I have already experienced it during the two years I spent in Australia. This was not the case during my shorter work stays in Italy and Spain. However, I think my sudden termination of my stay in Portugal was also due to culture shock. Although I enjoyed life in Lisbon and had built up a great social network there, I was not happy with the work culture. In fact, this experience had such an impact on me that I decided to study business psychology at the University of Bremen afterwards.
What exactly is culture shock?
Culture shock is triggered by negative experiences abroad and usually does not occur immediately, but only after a certain amount of time. At the beginning, enthusiasm usually prevails, but when everyday life sets in, the negative aspects of the foreign culture become apparent. This can then lead to a more or less pronounced culture shock.
If this crisis can be overcome, adaptation to the foreign culture usually follows, often followed by a more differentiated view of the local culture. However, this also increases the likelihood that, in the event of a return trip and after initial enthusiasm, a reintegration crisis will occur again in the home country.
What influences culture shock?
Whether and how severe the culture shock will be depends on various factors:
- Your own ability to cope with stress
- The perceived discrepancy between the home culture and the host culture
- The extent of the change in life in terms of role expectations and task fulfillment
- The loss of status
- The perceived helplessness measured by the degree of integration efforts
and yet experienced failures
- The presence of social support
- The strength of homesickness
- If the stay abroad is involuntary
- Depending on the expected length of the stay
Which areas of life are affected by culture shock?
How and where someone experiences culture shock and for what reasons varies from person to person. Your own values certainly play a major role here and the extent to which they can be lived in the host country. Furthermore, my work experience in Portugal shows that culture shock can only affect certain areas of life. For example, only in the work area, but not in private life, or vice versa.
The importance of culture shock for managers and HR staff
Even though the term culture shock is usually used to describe crises during stays abroad, it can also occur when changing jobs. Here, too, it can be assumed that initial enthusiasm will prevail at the beginning. However, if the new employee now realizes that the rules and processes in the new company differ from their previous company and they have to struggle with adjustment difficulties, this comes very close to a culture shock. This is exacerbated if the rules, structures, processes and values are unclear, opaque or paradoxical. However, with a sensitized onboarding and appropriately trained managers, the employee can be well supported in his crisis, in contrast to the foreigner who is left to his own devices. Alternatively, a business coach can also help.
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