The Baa Baa Game: Cultures Colliding

As humans Interact In groups, we usually conform to our surrounding culture. The Baa Baa game was a simulation of two separate cultures colliding with one another and experiencing the results first hand. All year we talked and read about the impact of culture, but its impact is not really understood until experienced personally. There is a complex series of emotions and communication between the cultures, in which can be examined through Hypotheses 5 dimensions.

In this exercise all Individuals were assigned to an Alpha or Beta culture and separated into two rooms.

Each group is introduced to a different set of cultural values, and given a card game associated with their culture. After a brief introduction into their cultures, a random select few switch rooms and indulge into their opposite culture. In the Alpha there was an Alpha wolf, which when playing the game would win every time, regardless. In the Beta culture, they were competitive and focused on trading.

This gave the Idea of an Individualistic culture, where you are what you earn’, and were ranked based on your trades.

So when you started in the Beta culture, everybody started at an equal rank at O trades. However, in the Alpha culture, the males were always automatically ranked socially above females. This set a high power distance in the Alpha culture. The alpha culture was centered all around masculinity, and more specifically, the alpha male. He was the set leader. Hereford had the greatest power distance between people. As I was he alpha male, I had quiet a different experience than everyone else.

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People automatically were somewhat intimidated by my body guards and l. Some people didn’t know what to say to me, and others conformed to our Alpha type culture. The Alphas are a high-context culture, making them touchy, as before you talked to anyone, you tapped him or her on the shoulder or gave a hug. This showed how physical closeness Is Important to someone In the Alpha culture.

Bafa Bafa Alpha Culture Rules

With a low power distance in Beta culture, they were all encouraged to start trading eight away, and compete with one another. This set an even playing field for all participants. However, one big problem was their language barrier. The Beta culture would only communicate in a series of grunts and noises. Which made their task quiet difficult; their mall objective was to trade as many cards as they could. With America being the melting pot of the world, we need to learn how to communicate effectively and efficiently to our diverse culture.

To do this we try to minimize ethnocentrism by also minimizing stereotyping. This exercise is to give us a greater tolerance to understanding of others. Baa Baa was Just an example of 2 very different cultures colliding together. In our world today, we have thousands of cultures living, coexisting on our planet. Showing our cultural differences as a humanity. Everybody wants to be similar in one way or another, but all it takes is a simple perspective change. When put in a diversity program with peers, we realize that we are in this together and face similar challenges.