RICHARD LEWIS:
WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE:
LEADING ACROSS CULTURES
3. Categorizing Cultures
CATEGORIZING CULTURES
 Richard
 The
Lewis’ professional background
main aspects of the Lewis model
 Give
examples of strongly L-A, M-A and R
cultures.
 How
does the author’s colour coding
underscore his main points?
 According
to Richard Lewis, why is it
necessary to categorize cultures?
THE LEWIS MODEL


Study pages 8-9 in the Compendium (= handout)
and pick out 10-15 traits about each of the three
types of cultures that you think distinguish the
different categories from each other.
How does Mr Lewis explain some of the regional
variations within the linear/multi-active
categories?

How does he categorize the Swedish, British and
Finnish cultures?

Discuss his placement of the cultures of India,
Canada and Belgium.
INTERCATEGORY COMPARISONS



According to Mr Lewis, how do members of the
three main categories interact with one another?
Explain what is meant by ”the relative
positioning of each culture”. How does the author
defend the juxtaposition of such highly different
cultures as Italy and Russia?
In what ways can a LMR Personal Cultural
Profile assessment be helpful?
FINE-TUNING CATEGORIZATION




What other factors are important when assessing
a person’s cultural profile?
To what extent has globalization had an effect on
the categorization of cultures?
What does Mr Lewis mean by the expression
”cultural hybrids”?
The author also classifies cultures according to
the way they gather information. Explain.
EVALUATION OF THE LEWIS MODEL
 On
page 42 in his book (page 17 in the
Compendium), Richard Lewis outlines the
advantages of his model. What are his main
points?
 Do
you see any disadvantages of this kind of
cultural categorization?
(What are your reactions to the stories about
Sven and Antonio playing tennis and the
German and French tourists visiting an
aviary in South Africa?)