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Chapter III: The examination of the significance of culture shock in the group of Polish
professionals entering British business environment
3.1 Research methodology and procedure
The aim of this study was to examine the phenomenon of culture shock and propose
some recommendations for a Polish professional who would be thinking about coming to live
and work in the UK. The main objectives of the study were to: (1) determine to what extent
Polish professionals in Britain experience culture shock; (2) examine the factors and barriers
influencing the adaptation process; (3) investigate the cultural differences between Poland and
the United Kingdom; (4) identify pieces of advice related to dealing with cultural shock; (5)
compare the results of the study with the views presented in the literature.
In order to meet the objectives the quantitative research method in a form of a survey
was employed. The survey contained also some open-ended questions and allowed for
providing additional comments. The survey was created by means of Survey Monkey - online
survey generator. Then, the link was generated and sent off to the respondents through social
media, namely, Facebook and LinkedIn, and Internet forums. The target group for the survey
included members of networking organizations specifically Polish Professionals in London,
Polish Professionals Forum, Polish Business Link, Polish Sabbath and others individuals -
highly educated specialists from various fields as well self-employed specialists and business
owners.
The survey was conducted from 10th
of February until 10th
of March 2014. The
description of the results was in most cases presented graphically for better readability. The
survey questionnaires appears in appendix 2.
3.2 Data analysis
As far as respondent characteristics is concerned, 103 people took part in a survey: 43
males and 57 females, 3 people skipped the question about the sex. The age of the
respondents ranged from 21 to 40 years (with one respondent of 57 years old) with an average
age of 32 years old. The majority of the respondents (42) were never married, 32 were
married, 18 were living together, 4 were divorced or separated and 1 widowed. The
considerable number of survey participants chose London as their place of residence (29).
Another notable places included Edinburgh (8) , Glasgow (5), Bristol (4), Manchester (4).
Many respondents wrote simply UK or Scotland as their place of residence.
Educational background of the respondents
Figure 6. Survey question 1. Source: own elaboration
The first question of the survey concerned the educational background of the
respondents before their coming over to the UK. The respondents were allowed to choose
only one answer. As shown in figure 6, the majority of the respondents attained higher level
of education: 55% had master degree, 24% possessed bachelor degree, 4% graduated from
polytechnic and 2% got a PhD degree. 14% of the survey participants declared graduation
from secondary school and only 1% from primary school. Some additional responses
provided by the respondents included: College of further education; I came as part of
Erasmus programme to finish off my BA, First year of university, Technical college.
English proficiency before coming over to the UK
Figure 7. Survey question 2. Source: own elaboration
The respondents were further asked about their English proficiency before the arrival
to the UK. They were allowed to choose only one answer. As may be seen from the figure 7,
the percentage of the all responses is quite similar. According to the survey, 23% of the
respondents declared to be fluent in English before their coming over to the UK. The same
percentage of people (23%) claimed the advanced command of English, followed by a 22% of
a respondents with intermediate level and 16% with upper-intermediate level. Only 10%
selected lower-intermediate and 7% declared to be beginners in terms of English before their
coming over to the UK. The results for English proficiency correspond to the results for
educational background. Well-educated survey participants identified themselves with a good
knowledge of English even before their arrival to the UK.
English proficiency at the moment
Figure 8. Survey question 3. Source: own elaboration
The next question concerned the fact how the level of English changed after the time
spent in the UK. The respondents were asked to choose only one answer. The data from the
survey proved that a large majority of the respondents has improved their language
proficiency considerably after the time spent in UK. At the time of the study, 74% of the
respondents claimed to be fluent in English and 21% of the people described their level of
English as advanced. Only 3% assessed their level of English as intermediate and 2% as
upper-intermediate. ‘Beginner’ or ‘lower intermediate’ were not chosen by any number of the
respondents.
Duration of stay in the UK
Figure 9. Survey question 4. Source: own elaboration
The respondents were further asked about their duration of stay in the UK. Here, they
were allowed to choose only one answer. As can be seen from the figure above,
the considerable number of respondents (63%) declared their duration of stay in the UK as
more than 5 years. 24% and 7% have been living in the UK for 3-5 years and 1-2 years
respectively. Only 3% of the survey participants admitted to reside the UK for 6 months-one
year and the same percentage of the respondents (3%) for less than 6 months.
Sector of occupation in Britain
Figure 10. Survey question 5. Source: own elaboration
The next question concerned respondents’ current sector of occupation. They were
allowed to choose only one answer. The respondents had a wide range of options from which
to choose, namely, accountancy and finance, banking and investment, business and
management, education, engineering, health and social care, IT and Information Services,
law, marketing and sales, media and publishing, property and construction, recruitment and
HR, science and pharmaceuticals. As shown in figure 10, all choices were selected at least
three times. The respondents concentrated mainly on financial and business services as
greatest number of respondents revealed their sector of occupation was business and
management (22%), followed by accountancy and finance (13%) and banking and investment
(10%).
Reasons for immigrating to the UK
Figure 11. Survey question 6. Source: own elaboration
The respondents were also asked to select their main reasons for immigrating to the
UK. Stating up to 3 answers was possible. The question listed seven potential reasons for
immigration: a) I couldn’t find work in Poland; b) prospects of higher income; c) career
opportunities; d) I didn’t like living in Poland; e) I felt I needed some change; f) family
reasons; g) educational reasons.
Although financial reasons were among the most often selected answers on this
question (49%), a considerable number of the respondents referred to career opportunities
(54%) and desire for change (33%) as their main motives for migration. The least selected
options were family reasons (15%) and lack of the employment in the home country (11%).
The respondents provided also some additional answers such as: Gaining experience of living
and working outside the home country; Result of extended summer work trip; Far better
tolerance level in British society; Business opportunities; Cultural curiosity; Cultural
reasons: I did not quite fit in in Poland; Personal reasons.
The present data corroborates the statement of Jan Maciejewski (2012),
as mentioned in the theoretical part, about “new immigrants” after 2004 and their goals and
reasons for immigration. It can therefore be stated that Poles who came to Britain after 2004
give high priority to personal and professional development.
Stereotypes about Britain
Figure 12. Survey question 7. Source: own elaboration
When the respondents were asked whether they held many stereotypes about Britain
and the British before living and working in the UK, 47% agreed and 1% strongly agreed, as
shown in figure 7. 30% neither agreed or disagreed, 10% disagreed and 11% strongly
disagreed with this particular statement.
Examples of the stereotypes about English
Figure 13. Survey question 8- Examples of the stereotypes
Subsequently, the survey participants were to choose up to three examples of the
stereotypes related particularly to English people. The respondents were provided with
following examples of the stereotypes: a) English people always say ‘sorry’; b) English
people have tea at 5 o’clock; c) English people are reserved and serious; d) English people are
posh and snobbish; e) English people have a hard time talking about personal matters; f)
English people enjoy queuing; g) English people have specific sense of humour.
Figure 8 shows that the respondents selected the most frequently such examples as: English
people have specific sense of humour (67%), English people are reserved and serious (54%),
English people have tea at 5 o’clock (44%). Some additional responses were also provided:
Direct and sincere feedback is very hard to get; Brits always say they are happy with the
results.
Change in view of the stereotypes
Figure 14. Survey question 9. Source: own elaboration
Accordingly, 41% of the respondents agreed and nearly 6% strongly agreed that their
view of those stereotypes changed since they have been living and working in Britain as
presented in figure 14. However, 22% disagreed and nearly 6% strongly disagreed with the
statement. Additionally, 23% neither agreed or disagreed.
Living in the UK is different than living in Poland
Figure 15. Survey question 10. Source: own elaboration
In this questions, the respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with
the statement provided. The majority of respondents agreed (50%) or strongly agreed (43%)
that living in the UK is different than living in Poland. 7% of the respondent neither agreed or
disagreed. ‘Disagree or strongly disagree’ was not chosen by any number of the respondents.
Cultural differences in living in the UK
Figure 16. Survey question 11. Source: own elaboration
The next question concerned the cultural differences between Poland and the UK.
Figure 16 shows that the majority of the respondents (77%) reported arranging official matters
as the main difference. The next apparent differences included going out (52%) and running
household (31%). Some additional responses of the survey participants were as follows:
British people are significantly less conservative and less religious than Poles. In a wake of
that LGBT community enjoys equal rights and women have right to abortion; In UK there is
very different approach to life – more empowered to make a change; Existence of hidden
racism; Respecting law and order; People are more open-minded and don't criticize others as
much as they do in Poland.
These results are consistent with Hofstede’s dimensions which were applied in
theoretical part to Poland and United Kingdom. Additional comments of the respondents
support the idea of low power distance index in the UK vs. relatively high power distance in
Poland and considerable differences in uncertainty avoidance index.
Working in Poland vs. working in the UK
Figure 17. Survey question 12. Source: own elaboration
In this questions, the respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with
the statement provided: Living in the UK is different than living in Poland. The vast majority
of the respondents agreed (62%) and strongly agreed (25%) with the statement. However, 5%
disagreed and 2% strongly disagreed, while 6% neither agreed or disagreed with it.
Cultural differences in working in the UK
Figure 18. Survey question 13. Source: own elaboration
When asked about the differences in terms of work & business, most of the
respondents noted: communication style (66%), business etiquette (51%) and level of
formality (37%). Respondents provided also some additional comments: [In Britain]It is
much easier to start and work as self-employed. National Insurance Contributions are much
lower; It's easier to set up and run a company; There is safe system of work; In UK you are
valued for your skills, for being a team player, for your personality; in Poland you are valued
for your degrees, diplomas and who you know; Existence of short red tape in Poland, People
are more open-minded and less noisy than in Poland; Work culture is different.
Culture shock
Figure 19. Survey question 14. Source: own elaboration
The survey participants were asked whether they experienced culture shock when they
started to live and work in the UK. The most striking result to emerge from the data provided
is that merely 35 % of the respondents agreed and 5% of them strongly agreed that they
actually did experience culture shock, whereas 25% neither agreed or disagreed, as presented
in figure 14. In contrast, 23% disagreed and 12% strongly disagreed about the occurrence of
the culture shock in their personal and work life. These results seem to be inconsistent with
the literature which considers the phenomenon of the culture shock as an inevitable part of
the foreign encounter.
Culture shock feelings
Figure 20. Survey question 15. Source: own elaboration
Survey participants were also asked about their feelings associated with culture shock.
They were allowed to choose up to three answers. As shown in figure 20, the most frequently
chosen words were uncertainty (48%), homesickness (46%), and surprise (42%). Anxiety was
chosen by merely 27% of the respondents what calls into question the overall established
view of culture shock, proposed by Kalervo Oberg (1954), which holds that culture shock is
primarily anxiety-oriented. The least chosen responses were confusion (17%) and frustration
(13%). The respondents provided also some additional responses such as: curiosity,
excitement. positive surprise and happiness. 14 respondents reported that none of above-
mentioned feelings relate to them.
Culture shock stages
Figure 21. Survey question 16. Source: own elaboration
The next question regarded the stages of culture shock currently experienced by the
respondents. The respondents were provided with following options: a) Honeymoon or tourist
stage. During this phase the differences between the two cultures appear exciting to you ;
b) Disorientation stage. During this phase, you start experiencing culture-related problems
and you find them bothering ; (c) Recovery stage, during which you develop effective
problem solving skills that enable you to function better in the new culture. (d) Adjustment
stage – you adapt to living in the new environment by developing new habits and routines.
When asked about the phase of the culture shock currently experienced, 47% of the
respondents declared to be at the stage of adjustment, 15% pass the recovery stage and 5%
experience honeymoon stage. Over one third of all respondents (32%) said that none of
above-mentioned stages apply to them.
Culture shock factors
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total Average
Ranking
cultural
distance
12.37%
12
19.59%
19
7.22%
7 12.37%
12
12.37%
12
14.43%
14
21.65%
21
97 3.77
individual
traits
14.43%
14 29.90%
29
11.34%
11
14.43%
14
14.43%
14
11.34%
11
4.12
4
97 4.65
host attitudes
and
perceptions
6.19%
6
14.43%
14 31.96%
31
24.74%
24
8.25%
8
9.28%
9
5.15%
5
97 4.37
social support 5.15%
5
7.22%
7
13.40%
13
20.62%
20
13.40%
13 16.49%
16
23.71%
23
97 3.26
motivation 7.22%
7
9.28%
9
13.40%
13
17.53%
17 26.80%
26
16.49%
16
9.28%
9
97 3.66
previous
experience
5.15%
5
7.22%
7
14.43%
14
5.15%
5
15.46%
15
24.74%
24 27.84%
27
97 2.96
foreign
language 49.48%
48
12.37%
12
8.25%
8
5.15%
5
9.28%
9
7.22%
7
8.25%
8
97 5.33
Figure 22. Survey question 17. Source: own elaboration
In question 17, the respondents were asked to rate the importance of different factors
which influence the process of adaptation to a foreign culture. It is apparent from the ranking
presented in figure 22 that the most important factor, identified by approximately half of the
respondents, was foreign language. Based on the number of respondents, the next four most
important factors influencing the process of adaptation to a foreign culture were: individual
traits, host attitudes and perceptions, cultural distance and motivation. The least important
determinants identified by the respondents included social support and previous experience.
Barriers to cross cultural communication and relations
Figure 23. Survey question 18. Source: own elaboration
When asked about the barriers to cross cultural communication and relations, the
respondents enumerated language (33%) as well as beliefs, values and attitudes (29%) as the
most challenging ones. These barriers were followed by misinterpretations/stereotypes (20%)
and stress resulting from intercultural communication (13%). Non-verbal communication was
noted by only 5% of the respondents.
Return to Poland
Figure 24. Survey question 18. Source: own elaboration
The respondents were asked whether they are planning to return to Poland. About 37%
of the respondents were not sure, while 31% said ‘no’. Only 11% declared their willingness to
return to the home country.
Question 20 was an open-ended. Here, the respondents were asked to provide 3 pieces
of advice (based on their experience) related to avoiding suffering from culture shock. The
answers provided by the respondents have been arranged into the themes and modified at
times to facilitate comprehension.
Language
Learn fluent English
Work on your accent
Develop your communication skills
Observe and listen carefully to the native speakers
Do not afraid to speak
Watch TV, listen to radio, read press in English
Try to think like an Englishman
Behaviour
Believe in yourself, your own capabilities and potential
Be open-minded and open to new experiences
Keep a positive attitude and be ready for new challenges
Be determined to reach your goals
Be professional and honest
Do not stereotype
Smile as the sense of humour is really valued in Britain
Never be direct, always add ‘please’
Respect law and order
Respect people with different beliefs, sexual orientation or colour of the skin
Have work ethic
Do not sell yourself short
Reject racism and intolerance
Think like a child: learn with no expectations, live the moment
Do not complain
Be patient; give yourself time to adapt
Value your time
Go with the flow
Treat others like you wish to be treated
Develop professionally; take part in courses, volunteering
If you are good at your job, no one will care that you are Polish or any other
nationality
Interactions:
Do not isolate from the foreign environment
Integrate with the local community
Try to socialize; make friends with the local people
Try to join social groups
Do not close into ‘Polish ghetto’
Do not be afraid to ask your British colleagues for advice
Keep in touch with your family and friends back home
Talk to other emigrants
Try to meet new people who can help you with your career
Find a mentor or a person who can guide you through your career
Seek to create a mixed circle of friends
Pre-departure
Do the research before you come to the UK
Have a realistic plan
Do not create high expectations at the beginning
Be prepared to be surprised or shocked
Come to the UK for internship or seasonal work to test how you like it
Talk to someone who already lives in a country
Decide what you want to do and how you are going to achieve this
Get to know the host culture and social behaviors
Familiarize with the employment law and rights of the employee
Speak to other Polish people on forums to find out what is it like to live in UK
Cultural differences
Learn customs
Be aware of the cultural differences and sensitivities
Get to know the host culture and social behaviors
Do not worry about first few blunders you will inevitably make
Do not compare by saying; ‘We do things differently’
Do not assume that the Polish way of doing things is superior
Leave ‘Polish messianism’ behind
Do not give up your cultural background
Learn from the natives; do not try to change them
Accept that foreigners are different
Listen, observe, experience the foreign culture
Be prepared to be more relaxed and less ‘down to the point’ – what is straightforward
business language in Poland, comes off as rude in the UK–and what is polite can be
seen as overly official
You will never fit in, maybe your children or grandchildren do, but you will be lost
generation
Practicality
Consider the cost of living
Have enough money to start with
Consider further education
In the final part of the survey, the respondents were provided with the opportunity to
add some additional comments related to the topic of the survey. Some of the comments
included:
Before I came to Scotland in 2004 I had heard the terminology "culture shock" but I did not appreciate
the true meaning of it, until I settled in Glasgow. I could not believe that drivers can be so polite and
always give way to others. When I started doing this from time to time when I would visit my family
back in Poland, Polish drivers would look at me in disbelief and think that there was something wrong
with me, or just ignore my politeness failing to thank me. The friendliness of Scots is visible not only in
driving. Strangers often smile at me for no particular reason. In Poland, when you smile at someone,
they usually suspect you of having some sort of hidden agenda. Other positive aspects of my culture
shock concern life in general being easier in Scotland than in Poland in terms of better roads, strong
community spirit, well organised and helpful state and local governments. I come to the conclusion that
my culture shock was generally a very positive experience apart from couple exceptions. One concerns
food. The majority of food in Poland is organic. In the UK, you need to pay high premium to get quality
food. Poland is full of local small shops, whereas Scotland seems to be taken over by supermarkets and
chain shops. So called high streets in little towns and villages as well as farmers markets are bound for
extinction, while they remain to thrive in Poland. The other exception concerns general lack of
understanding of Polish culture in British workplace. My British colleagues always complain that Poles
speak fast, direct and sometimes appear to be aggressive and argumentative. To me, this is just how
Poles are brought up by the Polish system. If you want to say something, you just do it. In Poland you
do not cover it with polite phrases that make your communication long and hide the true sense. Your
comments are short, dry and to the point, while in Scotland, it is much longer, very polite, sometimes
vague due to too many words. So this is one thing I had to learn the hard way at work - adopt British
way of communicating both orally and in writing and even after 10 years of living in the UK, I find it
hard not to offend oversensitive Brits.
I had prepared myself for foreign encounter before I came to London. I did some extensive research
about British and their culture and set realistic expectations – these steps helped me to turn culture
shock into a truly positive experience
I find previous experience and knowing the language vital; I first came to the UK in 2005 and had a
terribly hard time adjusting to the English way of life, so much so that I returned to Poland the next
year and finished my studies in Warsaw . During and after my studies, however, I lived abroad in a few
more countries, including places in North America, and when I returned to the UK for the second time,
in 2011, I suddenly discovered I had no trouble adjusting, I picked up on the subtle differences in verbal
and non-verbal communication very quickly; I found England a lot more similar to Poland than the US
but realized that it also had those qualities which I appreciate about Anglo-Saxon culture (a certain
lack of formality and a friendly politeness in everyday interactions) and ended up feeling much more at
ease in London than I do in Poland these days.
In UK your skills, knowledge and attitude, being a team player and change maker are more important
than in Poland. In Poland the biggest value is placed on diplomas, certificates etc. (aka PAPERS!) and
who you know in UK hierarchy in a work place almost doesn't exist; in Poland hierarchy is very strong
etc.
The biggest culture shock was not from the local populace but from people deeply situated in their
former significantly different culture
I did not have any prejudice against British people before coming to the UK. However I did experience
a lot of negative attitudes towards me. Especially this is visible in business. Being a successful w
woman and a foreigner is not always easy.
3.3 Research results and implications
The study shows that majority of Polish Professionals in Britain constitutes highly
educated specialists from various fields in their thirties who have been residing the biggest
cities in the UK (including London and Edinburgh). They are characterized by English
fluency and concentrated on their personal and career development.
Contrary to the expectations, merely 40% of the respondents agreed that they experienced
culture shock at the beginning of their stay in the UK. Over one third of Polish professionals
did not find it applicable to their personal experience and a one quarter neither agreed or
disagreed whether they experienced it. A possible explanation for this might be the lack of the
adequate name for culture shock. The term generates merely negative connotations (e.g.
crisis, alienation, state of anxiety, depression, stress, shock) and it is frequently associated
with the ‘disease model’ overused in the previous literature, as mentioned in the theoretical
part. However, as study shows only 27% of the respondents linked culture shock with anxiety
and 13% identified it with frustration. It is interesting to note that the considerable number of
the Poles participating in the study associated culture shock with the positive feelings such as
surprise, curiosity, excitement and happiness manifesting thus the ‘growth model’ of culture
shock. There are, however, other possible explanations for these results. The degree to which
culture shock occurs depends on a variety of factors. The most considerable ones, as pointed
out by the respondents of the survey, constitute foreign language fluency and individual traits
(e.g. age, resourcefulness, independence, determination). Thus, it may be that some Polish
professionals in Britain did not experience culture shock or did experience it only to some
degree due to their education, high English language proficiency and individual traits. It may
also be explained by differences between Polish and British cultures. The study shows that
Polish professionals in Britain find many aspects of the British culture and business culture as
more favourable comparing to home country. As some of the survey respondents point out:
“People in Britain are less conservative and more open-minded” ; “In Britain it’s easier to set
up and run a company” etc. For this reason, as it may be inferred, Polish professionals
experienced little culture shock or are unaware of its occurrence.
As regards stages of culture shock, it is worth pointing out that one third of the survey
respondents did not identify themselves with any stage provided. It may indicate that the large
number of the respondents did not follow the predictable order of culture adaptation proposed
i.a. by Karl Oberg but rather experienced it individually at different rates. This finding seems
to be consistent with Pedersen theory which states that, “Culture shock is a profoundly
personal experience. It does not affect all people in the same way
or even the same person in the same way when it reoccurs” (Pedersen 1995, VII).
As the study shows, Polish professionals in Britain may face many challenges while
entering British environment. However, they enumerated various pieces of advice on how to
cope in British environment. The respondents were rather optimistic about living and working
in Britain and concentrated specifically on such issues as: English fluency, socialisation with
host culture members, openness to new experiences and familiarisation with new culture.
Conclusions
This paper examines the phenomenon of culture shock from the perspective of its
possible impact on Polish professionals in Britain who entered the country in and after 2004.
The study set out to analyze the role of culture shock and to compare business cultures in
Poland and Britain in order to reveal their relation to nowadays’ cross-cultural experiences.
The theoretical part of this paper was designed to provide a background to culture shock and
other related concepts, whereas the practical part aimed to form recommendations on dealing
with culture shock for Polish professionals who consider living and working in Britain.
The study confirms the hypothesis that both the ‘disease model’ and the ‘growth
model’ should be applied in developing strategies for coping with culture shock, and that
these models ought not to be considered separately, but rather as a combination of their
specific features. Undoubtedly, culture shock may be connected with stress and uncertainty
arising from the unknown, however, it may also serve as a positive factor in cross cultural
adaptation. The previous literature tried to simplify the course of the culture shock by
presenting it as linear and ordered, nevertheless, the process seems to be more complex and
each individual may experience it differently. As far as the target group of the study is
concerned, it may be stated that such factors as age, individual traits, education, English
language proficiency and, primarily, the favorable British work culture contribute to Polish
professionals in Britain experiencing little culture shock and adapting to the foreign culture
successfully. The most significant differences between both cultures in question include: high
uncertainty avoidance index in Poland vs. low uncertainty index in Britain, excessive
politeness of the British vs. straightforwardness of Poles; normative and self-contained culture
in Poland vs indulgent and quite pragmatic culture in Britain. Even though the difference
between the blunt, direct communication style of Poles and the reserved, understated and
indirect communication of the British may constitute the greatest challenge, Poles fit in well
into the polite and well-ordered British culture.
Moreover, one of the aims of the research was to provide advice for Polish
professionals entering British culture. The most interesting outcomes include, “Do not isolate
yourself in the Polish minority” ; “Quit comparing both cultures by saying: ‘We do things
differently’”; “Drop the messianistic ideas of Poland” ; “Prepare to be surprised or shocked” ;
“Be patient, give yourself time to adapt” ; “Create no high expectations at the beginning”.
Despite the high response rate, the most important limitation of the study lies in its
quantitative nature. Although the survey contains several open ended questions and allows
for additional comments, it does not concentrate on an individual experience. Thus, it may be
stated that the qualitative comments are the source of the most important data and that at this
point interviews or case studies would prove more effective.
It may be stated that more research is needed to allow better understanding of the
nature of culture shock in British environment as well as its negative and most importantly
positive consequences. It would be interesting to compare the experiences of individuals
within the same target group.
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