A million elements make up who we are. Our DNA, our upbringing, and a plethora of tiny experiences combine into a mosaic that creates the big picture of how we think, feel, and behave. One of those elements is the country and culture we’re raised in. Cultural expert and linguist Richard D. Lewis created “The Lewis Model,” an easy-to-understand chart that explains this.
Understanding what each culture values and the lens through which it sees things can be a game-changer for getting along in all aspects of life. This applies to interpersonal relationships, workplace dynamics, and even everyday interactions. The point is that there’s no single right way to interact across cultures. But understanding each other’s cultures can make a big difference.
When cultures collide
Lewis, author of When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures (1996), gathered data worldwide after visiting 135 countries and working in over 20. He mined information from 150,000 online questionnaires and determined that there are three “distinct human behavior types.”
According to a 2013 Business Insider article, “Lewis plots countries in relation to three categories:
Linear-actives—those who plan, schedule, organize, pursue action chains, do one thing at a time. Germans and Swiss are in this group.
Multi-actives—those lively, loquacious peoples who do many things at once, planning their priorities not according to a time schedule, but according to the relative thrill or importance that each appointment brings with it. Italians, Latin Americans, and Arabs are members of this group.
Reactives—those cultures that prioritize courtesy and respect, listening quietly and calmly to their interlocutors and reacting carefully to the other side’s proposals. Chinese, Japanese, and Finns are in this group.”
Very clear trends
The article goes on to quote Lewis, saying, “The behavior of people of different cultures is not something willy-nilly. There exist clear trends, sequences and traditions. Reactions of Americans, Europeans, and Asians alike can be forecasted, usually justified and in the majority of cases managed. Even in countries where political and economic change is currently rapid or sweeping (Russia, China, Hungary, Poland, Korea, Malaysia, etc.) deeply rooted attitudes and beliefs will resist a sudden transformation of values when pressured by reformists, governments or multinational conglomerates.”
‘It’s not stereotypes. It’s behavioral science.’
Rob D. Willis, a popular English TikToker who appears across many social media platforms, succinctly explains the concept at play in the workplace. He begins quite directly. “This is why Germans and Italians will probably clash at work. And why an Arab colleague might not appreciate Dutch directness. It’s not stereotypes. It’s behavioral science. I give you the Lewis Model.”
Willis shares a graphic of a brightly colored triangle. “Rich Lewis studied 135 countries and realized something wild. You can actually divide human behavior into three types, and, honestly, this explains a lot of the situations I’ve had in Germany over the past sixteen years.”
Willis continues, “Let me show you. Down here, we’ve got linear or active. This is Germany, the U.K., the U.S., and me. Task first. One thing at a time, follow the agenda. Restricted body language. Some think it’s cold; we call it efficient. Linears live by the plan.”
He then indicates the red bubbles on the pyramid. “Then we have multi-active. That’s Italy, Spain, Brazil, most Arab countries. This is a relationship-first environment. It’s emotional, expressive, hands moving, multiple conversations at once. Storytelling everywhere. And they think the linears are robotic.”
He finishes, saying, “Then we have reactive: Japan, China, Finland, Vietnam. They listen first, and then respond. They rarely interrupt. They rarely initiate. Faith and harmony matter. Multi actives think they’re passive. Reactives think multi actives are rude. Both are wrong…it’s just different behavioral language.”
Why it matters
Willis asks, “So why does this matter at work?” before breaking it down even further:
- Linears presenting to multi actives. Your agenda means nothing until there’s a relationship.
- Multi actives in a linear meeting feel a bit suffocated. Linears feel like the room is on fire.
- Reactives won’t tell you ‘no.’ They’ll just stop responding. Silence is disagreement.
“That’s why what works brilliantly in one room can die in another. These are generalizations, of course. But they’re incredibly useful,” he concludes.
In terms of how to navigate it? A blog post titled “6 Ways to Successfully Manage Cultural Differences in the Workplace,” by Dana Corey of Avocor, a “global leader in collaboration solutions,” shares the importance of “team building” and “open communication” as ways to rethink cultural differences. One note that stood out was “managing time,” which fits perfectly with Lewis’s model.
How to manage differences
Corey shares, “When managing cultural differences in the workplace, it’s important to remember that time is treated very differently around the world. For example, time in countries like Germany and Switzerland is stuck rigidly to – being a minute late for something is considered bad. To a lesser extent, time is kept this way in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. However, for Southern Europeans – notably Spaniards and Italians – and Arabs, time is fluid, and a meeting time is generally suggestive rather than accurate. This is the same in Latin culture as well, influenced by Spanish and Portuguese colonists.”
Corey continues, “East Asians, on the other hand, generally have a cyclical view of time, meaning that they see the same opportunities coming around again, so also have less urgency than Northern European and North American (exempting Mexican) cultures.”
She concludes, “What does this mean for your business? You’ll need to either make it very clear what you expect in terms of timekeeping, and be patient if it takes some people a while to adjust to, or be flexible yourself with time.”
