DON’T
EXPECT ALL OF THEM TO BEHAVE AND REACT THE SAME WAY
(awareness of cross-cultural differences in the context of international refereeing)
by Christer Ahl (IHF/PRC President)
What is this all about?
When you have gained some experience as an international referee, you have come to realize that there are differences in playing styles between teams from different countries and continents, but you have also notice that there are differences in behavior, reactions, and emotions. Such differences based on cultural and social background have been studied and analyzed by scientists and one can find charts and statistics that explain what is typical for different countries. Such findings can be very helpful and important when one tries to see how such cross-cultural differences could be taken into account to achieve harmony and effectiveness in a multinational organization.
This can also be of interest to international referees, not in the sense that you say: "today we are refereeing country A against country B, so we must use a different approach compared with yesterday when we refereed C against D; and we must take into account that A and B are culturally very different so we must treat them differently." On the contrary, one of your key objectives is to be consistent within a game and to be consistent from one game to the next. In other words, you must have your style and approach that does not change back and forth. And it should be our overall objective as an IHF team to bring the styles and methods of all the pairs closer together, so that the teams know what to expect, without having to adjust from game to game.
But, it is important to understand that your consistent style may not result in the same reactions and in the same success with every team and culture that you meet on the court. The behaviors that you encounter do not always have something to do with your decisions. It may be more related to the reactions of a player or a team to what they themselves are doing (a mistake or a foul that leads to a punishment) but it may also be related to how they perceive and accept your actions and behavior.
The issue is not to judge whether their culture-based behavior is good or bad, right or wrong. The point is to be better prepared for these differences so that you can better interpret what you see or hear, without misunderstanding and reacting inappropriately.
The objective is of course to be so experienced and flexible that you can handle potentially difficult situations in a way that contributes to the good 'atmosphere' which we are talking about in our evaluation form. This is easier if you have a sense for why a player or a team reacts in a particular way in a specific situation.
Examples
The expert normally discuss 4 different dimensions, along which cultural differences are observed: Power Distance; Individualism; Masculinity; and Uncertainty Avoidance. For a specific dimension, a particular country or society can be found to come closer to one of the two extremes of the scale, or it may be more in the middle.
Very high or low scores suggest very deeply rooted ways of behaving in one way or the other, with little appreciation and tolerance for behaviors which are very different. Such tendencies often become reinforced when a group of individuals function as team (furthermore representing their country and culture) in an intensive situation.
The Power Distance dimension involves the extent to which less powerful individuals accept that power is distributed unequally. In the context of a handball game, large power distance implies that the coach has a very strong role and that the players expect the coach to set the tone. This may mean that the referees may want to influence team behavior more through the coach than through the individual players. It is also likely that large power distance leads to more deference to authority, such as in the form of referees, while low power distance makes people inclined to question authority. Large power distance also means that people in authority are expected to look 'superior' and be more authoritarian. Age and experience tend to more respected in societies with large power distance, whereas 'youthful energy' and athleticism may be more valued in the opposite culture.
A high degree of Individualism means that people look after themselves and their own interests, whereas Collectivism means that they prefer to be loyal members of groups and expect the group to look after them. Those in the latter category seek harmony and do not want to be embarrassed in public. By contrast, those accustomed to a high degree of individualism are more prepared to be confrontational and may find open verbal disagreements positive and helpful. They will also be prepared to speak up, rather than hiding in the group. Individualism means expectations of equal treatment for everyone, while collectivism means that those who are considered more important (the star players) normally expect and receive special treatment without complaints from anyone else.
Masculinity means that the dominant values in a culture are achievement and success. If a society is low on this scale, this means that importance is given to caring for others.
This has an illustration in refereeing, if one compares a focus on getting all the decisions right versus being friendly, helpful, and concerned about protecting the health of the players. In a masculine culture it is natural that a player (and a referee) will want to be visible instead of modestly remaining in the background. It is also natural to praise and criticize openly, but failure or a bad mistake is a big blow to the individual's ego. Being a team captain would be prestigious and a captain would like to show his/her special status, for instance by discussing with the referees.
Uncertainty Avoidance involves the extent to which people feel threatened by uncertainty and ambiguity and therefore try to avoid these situations. In a handball game this translates into a player preference for very clear indications from the referees about what is allowed and what will be punished. Rules should be very clear and applied the same way in all situations. A referee is expected to have answers to everything and should '\not show doubts or admit mistakes. A high score on uncertainty avoidance also means that emotion and aggressive behavior is tolerated, while a low score normally that individuals are more easy-going and dislike stressful situations
Bottom line
The point is to make you appreciate that many aspects of the behavior you encounter on a 1 handball court have more fundamental explanations and are not just related to your decisions and actions. They may seem strange or 'wrong' to you, but they may be perfectly normal for the individual given his/her cultural background. If you improve your instincts in this area, you may increase your chances of handling situations in ways which help reduce tensions and problems on the court. Of course, it should also remind that you yourself are affected by your cultural background and that your behavior and your reactions may not always seem natural to everyone else.