Anthropologists have for years used cultural models to help define cultures. A basic model plots a culture by asking several questions. These questions address issues like the culture s view of the relationship of man to nature, the concept of time, and the structure of social relationships. In some of these areas, western and Indonesian cultures are quite far apart.
Most western cultures believe that man s challenge is to conquer and control nature.
A westerner may believe that a good grain harvest is the result of climatic conditions, fertilizer and pesticides. A Javanese farmer may just as surely believe that the harvest is a result of following the properties and ceremonies to maintain harmony with nature. It is the faulty preconception of how another person is looking at a given situation where one projects one s own cultural interpretation onto another culture that often causes conflicts in multicultural settings. This difference in opinion as to whether man is the master of nature or is subject to nature carries over into the workplace. In Asia there is a strong belief that Karma, fate, or the natural order of the universe is the reason behind particular business problems.