As global moves become commonplace, relocation and corporate
professionals have gained a better understanding of the phenomenon of culture
shock. Yet relatively little attention is paid to cultural issues when
relocating employees within a country.
When it is acknowledged at all, domestic culture shock is
treated as more of a punch-line than a problem. Colleagues might tease the
Houston executive about his upcoming move to New York City, or the Milan
professional moving to Palermo, but intra-country culture shock is no laughing
matter. It is real, and as with international culture shock, there is potential
for failed assignments and relationships and the loss of valued employees.
While there is no readily available hard data on failed
domestic assignments due to culture shock, relocation professionals know it
exists through anecdotal and informal comments from clients.
THE REALITY
According to Dean Foster, President of DFA Intercultural
Global Solutions, culture shock is simply the physiological and psychological
phenomenon that occurs when the individual is required to deal with cultural
differences that challenge their beliefs, expectations and even identity. “I
think that the more prevalent linguistic and cultural similarities that exist
in domestic moves sort of blinds us to the impact of the differences that are
there, and they can probably be even more profound than some international
moves,” Foster says.
Sean Dubberke, Director, Intercultural Programs at RW3
CultureWizard, concurs. “Domestic culture shock most definitely exists,
especially in large countries where linguistic differences can make it
difficult to communicate and interact with locals.”
A transferee might encounter differences in beliefs,
geography, climate, attitudes and protocols, differences that exist in most
countries, regardless of size or location. According to Foster, most countries
can point to significant north/south differences, whether large (the U.S.,
India, Brazil, Russia, China) or small (Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy,
Vietnam, Ireland, Egypt, Mexico, Spain); east/west differences (the same large
countries plus many of the smaller ones); or ethnic regional differences
(Israel, Sudan, Nigeria, Indonesia).
Intra-country moves between rural and urban regions can also be
profoundly dislocating - The same concept goes for within New York State, especially from the suburban or rural areas to the city areas.
He notes that if you combine several elements that make for
differences, such as geography (i.e. north/south) and economics (i.e.
rural/urban), you increase the affect of these differences—and
culture-shock—exponentially. So a move between a rural village in southern
India to Mumbai would require significant adjustment.
But even in economically mature markets like Canada, the
U.S. or the U.K., intra-country moves with several culture differences are
likely to be much more difficult. For example, moving a Canadian Francophone
family from Montreal to the Athabasca oil sands area in Alberta; moving a
single, 20-something man from a small town in Nebraska to New York City; or
moving a London-based family to a small town in Scotland.
As with international culture shock, if the assignee is
accompanied by family, the effects increase markedly. “Each family member is
experiencing his or her own cultural challenges, and the family is also experiencing
these aggregate challenges together,” said Mary Beauregard, an Intercultural
Consultant at Global LT.
LIFESTYLE VS. WORK STYLE
For intra-country moves in many developed countries, the
bigger culture shock issue, and the one that will likely be of more concern to
employers, is work-style differences. DFA’s Foster said, “While intra-regional
moves may not affect lifestyle issues to the degree that these issues may be
affected in some international moves, they certainly affect work-style issues,
which, if not managed successfully, can profoundly affect job and project
performance.”
RW3’s Dubberke adds, “In a country like the U.S., regional
work-style differences that might appear to be surmountable can present true
challenges. For example, the brusque, task-focused approach typical of New
Yorkers would be very frustrating for a person from a place with a more
laissez-faire style, like Southern California.”
Conversely, Northeasterners can find Angelinos maddeningly
blasé, lacking any sense of urgency to close deals and do business. And some
topics that would constitute polite workplace conversation in one place would
be puzzling or even insulting in others. “‘What church do you attend?’ would be
an unremarkable question in many Southern U.S. communities but would likely
garner a response of ‘What?’ in the Northeast U.S.,” said Global LT’s
Beauregard.
There is a real risk of alienating colleagues and potential
business partners with a work style that is deemed inappropriate for the
location. In international business, we expect some faux pas and make greater
allowances for cultural differences and misunderstandings; within a country,
and with fellow nationals, we are more likely to expect colleagues and partners
to be like us, and to judge them more harshly when they do not behave as we
expect. As with international moves, to succeed in the new location it is
important to have an understanding of the local cultural norms.