I’ve spent some time reflecting on cultural stereotypes and how confining people to rigid labels creates barriers that are hard to break free from. One common example is labeling the USA as strictly an “individualist culture.” While there’s some truth to this perspective, it oversimplifies the diverse ways Americans live and work. By exploring how other cultures approach collaboration and community, not to adopt new stereotypes but to find inspiration, we can create a more dynamic and inclusive society.

The workplace, at its best, embodies a sense of shared purpose—a concept akin to Ubuntu, a philosophy that Michael frequently highlights in his talks. This idea of collective consciousness has the power to reshape work culture and society at large.

Let’s dive deeper into these ideas about how various cultures’ perspectives can inspire us to create a better society.

Cultural ideas of collective consciousness

Ubuntu is the sub-Saharan idea that says: “I am, because we are.” It’s about social awareness and our responsibility to others around us. This philosophy captures, among many things, the fact that on Earth, we are all interdependent and rely on each other for survival. This philosophy was made famous by Nelson Mandela as an antidote to Apartheid in South Africa. He once remarked that a traveler newly arriving in a village of one of the Sub-Saharan African countries didn’t have to ask for food and drink because many of the locals would voluntarily offer food and other things.

There is a similar belief in my in-laws’ country of the Philippines named Kapwa. According the Kapwa, there is no separate existence, and the other person is also yourself. That means that people also have a responsibility to others in addition to oneself. Kapwa is arguably a sharing-culture, and people in the Philippines see themselves as connected to others.

Several researchers like Geert Hofstede have claimed that there are so-called individualist and collectivist cultures, the West versus the East, but these stereotypes likely do more harm than good. In fact, similar beliefs to Ubuntu and Kapwa can also be seen in Western countries.

In Sweden where I live, there is the idea of jämnställthet, a shared idea in the Nordic countries under different names. The main Nordic idea is broader than what the word can be translated as: Egalitarianism. Yes(!), there is this idea binding Nordic peoples together stipulating that everyone is equal, and everyone there knows the common playing rules: We respect each other’s privacy, we vastly overpay in taxes because we care about each other and our society, and we are all expected to be humble and not break with the community by thinking ourselves better than each other.