Assumption and “Bob”.

Assumption

Wakes “Bob” Every time.

We’ve all heard the saying that to assume is to make an ass out of you and me. I’ve heard this said for many years, since I was a child. There is a reason why it has withstood the test of time and that reason is for the abundance of truth found within it. For this post, I will refer to that old saying as “Bob”. Communicating with someone whether their culture differs from ours or not, often takes a bit of finesse. It takes consideration and specific delivery of context in order to effectively convey out message. While communicating with someone who’s culture does differ from our own, it is especially important to keep in mind that if we are to assume anything, it is that we can assume nothing at all… lest we wake “Bob”.

“The most common assumption is projective cognitive similarity, that is, one assumes that the other perceives, judges, thinks, and reasons the same way he or she does.” (Moran and Moran, 2011) We like to assume that the world mirrors our personalities, characteristics and idiosyncrasies but as it often happens, this only results in bringing “Bob” back to life. In regards to communication, I’ve always said, “it is all in the delivery, delivery is everything”, and for working within my own culture, it usually is; but assuming that nothing else matters in my communication with someone from another culture could prove disastrous and even dangerous. Within my own culture, looking someone in the eye is regarded as a sign of integrity and honesty but looking someone in the eye in another culture could be construed as extremely disrespectful. So, the lines can be very fine, hence why assumptions can get one into a multitude of trouble.

Allowing ourselves to base important information on assumptions without ever looking into facts or testing theories out for ourselves, I think can easily lead to a form of “ethnocentrism”, “an exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s own group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (PSU-WC, 2017) Even if this is genuinely not how we see ourselves, assuming things about another culture can certainly project qualities of ethnocentrism from our words and/or actions; yet again waking “Bob”.

In conclusion, I believe the best practice is to assume that you can assume nothing at all. This allows your mind to open and gain information rather than being preoccupied with what you think you already know…. Thus allowing “Bob” to rest.

• Moran, R. T., Ph. D., Remington Abramson, N., Ph. D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2011). Managing Cultural Differences(9th ed.). Chapter 3. London: Routledge.
• Pennsylvania State University (2017). Leadership in a Global Context. OLEAD 410. Online course lesson. Penn State World Campus. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from

https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654085