ALS Distance Volume 2 (Test One)

High & Low

A key distinction between high and low context communication understands WHO assumes responsibility for the message.

Culture General

An approach that emphasizes common aspects and domains of the culture concept, providing individuals with knowledge (concepts, theories, processes, etc.), skills and attitudes that offer broadly-applicable general principles and serve as a framework for culture-specific learning

Culture Specific:

An approach that emphasizes specific aspects of particular cultures, affording individuals much of the knowledge and/or skills necessary to interact more competently with individuals of other cultural backgrounds

Observe Step

Gather information about the landscape, the people, and the activities and review any consequences you experienced from previous actions taken.

Important Note:

Practicing relativism strongly correlates with success in culturally complex environments.

It is a two-part process that includes:

Projection: the image we want others to have of us; and Attribution: how others actually view us. Attribution involves the sub-skills of emotion regulation, self-monitoring, and perceptual acuity.

Cultural Schema

A schema is a cognitive "shortcut" that helps us organize and interpret the vast amount of information that exists in our environment. It is a complex mental diagram or framework for any concept that expands and "builds" whenever we encounter a new aspect of that concept.

high context concepts

High context communication is one in which most of the information is already in the person, whereas a low context communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of information is vested in the explicit code

Act Step

Review the decisions made, actions taken, and results achieved.

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC

Air Force Special Operations Command is responsible to US Special Operations Command for the readiness of Air Force special operations forces to conduct the war on terrorism and to disrupt, defeat, and destroy terrorist networks that threaten the United States, its citizens, and interests worldwide. The command's mission areas include shaping and stability operations, battlefield air operations, information operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), specialized air and space mobility, precision engagement, and agile combat support

Air Mobility Command (AMC

Air Mobility Command provides airlift and aerial refueling for all of America's armed forces. They also provide aeromedical evacuation and Global Reach Laydown (GRL). GRL strategy uses resources from various organizations and brings them together to form those deployed organizations required to achieve the specific objectives of any particular mobility operation. These resources are also used to expand already existing AMC presence or establish AMC presence and infrastructure where none exists. Additionally, AMC has many special-duty and operational support aircraft and plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world.

Geographic Combatant Commands

GCCs are assigned a geographic Area of Responsibility (AOR) within which their missions are accomplished with assigned and/or attached forces. Specific responsibilities of each GCC vary but all GCCs are responsible to: − deter attacks against the United States, its territories, possessions and bases, and employ appropriate force should deterrence fail; and − carry out assigned missions and tasks and plan for and execute military operations, as directed, in support of strategic guidance.

High-Context Communication (HCC) Patterns

High context communications are focused more on status, context of social roles/positions, and nonverbal communications such as pauses, silence, tone, etc. like in the Arabic or Spanish languages.

Holism

Holism means that all the parts of a culture are interconnected and integrated. Therefore, things such as change in one area (women's rights, for example) will affect change in another area (family structure, distribution of income). When observing other cultures or part of another culture, the idea of holism addresses how the different parts fit or interrelate, and how an action you take in one area might provoke a reaction in something else you might never expect.

Behaviors, Core Beliefs and Values

However, as we spend more time with the culture, we start to learn "why" the culture behaves the way they do. Meaning, we begin to learn underlying beliefs, values, and thought patterns of that particular culture.

Decide

In the Decide step, we consider all the courses of action developed and choose one to move forward with based on our options and understanding of the situation. This decision is the product of the data we gathered (Observe) and the understanding we have of the information (Orient). You may decide to act or react a certain way based on the situation and the behaviors that are considered appropriate in that region. On the other hand, you may decide to do nothing. Before deciding on a course of action, we must always question our own assumptions.

Linguistic Competence

Is a speaker's implicit, internalized knowledge of the rules of their native language.

The ____________'s function is it to advise the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with regards to their respective services and provide information to the President and/or the SecDef if requested?

Joint Chiefs of Staff

Who is authorized by the SecDef to exercise Combatant Command authority or operational control over a Joint Task Force?

Joint Force Commander

High Context

LISTENER is responsible for appropriate interpretation of a message

Low-Context Communication (LCC) Patterns

Low context communications are more direct with explicit (exact) expression of verbal messages like in the English and German languages.

Macro-cultures

Macro-cultures are the most powerful or the most widely practiced cultures in a particular society, whether the society is a region or an entire country.

Learning Approaches (Tools and Application) 1

The greatest strength of the culture-general approach lies in the ability to take the foundational concepts and apply them to specific cultural scenarios not previously encountered. Doing so requires individuals to "learn how they learn," and to analyze and draw conclusions from cultural data.

Ethnocentrism:

The human tendency to negatively judge others (cultures, behaviors, values) against our own values and beliefs.

Operational Branch

The operational chain of command is used to employ forces and begins with the President, through the SecDef, and onto the combatant commanders (CCDRs). Orders are normally conveyed to the CCDRs by the CJCS under the authority and direction of the SecDef. Conversely, reports from CCDRs are normally submitted to the SecDef through the CJCS who acts as the spokesman for the CCDRs.

During his in-processing briefing, SrA Holt hears the speaker say, "As a member of the USAF, you are part of a specialized society whose values, beliefs, and behaviors are different from the rest of the people in this country."

The speaker's comments best explain micro-culture, which, according to the Introduction to Culture chapter, is also called a subculture and is a group of people living within a larger society who share cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors that are different from the macro-culture or the rest of society. In addition, people can be members of more than one micro-culture.

Act

The success of the OODA Loop depends on the action(s) selected and taken. In this step, you review what you have decided to do, take action, and then reflect on how you executed your decision. You also reflect on the outcome and the response your actions triggered in others (did you upset or anger anyone? Is the situation better or worse?). Always remember that your actions influence future observations and orientations. If you recall from the Observe step, we review consequences of previous actions.

communication style

The way in which we communicate, a pattern of verbal and nonverbal behaviors that comprises our preferred ways of giving and receiving information in a specific situation. If the message content is the what, and the communicators are the who, then communication style is the how.

Combatant Commands

There are currently nine combatant commands—six are geographically organized and three are functionally organized

Decide Step

Consider courses of action, options, and interpretations; selecting one to use.

Impression Management

Includes emotion regulation, selfmonitoring, and perception acuity.

Micro-cultures

Micro-cultures are also called "subcultures." They are described as a group of people living within a larger society who share values, beliefs, behaviors, status, or interests that are different from the macro-culture or the rest of society. As a member of your ethnic group and work unit, you are part of two micro-cultures.

Low Context

SPEAKER is responsible for communicating meaning of a message

____________ is the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the DoD?

SecDef

Relativism (as a behavior):

Temporarily suspending one's own culturally informed opinion and thinking about how others might interpret or value a situation.

True or False? The ability of the US to achieve its national strategic objectives is dependent on the effectiveness of the US Government employing the instruments of national power.

True

Culture-General Knowledge

Understanding basic concepts like culture, relativism, ethnocentrism, and holism.

Impression Management

is defined as "deliberate and motivated self-presentation."

(Observe, Orient, and Decide)

overlap and occur very quickly. Therefore, it is important to understand each one individually and how one step affects the next.

Leaders at every level can develop cultural perspective taking by recognizing:

- Needs and values of individuals/groups from another culture - Local norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors - How people from another culture will respond to one's own actions/comments - The importance of norms for interaction - How violating cultural norms can negatively impact interactions - The impact of positive cross cultural relations

Communication style includes, how we accomplish the following tasks:

1. Extend an apology. 2. Make a request. 3. Give a compliment. 4. Tell a joke.

Which MAJCOM oversees Air Force network operations to provide capabilities in, through and from cyberspace; manages a global network of satellites, and is responsible for space system development and acquisition?

AF Space Command

Cross-Cultural Competence

Ability to effectively comprehend and act in a culturally complex environment to achieve desired results

Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC

Activated Aug. 7, 2009, this is the Air Force's newest command. AFGSC develops and provides combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations—safe, secure, effective—to support the President of the United States and combatant commanders. AFGSC is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the Air Force's three intercontinental ballistic missile wings, two B-52 Stratofortress wings and the only B-2 Spirit wing. The three weapons systems make up two-thirds of the nation's strategic nuclear triad by providing the land-based and airborne nuclear deterrent forces.

The two distinct chains of command for the armed forces are ____________ and ____________.

Administrative/Operational

Air Combat Command (ACC)

Air Combat Command organizes, trains, equips and deploys combat ready forces to support combatant commanders around the globe. Additionally, ACC provides the air component headquarters to USNORTHCOM, USSOUTHCOM, and USCENTCOM and supports the in-place air components of USEUCOM and USPACOM. ACC also provides air defense forces to North American Aerospace Defense Command. To accomplish the objectives of the National Defense Strategy, ACC operates fighter, attack, bomber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat search and rescue, battle-management, electronic-combat, and unmanned aircraft system platforms. In addition, ACC conducts information operations and provides command, control, communications, and intelligence systems to theater commanders and combat forces.

Air Education and Training Command (AETC)

Air Education and Training Command develops America's Airmen for tomorrow. With a vision to deliver unrivaled air, space and cyberspace education and training, the command recruits Airmen and provides basic military training, initial and advanced technical training, flying training, medical training, space and missile training, cyber training, and professional military and degree-granting professional education. The command also conducts joint, readiness and Air Force security assistance training. AETC sustains the combat capability of the operational Air Force by providing highly trained and motivated Airmen and manages mobility and contingency tasking support for combatant commanders.

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC

Air Force Materiel Command delivers war-winning technology, acquisition support, sustainment, and expeditionary capabilities to the warfighter. AFMC conducts research, development, and test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war

Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC

Air Force Reserve Command provides personnel to augment the active duty community to carry out the warfighting mission with approximately 14% of the total force while spanning a wide variety of missions such as: space, flight testing, special operations, aerial port operations, civil engineering, security forces, intelligence, military training, communications, mobility support, transportation, and services. AFRC also conducts two missions no one else does in the DoD: fixed-wing aerial spray missions to kill mosquitoes in the aftermath of natural disasters and the Hurricane Hunters who monitor hurricanes for the National Weather Service.

Air Force Space Command (AFSPC

Air Force Space Command is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, US Strategic Command, and other combatant commands world-wide. AFSPC oversees Air Force network operations to provide capabilities in, through, and from cyberspace, manages a global network of satellites, and is responsible for space system development and acquisition. The command executes spacelift to launch satellites with a variety of expendable launch systems and operates them to provide space capabilities in support of combatant commanders around the clock. AFSPC also provides positioning, navigation, timing, communications, missile warning, weather and intelligence warfighting support. AFSPC personnel operate sensors that provide direct attack warning and assessment to US Strategic Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command. The command develops, acquires, fields, operates, and sustains space systems and fields and sustains cyber systems

Orient Step

Attempt to make sense of what we see by organizing it in a practical way we find useful.

The OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

By observing other cultures, orienting yourself to these cultures, deciding on appropriate courses of action, and then acting accordingly, you can improve your cultural knowledge.

____________ is the principal military advisor to the President, the National Security Council (NSC), and the SecDef?

Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

____________ operates in supporting roles to provide combatant commanders specialized support and is controlled by Secretary of Defense?

Combat Support Agencies

____________ receives orders from the CJCS under the authority and direction of the SecDef?

Combatant Commanders

Cultural Perspective Taking

Cultural perspective taking is a cognitive process by which an individual is able to identify the thoughts and/or feelings of another culture. It is a tool we have improve our learning approach (from the 3C model) when we are exposed to or working with a culture different from our own.

Culture

Culture is a shared set of traditions, belief systems, and behaviors and is shaped by many factors, including history, religion, politics, and resources (financial, informational, technological, material, energy, warfare, and human).

Included among CSAs are the

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) National Security Agency (NSA) These CSAs provide CCDRs specialized support and operate in a supporting role. Executive authority over these CSAs resides with the SecDef.

Culture-general education

Enhances a service member's ability to recognize when cultural factors exist and determine the appropriate behaviors to implement to achieve desired results.

Motivation (Positive Attitudes)

Perhaps the most essential component of cross-cultural competence is having a positive attitude toward understanding and appreciating cultural differences. Attitude, in this sense, is not just simply having an open mind but includes a thought process that doesn't always come naturally and requires practice.

____________ describes the executive procedures and institutions necessary to manage the US security policy

National Security

Under the chairmanship of the President, ____________ coordinates foreign policy and defense policy, and reconciles diplomatic and military commitments and requirements?

National Security Council

The ____________ Branch of the chain of command is used to employ forces and runs from the President, through the SecDef, to the combatant commanders (CCDRs).

Operational

Which MAJCOM organizes, trains, equips, and maintains resources to conduct a broad spectrum of air operations—from humanitarian relief to decisive combat employment—in DoD's largest area of responsibility?

PACAF

Pacific Air Force (PACAF

Pacific Air Force provides USPACOM integrated expeditionary Air Force capabilities to defend the homeland, promote stability, dissuade/deter aggression, and swiftly defeat enemies. PACAF organizes, trains, equips, and maintains resources prepared to conduct a broad spectrum of air operations—from humanitarian relief to decisive combat employment—in DoD's largest area of responsibility. PACAF also conducts multinational exercises and hosts international exchange events to foster partnerships for regional security and stability

Symbols

Parts of our schemas for particular concepts also serve as symbols. A culture's values and beliefs are often manifested as symbols, which can be visible or invisible. Symbols can be words, objects, and stories that are meaningful to our culture. Symbols are also revealed through logos, hairstyles, sports jerseys, or the cars we drive.

Motivation

Perhaps the most essential element of cross-cultural competence. Having a positive attitude toward cultural differences.

When SSgt Ivey arrived at her deployment location, she immediately began learning about the Air Force mission, the country, and the local culture. She compared what she saw to her own past experiences, traditions, and beliefs and then, after carefully considering her options, she determined her best option was to gather more information before doing anything else. A few days later, she was glad she did, because looking back she realized it helped her interact more effectively with leaders from the local village and that they seemed to appreciate her efforts.

SSgt Ivey's actions illustrate all four steps of the OODA Loop. According to the Introduction to Culture chapter, during the Observe step, we begin collecting data (begins learning about the Air Force mission, the country, and the local culture) like the type of landscape, the sort of people around you, activities going on around you, and reviewing any consequences you experienced from previous actions. During the Orient step we compare what we see to our worldview (compares what she sees to her own past experiences, traditions, and beliefs) and to what is familiar to us like our own culture, past experiences, traditions, values, and beliefs. During the Decide step, we consider all the courses of action (carefully considering her options) and then during the Act step we select a course of action (determined her best option was to gather more information) and then reflect on the outcome and the response of our actions (looking back, she realized it helped her...)

Who has authority of forces such as individuals, units, and detachments for a specific service in order to fulfill that service's support function?

Service Component Commander

Administrative Branch

The administrative chain of command is used to recruit, organize, train, and equip forces. It also begins with the President, through the SecDef, but proceeds to the Secretaries of the military departments.14 The Secretaries exercise administrative control through the commanders of the service component commands assigned to combatant commands. They go through the Service Chiefs (as determined by the Secretaries) for forces not assigned to the combatant commands

The Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) consists of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and the Service Chiefs: US Army Chief of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations, US Air Force Chief of Staff, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The Joint Staff supports the JCS and constitutes the immediate military staff of the SecDef.8 The CJCS is the principal military advisor to the President, the NSC, and the SecDef.9 The other members of the JCS also provide advice if and when requested by the President, NSC, or SecDef. Their main function is to advise the CJCS with regards to their respective service.10 The Commandant of the Coast Guard may be invited by the CJCS or the Service Chiefs to participate in meetings or to discuss matters of mutual interest to the Coast Guard and the other services.

Observe

The Observation step involves focused attention on your environment and gathering information through all five senses. When placed in an unfamiliar setting, you immediately begin collecting data such as the type of landscape, the sort of people around you, how they are dressed, activities going on around you, the time of day, smells, sounds; and you begin reviewing any consequences you experienced from previous actions in a similar environment.

Organization for National Security

The ability of the United States to achieve its national strategic objectives is dependent on the effectiveness of the US Government employing the instruments of national power. These instruments of national power (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) are normally coordinated by the appropriate government officials, often with advice from the NSC. They are the tools the United States use to apply its sources of power, including its culture, human potential, industry, science and technology, academic institutions, geography, and national will.

Relativism (as an attitude):

The conviction that the beliefs and practices of others are best understood in light of the particular cultures where they are found.

US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE

US Air Forces in Europe executes the USEUCOM mission with forward-based air power to provide forces for global operations, ensure strategic access, assure allies, deter aggression and build partnerships. USAFE builds and maintains partnerships, promotes regional stability, provides forces for global operations, supports combatant command missions, sustains forward-based infrastructure, ensures strategic access to US forces, assure allies and deter aggression

____Charged with space operations, information operations, missile defense, global command and control, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

USSTRATCOM

Communication competence

Understanding how to properly communicate in another language or culture.

Culture-general knowledge gives military personnel the ability, with increasing degrees of sophistication to:

• comprehend how cultural factors and background are influencing their interactions and • determine how to adapt their behavior and expectations to achieve desired effects despite any emotional and/or professional reactions to the situation or possible solutions.

Orient

We begin this step by first attempting to make sense of what we are observing by categorizing (organizing) the data in a practical way that is useful to us. This is where your schemas take over, since we do this by comparing what we see to our worldview and what is familiar to us in our own culture, past experiences, traditions, values, and beliefs. This natural action helps us interpret the current situation and surroundings and is fundamental as we develop courses of action. Also, remember to minimize ethnocentrism, practice relativism, and think of holism when orienting to the cultural environment.

Behaviors and symbols

When we first enter a new culture, we see only those behaviors and symbols that are apparent or above the water.

Stereotypes

a fixed or distorted generalization about all members of a particular group that share a particular diversity.

Culturally competent Airmen have a clear understanding of their own biases. They also have the ability to:

• suspend personal biases/judgments • recognize their own and others' patterns that point to values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations • see 'reality' through the eyes of members of other cultures and to adjust their behavior to achieve positive influence and results.

national security

is a collective term encompassing both national defense and foreign relations of the United States, but it wasn't until 1943, during World War II, that the term "national security" came into full usage in US political discourse. Since the end of World War II, each administration has sought to develop and perfect a reliable set of executive procedures and institutions to manage national security policy. Congress stepped into the debate by passing the National Security Act in 1947, which, among other things, created the National Security Council (NSC) under the chairmanship of the President to coordinate foreign policy and defense policy and to reconcile diplomatic and military commitments and requirements. The next precedent came in 1972 when the Nixon administration made official statements of National Security Strategy (NSS) in a State of the World Report.

Linguistic Competence

is a speaker's implicit, internalized knowledge of the rules of their native language.

3C model

is centered on achieving decisive influence through communicating, relating, and negotiating. Please remember that we do not build positive relationships or conduct effective negotiations and then start to communicate; rather we have positive/negative relationships or effective/ineffective negotiations because of how we communicate with people from another culture.

Cross-cultural communication

is defined as the "Knowledge, motivation, and skills to interact effectively and appropriately with members of different cultures."

Self-monitoring

is our ability to detect appropriateness of our social behaviors and self-presentation in response to situational constraints and to adjust our behaviors to fit the situation.

Worldview

is the "The sum of beliefs and values that people use to define and interpret the world, and their place within it."

Cross-Cultural Competence (3C)

is the "ability to quickly and accurately comprehend, and then effectively act in a culturally complex environment to achieve the desired effect without necessarily having prior exposure to a particular group, region, or language

Emotion regulation

is the ability to manage, modify, and use our emotions toward constructive outcomes. Nonverbal communication scholars describe it as the most important predictor of cross-cultural adjustment and adaptation.

Perceptual acuity

is the ability to perceive a communication situation accurately. It involves attentiveness to both verbal and nonverbal elements of a conversation and takes into consideration the importance of context.

Culture-general knowledge

is the basis for all cross-cultural learning, including culturespecific, and begins with an understanding of basic concepts of a culture (kinship, gender roles, types of exchanges or communication norms, etc.). When we understand what culture is, specifically different ways of seeing (relativistic versus ethnocentric) and how culture works (holistically), we establish a solid baseline for further learning which we can apply to any culture.

Prejudice

is the creation of an adverse or unreasonable opinion about a person or group without gathering all the facts and is usually based on deeply held beliefs.

Discrimination

is the visible act or consideration to act in favor of or against a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person/thing belongs, rather than on individual merit.

Communication Competence

is understanding how to properly communicate in another language or culture.

Cross-cultural communication

it is about knowing how to interact appropriately with another culture. Unfamiliarity with cultural communication differences can lead to misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and unintentional insult.

Ethnocentrism

judging others' cultures against one's own (i.e. superior/inferior)

The 3C model was developed by Air University faculty and there are three interrelated enabling factors:

knowledge, motivation (positive attitude), and learning approaches.

high self-monitors

tend to be more effective in foreign cultures because a high self-monitor tends to read the social situation first and then present an appropriate response, as opposed to simply presenting a consistent image of self in every situation.

Three specific skills that emerge as key to successful crosscultural interactions are:

• Communicate to avoid misunderstandings; • Negotiate to overcome differences and resolve conflicts; and • Relate with individuals from other cultures to work effectively