Stereotyping 

Stereotypes are not necessarily a bad thing. They reflect common traits of a group that are representative for that group and help to identify the group. In many cases people can be very proud of their group characteristics. Think of Italian design, French taste, British politeness or Dutch directness. If we are not sure whether a stereotype is true, try to turn it around and see if that statement holds. Such as: Dutch hospitality, German sloppiness or Japanese flexibility. See? If these are not true, than maybe the opposite is closer to the truth. Anticipating certain preferences and behaviors based on stereotypes can facilitate intercultural interactions. Of course we need to always investigate to what extent a stereotype is at work in any given situation. 

Stereotyping, however, goes wrong in two ways.

1) If we hold negative judgements around a stereotype. Dutch people generally don't consider their directness as rude, but others potentially do. Having grudges against the Dutch way of communicating may get in the way of interacting effectively. And vice versa. Trying to understand the reasons for a certain type of behavior in the cultural context allows you to become more familiar and to respond with more ease.

2) When we profile every individual we meet as a perfect ambassador for his or her group. This is obviously not the case since every person has a unique cultural mix. It is important to first find out more about a person; birthplace, parents, school, studies, work etc. And personalities can challenge the culture too. There must be a sloppy German out there.....right? 

Unconscious Bias

It is said that there are over 180 biases that interfere with how we process data, think critically, and perceive reality. In other words we must be very careful to jump to any conclusion. Our brain produces thoughts and that's why we have it. But it doesn't mean that we need to accept our thoughts at face value. As products of our cultural programming, we may very well not see or not hear what is happening in another cultural context.

Cultural training and extending one's knowledge about other cultures helps to open up our mind, minimize blind spots, step out of our own thought patternes and gain new perspectives.