Research Summary
Research Summary
Fitting In Without Giving In: Addressing the Effectiveness-Authenticity Dilemma in Cross-Cultural Interactions
Description
In this project, Andy Molinsky and I examine the process of adapting to a new culture as it unfolds in specific episodes. A common assumption in practice and research is that when faced with a new cultural context, one needs to either adopt the cultural scripts of the new culture (i.e., the “When in Rome” approach) or abide by the cultural scripts of their own culture (i.e., the “To Thine Own Self be True” approach).
In this paper, we question this assumption and explore different and novel ways of recombining elements of one’s own culture with a foreign culture, such that one can be both effective and authentic in a new cultural environment.