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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects Example 3: Gifts - resolution • While gifts in Germany are usually only made on special occasions, social relationships without a constant exchange of gifts are unthinkable in other countries. Gifts, whether suitable or not, symbolise the quality of relationships. It is less important as to what is given as a gift and whether it seems useful to the recipient than the value of the gift and its implied intention. • It might also be the case that the African relatives don’t want to embarrass the wealthy Germans with lesser gifts, but rather want to achieve an equal exchange and therefore an equal relationship. • To a lesser extent gifts also have a different significance in European countries, depending on the region. Opposing principles • orchestration ↔ authenticity Recommended course of action • The denial of gifts is usually considered an offence; this also applies to not bringing a gift when being invited. • The “economical” party should adapt to the situation and consider the symbolic character. In closer relationships an open discussion may also be advisable. Those who donate abundantly should know that this is not a common practice everywhere and that they could actually embarrass others, if they feel that they haven’t got an (appropriate) gift in return. Example 4: Missed meetings - resolution • Depending on the culture, the family is more or less important. In some regions the intensive contacts are limited to the core family, while in other countries even very distant relatives are considered important members of the family. The cohesion is very important, particularly in places, where there’s no state insurance system. • This particularly applies to celebrations in connection with death and mourning. It is essential that all relatives are present, and in many cases the deceased have to be buried on own grounds. • Depending on the culture, the social factor, thus the family or the job, is valued more highly. • While Germans might be considered “unsocial” due to their fewer family ties and the high priority given to the job, they in turn might assume that the other side is workshy and unreliable. Opposing principles • family ↔ job Recommended course of action: • The different priorities should be accepted as far as possible. Members of cultures with a lesser significance of family should consider the possibility that the other side is not acting out of unreliability. • In the abovementioned example the Spaniard might also be under intense pressure from his family. • Sometimes the appropriate measure involves a compromise, e.g. searching for alternative meeting dates. Set of Methods 161
TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe 162 Part II Example 5: Project with Ukraine - resolution • The group might not be up to the task, but cannot find a way of expressing its incapability. This may be due to the politeness code, which prohibits a direct response to more senior or superior people. In contrast, the other side will expect the problem to be addressed directly. • Another possibility is that the group is waiting for more precise instructions, yet considers it impolite to inquire directly. Members of the group may only be used to act upon direct instructions, while the other side assumes a more substantial independence of the team. Opposing principles • hierarchy ↔ Team orientation • indirect ↔ direct communication Recommended course of action • It helps the German side to maintain in constant contact and to continuously inquire whether everything is running according to plan. It should keep in mind though that a statement such as “everything is fine” should not be taken literally and that sometimes detailed questions substantiate clear answers. • In the run-up to a meeting it could also prove helpful to familiarise with work habits and hierarchies or to discuss these matters with an appropriate contact person. Example 6: Time schedule for an international group – resolution • The reason for the conflict lies in the different understanding of time. In some cultures every appointment is precisely understood as such, while in other cultures 10 o’clock means 12 o’clock and the 15th of November refers to the end of the year. This is taken into account by all members of the same culture, but may cause misunderstandings on an intercultural level. • While punctuality is socially accepted in one culture, it implies being a slave of time in others. • Moreover, there are differences regarding work methods. In some cultures tasks are successively processed and submitted at an exact point of time (monochromic understanding of time). In other cultures tasks are processed in a parallel way, where the time of completion is less important (polychromic understanding of time). • While the Germans in the case study above think the Greek are lazy, the Greek might assume that the Germans are petty-minded and want to take everything into their own hands. Opposing principles • polychromic ↔ monochromic understanding of time Recommended course of action • In this case it would be helpful to familiarise oneself with the customs of the other side and not to take the behaviour of others personally. While making appointments, it would also make sense to discuss whether these refer to specific points in time or time periods.
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Part II Set of Methods Chapter 1 De
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Working with Older Volunteers in Ma
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Products and results • • •
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The objective of the evaluation was
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Homepage of the TRAMP database Work
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• • Working with Older Voluntee
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Preface - About this guideline Topi
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Topic language and culture 1. Langu
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7. Domestic Situation Working with
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Manual work as a Means of Education
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Language / Communication Working wi
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Intercultural Learning Working with
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Preface “Methods” There are man
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Methods of Planning Process Plannin
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