to happen, or do we direct it?
Sub section index:
What does it mean to "Let it happen"? (Evolutionary)
How can we Direct the culture? (Design)
Some examples
Things around us change. Technology makes changes, migration and birth of individuals changes things, changes in weather affects us.
We can respond to these things in multiple ways:
- We can Let it happen (Evolutionary).
- We can Direct the culture (Design).
What does it mean to "Let it happen"? (Evolutionary) top
We can think of culture as "what happens" and watch it. we can "let it go", and take the approach that culture is a random evolutionary outcome of changes in the world. There is nothing we can do about it, it is beyond our ability to make a difference.
This is very convenient, because we do not need to take responsibility for how our culture changes in response to external events and capabilities.
How can we Direct the culture? (Design) top
We can be purposeful, thoughtful, have principles, and influence our culture in ways that are beneficial. This approach takes effort, and people trying to enhance the culture will be criticized.
It is less convenient because we have to be thoughtful, and actively participate in developing our culture.
Some examples top
When eMail came about, one of the lessons learned was "it is easier to be misunderstood through eMail than through a direct face-to-face conversation or through a telephone call". As a result, when a situation might become contentious, it was better to answer a question, or start the dialogue with a telephone call or by meeting with someone.
This is particularly true when two ends of a conversation are from different cultural subsets.
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