Cross-Cultural Experience With Samoan Culture in Hawaii

Introduction: Culture, Identity, and Diversity

Culture shapes people's identities and influences their behavior. It is a people's way of living, encompassing shared beliefs, language, norms, values, material objects passed down through generations, and behaviors. The United States is made up of people from many different backgrounds: African Americans make up approximately 13% of the population, whites 80%, Hispanics or Latinos 16%, Asians 5%, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 0.2%, and American Indians or Alaskan Natives 1%. Although Native Hawaiians make up only 0.2% of the population, they make a significant contribution to American society (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). With globalization, organizations and countries increasingly experience cultural diversity. Workplaces, countries, and schools now consist of people with different backgrounds in terms of race, culture, and ethnicity. These cultural differences impact teamwork in organizations, management decisions, and performance outcomes (Bass, 2008).

Culture also shapes the organizational structures of companies, legitimizing both their functions and existence, and conditioning organizational commitments. People from different cultures must work together to drive companies forward. However, a lack of shared meanings and contexts causes managers to face serious challenges within their organizations. Based on ethnic, national, and social scales, an individual's interpretation of experience and its meaning may differ from what is anticipated, leading to likely disagreements in business contexts. Companies must therefore incorporate cultural differences into their managerial practices. Cultural diversity management is important to businesses that wish to gain competitive advantage through their employees — a critical business asset. To overcome the challenges that cultural diversity presents in organizations, it is essential to understand people from different backgrounds and cultures, to learn from one another, and to promote cooperation and collaboration (Cacioppe, 1997).

With cultural understanding, managers can better lead in cross-cultural environments. Embarking on a cross-cultural experience was therefore key to understanding the Samoan culture in Hawaii. With proper understanding, knowledge, and awareness of other cultures — including different perspectives from around the world — negative stereotypes and personal biases about those cultures are dispelled. When people develop awareness and understanding of other cultures, discrimination becomes less likely. The cross-cultural experience described in this paper involved interactions with people of the Samoan culture in Hawaii. It is one way of promoting cultural diversity — recognizing and respecting other people's ways of life. The experience was interactive and aimed at building bridges of respect, trust, and understanding across two different cultures. It is essential to the existence of cultural diversity in organizations because people from different cultures contribute new ways of thinking and doing things, language skills, varied experiences, and new knowledge (Bass, 2008).

Although Samoans roast fish and pork in a different way — using hot stones and banana leaves — from other American cultures, they arrive at the same goal: eating delicious roasted food, just as those cooked using different methods would be. This illustrates that different cultures can offer alternative ways of solving problems while still achieving the same expected outcome. The cross-cultural experience provided an opportunity to interact with Samoans and increase personal understanding of other cultures. With that understanding, it is also possible to develop meaningful relationships across cultures, and to ensure that one's own values are not imposed on others if those values conflict with or are inconsistent with their culture (Cacioppe, 1997).

During such interactions, it becomes easy to recognize that a Samoan's limited English proficiency is not a reflection of their intellectual capacity. The cross-cultural experience also made it possible to recognize and appreciate that family and gender roles among Samoans influence their behavior and differ from those in other cultures. During the experience, both women and men took part in the fish and pork roasting as well as the dances. The cross-cultural experience was also fun, interesting, and motivating. Participating in the new way of roasting food and joining in an entirely new style of dance motivates individuals to learn even more about the culture. It is the enjoyable and engaging dimension of such interactions that encourages people from other cultures to persevere throughout the cross-cultural experience (Bass, 2008).

The Samoan Cross-Cultural Experience Described

The cross-cultural experience with the Samoan culture in Hawaii took place in 2019. It centered on a Samoan Umu — a traditional roast for pig or fish using hot stones — complemented by a Samoan dance and an Ava Ceremony. The Umu is the traditional Samoan method of cooking food, and it reflects the cultural significance of food preparation within Samoan society. First, the fish was wrapped in banana leaves in preparation for the Umu (Cep, 2011). Next, the wrapped fish were placed on hot stones, which serve as a platform or stove for meal preparation. More hot stones were then used to cover the wrapped fish, acting as a lid for the stove. This ensures that the fish cooks evenly on all sides (The Budding Anthropologist, 2016).

The pig was roasted in a similar way, with the addition of a fourth step: the pork is placed on hot stones in a dug pit before being covered with additional hot stones to act as an oven. The roasted fish is then served on plates, garnished and accompanied by slices of lemon. The cross-cultural experience was further enriched by a Samoan dance — a customary expression of entertainment and joy among Samoans. The dance accompanies food preparation and the dining experience, creating a fully immersive Samoan cultural occasion. Dancers wear traditional Samoan garments, and both men and women participate in the activity. The event concluded with the Ava Ceremony, a solemn ritual involving the sharing of a ceremonial beverage among participants to signify the essence of the occasion in Samoan culture. Although the cross-cultural experience primarily involved observing the Samoans engage in their cultural activities, visitors were also encouraged to interact with the Samoans and take part in the event (The Budding Anthropologist, 2016).

The cross-cultural experience fosters self-awareness of the Samoan culture. The positive nature of the experience inspires motivation to learn more and to understand the variety of cultures that exist. With the knowledge gained, participants also remain motivated to seek out other cultural interactions, making them more accepting of other cultures even before direct contact occurs. Cultural knowledge gives individuals active control over their assumptions about other cultures, encouraging them to question stereotypes. Beyond gaining cultural knowledge during the cross-cultural experience, the interactions themselves dissolve many previously held stereotypes and assumptions. This makes it easier to work with people from other cultures both in America and across the world, supporting a more diversity-friendly approach to leadership in organizations (Quinn, 2000).

Conclusion: Toward Inclusive Leadership

When I observe or become aware that employees are engaging in behaviors that reflect bias, insensitivity, or prejudice toward other cultural groups in the company, I will intervene appropriately. I will also be a proactive listener, and more accepting and welcoming of ideas from people whose cultural backgrounds differ from my own. Cultural diversity clearly enables different people to make distinct yet positive contributions to an organization despite their differing cultural backgrounds. I will work to ensure that my organization is a place where diversity is recognized, understood, and respected; where different cultural ideas are acknowledged and valued; where people's contributions are encouraged regardless of cultural background; and where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential. In such a company, cultural differences are celebrated as a source of strength rather than treated as an obstacle (Cross-Cultural Experience, n.d.).

References

Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Cacioppe, R. (1997). Leadership moment by moment! Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 18, 335–345.

Cep, B. (2011). Samoan Umu. Retrieved from https://www.bard.edu/cep/blog/?p=532

Cross-Cultural Experience. (n.d.).

Quinn, R. E. (2000). Change the world: How ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

The Budding Anthropologist. (2016). Samoan Umu. Retrieved from https://thebuddinganthropologist.wordpress.com/food/samoan-umu/

U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). USA QuickFacts. Accessed December 2019.