Values and attitudes

Just like any other culture, Britain is full of paradoxes. On the one hand, the British continue to believe in the values of tradition, caution, restraint and fair play. They support the underdog, tolerate eccentricity (often by ignoring it) and think that taking part is more important than winning. Modesty and politeness are also important to them. This, combined with their zeal for personal privacy, can produce bizarre effects such as a reluctance to say what they actually do in their working life. If asked at a party what he does, a Briton might say, ‘I’m in advertising,’ when in fact he’s the high-performing CEO of a major advertising agency. The Brits believe in life’s little courtesies, such as holding a door open for others, and they provoke astonishment among many visitors by their passion for orderly queuing: they will line obediently up at a bus stop even when a bus isn’t expected for ten minutes!

The British are also famous for their legendary ironic and self-deprecating humour. They find it useful as an ice-breaker at meetings, to defuse tension and cover potentially embarrassing moments. The difficulty for visitors is that they just don’t get what’s being said, or, even worse, take it literally. Britons working internationally, or dealing with foreign clients in their own country, should develop more awareness of this pitfall and modify what they’re saying or writing accordingly.

What has changed in Britain in recent decades is that the country has become much more informal in its social and business customs, and has shed much of its former respect for institutions, title and age. In this it follows the American model. People use first names very quickly, even to bosses, and the words ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ are now mainly used only by sales assistants in shops. Respect is now earned more by what you achieve than by your rank or your age. In this Britain has again adopted the American model. Britons do, however, maintain a generally high level of respect for the law and for procedures. This largely explains the absence of corruption in British business and politics, a matter of astonishment to some visitors from cultures where it may be rife.

This combination of tradition and rapid change can make life confusing for the foreigner in Britain. The secret is to watch and listen carefully, and to learn to read between the lines to try and establish what the British are really saying. In this respect Britain is closer to some eastern cultures than western ones. It can take years to fully decipher British codes, but this is also true so of any culture where much of what is truly meant remains unspoken.

Positive values	Negative values
Importance of tradition Importance of restraint Importance f fair play Detachment and humour is important. Politeness and reasonableness is important. Willingness to compromise is important. Self mockery important.	Don’t be a know-it-all. Don’t intrude on privacy. Don’t show emotions too easily. Don’t boast.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16