Do you remember the little clown fish Nemo from Disney’s “Finding Nemo”? The movie is from 2003 and therefore almost 20 years old. Yes, time flies!

If we were to go back to Nemo and his friends and we asked them to explain to us what saltwater is like, they would not have a clue what we are talking about. Or they might and start giving us some pretty arbitrary explanations. But how can that be? They are in it every single day. They must know the difference between saltwater and freshwater, right?

Let’s look into why it is so difficult for Nemo and his friends and also see how it applies to you.

Why Nemo Can’t Explain Saltwater

Little Nemo has no clue what we are talking about. Saltwater is everywhere, every day and always has been from the day he was born. What else could there be? What does he have to compare it to? Let’s say we get a chance to explain to Nemo the concept of saltwater and describe it to him. The best for him to compare and describe it, is for him to expose himself to freshwater. But Nemo wouldn’t be able to stay in freshwater long enough to tell what it’s like on the other side and how it compares. So he decides freshwater is bad and no one should go there. Everyone should just always stay in saltwater. It’s much better there anyway. Such a shame because there are so many great things to see and experience in freshwater too!

Don’t Be Like Nemo

By now you have likely realized the parallel I am drawing between water and culture: the mostly invisible aspect of our environment we are immersed in daily. We are so immersed in our own culture (national, geographical, company, team), we don’t even realize it exists. In a sense it’s similar to oxygen and we can easily remove all the oxygen and see how crucial it is for people’s survival. For better or for worse, we cannot remove culture from our environment and create a cultural vacuum. If we could, it would show us how much of an impact it has on our life. Oxygen might be the foundation for life but the culture we live in dictates how we live our lives.

Now lucky for us, we are in a much better situation than Nemo. We can actually travel and experience other cultures. There’s a lot more variety and nuance when it comes to culture than a rather simple dichotomy of freshwater and saltwater and it finally lets us see the differences – granted, not all seawater is the same and there is a lot of variety too. You have different oceans, different marine life, shallow waters, deep waters, coral reefs etc. 

What are key characteristics of our own culture? Well, now that we have been able to explore and – more importantly – experience other cultures, we can use concrete aspects and dimensions to compare.

Which One Is Better?

If we were to ask which one is better? Freshwater fish or saltwater fish? It is fairly easy to see that it is not a particularly wise question. Freshwater fish do well in freshwater and saltwater fish do well in saltwater. It’s not that one is better than the other but they are both adjusted for the environment they are in.

Now, the big difference between our metaphor and culture is that fish do not influence if the water around them is freshwater or saltwater. However, we as humans can influence the culture around us. Our culture shapes us but we also shape our culture. 

Culture is often seen only on a large scale when we talk about different countries. But every small group of people has its own culture. Every single family has it, every school, every company, too. For that reason, we have already discussed how you can harness cultural diversity especially in the workplace.

Let Me Introduce You To Brackish Water

With such an increase in diversity, it is obvious that we will no longer have only freshwater fish or only saltwater fish. It is more as if more freshwater rushes from the rivers into the oceans and creates more and more brackish water. Depending on where you are in the brackish water, you might be fine being a freshwater fish while on the other end you are probably better off being a saltwater fish. It is never black or white but a spectrum, and that is really important to understand.

Let’s say you work at a Japanese subsidiary of an international firm. What culture is dominant? The culture of the country where the HQ is or Japan? Well, it often depends. The higher up the hierarchy you go, the more “international” it often gets. The closer to the genba (you are close to the genba, right?) you go, the more “Japanese” it gets.

What To Do?

It is incredibly important to acknowledge that there is rarely only one culture for the company- especially ones spanning across different countries – and all of them are right for the environment they are in. I have worked with multinational companies that had a very “Japanese” culture to them and I have worked with Japanese companies that are very “internationally oriented” in terms of how they run their business.

Here is some advice for you to get started:

Firstly, let’s acknowledge the existence of culture and how it shapes us. Secondly, respect and honor cultures that are different. They have developed that way for a reason.

Thirdly, recognize that you cannot simply force things onto people because “this is a (fill in the country of origin) company”. The same is true the other way around. Just because the company is operating in Japan does not mean all processes and the internal culture have to be perfectly adjusted to and aligned with a traditional Japanese company.

And lastly, harness the power of cultural diversity by encouraging open dialogue, taking your time and by empathizing with the people around you.

Imagine you are a freshwater fish that was just flushed into the ocean. You are still in brackish water but encountering some saltwater fish. Your previous way of going about things won’t work anymore and the same can be said for the saltwater fish. Communicate, learn from each other and create your own culture.

One of the things I personally have enjoyed the most while working in Tokyo for the last decade is learning about other cultures. I have been given the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life and countless countries. What I have learned about other countries, the stories that I have heard and the expectations and standards of different cultures have truly enriched my life. By learning about other cultures you will learn an equal amount about your own. You will also realize that neither you nor your country has the perfect answer for certain things and that there are different ways to go about things. Ask questions, listen and learn.