Combinations of Arenas

Comparison

In all Domains, Q-arenas can operate simultaneously and affect each other. That is evident from the discovery of Domain-Q TETs and Domain-Q Trees in the ARchitectuyre . The combination

Culture Plus

Fitting in is a primal need that can be particularly stressful due to the potential opposition between pressures of personal autonomy and social acceptability.

If multiple arenas a simultaneously activated, then the stress increases and the example is Arenas in an alien society—but this applies to any large group that is alien and with a distinctive culture like a new organisation or new specialist department.

A project (Q1) in a foreign culture (Q7) is not uncommon. Westerners in Asia often claim that the cultural pressures are not practical. But that is a recipe for failure. Culture requires a submissive spirit. It has to be worked around somehow or the project will fail totally. At the same time all the pressures for fitting in to the project must be handled.

The framework for developing instrumental relations (Q2) in foreign cultures (Q7) is not as straightforward as at home because almost all the ways to connect are very different.

Well-meaning developmental proposals (Q3) generated by civil servants or voluntary bodies abroad without input from local communities commonly fail to activate several Centres required for a suitable orientation: no active supporters (L2), no attention of popular appeal (L3), no engagement with the opposition (L5), and no public debate  (L6)—there can be no fit.

Fitting in to a culture (Q7) can be affected by bigotry and prejudice. If this is occasional with specific individuals, then fitting in is not impaired and other mechanism for dealing with situations must be invoked. However, if the prejudice is widely-held, manifesting, for example as anti-semitism, racial denigration, or ideological hatred, then this reflects entrenched conflict (Q4). If the group is a society, then it will be difficult to move beyond Stage-1 without entering politics and improving social cohesion. If the group is an organization, then more can be done by using the framework.

There is probably nothing more challenging, even nightmarish, than coping with a compulsory social system (Q5) in a foreign culture (Q7).

Young Americans who move to Europe or Asia often struggle because a failure to come to grips with the culture (Q7) threatens their role-identity (Q6)as an adventurer or a free spirit. The find they are not functioning in their chosen role, which is the L4B heart of successfully fitting in.

Internal Combinations

A noticeable feature of this set of Arenas is that they can appear inside one another.

In projects-Q1, there is a need to build relations-L3 (Q2) and fill roles-L5 (Q6).

In social systems (Q5), there is a need to cope with different cultures-L6 (Q7) in various components of the system.

Psychosocial Pressures

Acceptability is the foundation for all Change Domain Q Arenas, but it is duplicated for Social Proposals (Q3) Social Conflict (Q4), Social System (Q5) and Culture (Q7) which are arguably the most difficult Arenas to manage.