General Aspects of Indonesian Culture
Indonesia is an Asian country that comprises over 17,000 islands and with a population of around 256 million people. The country’s population implies diversity in the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious domains. Being an island means that Indonesia is basically multi-ethnic with small groups occupying geographic enclaves. Indonesia comprises over six hundred ethnic groups grouped into 31 broad categories based on the 2010 census publication with the majority being the Javanese (40.2%) followed by Sundanese (15.5%) and Bataks (3.6%) (Utomo and McDonald, 2014, p.7). Indonesians speak various languages and observe varying customs and religious beliefs, however, there are solid cultural elements felt in the political, economic, and cultural life of the country’s people intertwined with age-old values, customs, and religious influences. The solid cultural elements followed the laying of a national framework for the Indonesian people. The Indonesian culture can be viewed from the perspective of four main cultural elements; religion, social customs, and language.
Religion is an essential aspect of Indonesian culture. The country has different religious groups such as the Muslims, Christians, and Hindu among others. Islam is, however, the most common religion in the country with about 87% of Indonesians ascribing to the Islamic faith (Haji, 2014, p.6). Religion in Indonesia, particularly in relation to Islam, which influences the popular imagination and social order in the society, embeds key values and norms that must be adopted in the society to satisfy the religious decrees and expectations. For example, Shari’a by-laws have been passed in the country that govern the way people dress and to perpetuate a patriarchal society (Rif'ah and Nur, 2014, p.5). From the religious perspective, an important consideration is that Islam is the cultural religion and much of the society is under its control and guidance. It is also from the Islam religious influence that the official language of Indonesia is Bahasa language and other international languages like English are secondary and less often used in both the formal and informal social settings.
Looking at the element of social customs in respect to Indonesia’s culture reveals their adherence to time-crafted and honored social customs. Indonesians have prioritized older cultural forms even in the wake of modernity as the people place much value on local identity and social belongingness (Forshee, 2006, p.210). The customs that surround daily social life among individuals in Indonesia including those in major cities such as Jakarta and Medan is largely based on traditional social customs. The social customs inform aspects such as general etiquette, greetings, and dressing as well as social ranking and organization. For example, the traditional and customary dressing which is common among the Indonesians is a significant aspect that is used to identify where people belong and their social status/rank (Forshee, 2006, p.211). Social norms also in the etiquette and social interactions domain define communication and body language. For example, when greeting someone or giving a gift, the cultural customs call for the use of the right hand as a show of respect based on the understanding that the left hand is unclean.
Indonesians live within a social structure where family and community obligations are pronounced. Family ties and group/community affiliation are the main aspects of the social structure as one way to maintain social norms (Clarke, 2013, p.317). Indonesia’s social structure reflects the ideology of control in which down to the family level one is under surveillance as the rights and obligations of individuals are determined by the particular level of social organization. For example, individuals are supposed to observe religious events and functions such as 'peng aji an' which strengthen a sense of community and reinforce social norms (Clarke, 2013, p.317). The Indonesian society is also built on the social structure and tradition of mutual aid and communal social norms as the emphasis in the social structure lay in collectivity and community spirit (Clarke, 2013, p.317). The collectivism can be seen, for example, in cases where there is a disaster in which community organizations and individual representatives of families take part in intervening.
Specific Element of Indonesian Culture - Aesthetic
Aesthetics activities form the expressive aspect of culture since in the activities an individual faces the surrounding world as a manifestation of a created reality (Doeser and Kraay, 2012, p.201). In the Indonesian culture, the aesthetic aspect of culture is usually the most easily observed as it contains profound meaning and distinguishes acts in the social domain as acceptable and legitimate. The aspect of aesthetics in respect to Indonesian culture is informed by the Islamic culture and activities related to forms of expression, reflexive and symbolic behavior, and social activities. The Indonesian cultural aesthetics stand out for their orientation towards respect for and appreciation of the representative character of an activity or object and respect to humanity. They are closely tied to the society as it seeks to cultivate a respectful and considerate attitude towards the locals. The aspect of aesthetics also applies in group identification in the Indonesian societal context. In the system of categorization based on Islamic religious aspects, there are defined and controlled cultural traits contextualized by religious ritual and beliefs which are points of the aesthetic locus. In particular, the major aim of the aesthetics aspect is to promote affiliation quality of social activities, forms of expression, and expressive realities.
Forms of expression including physical appearance and communication/speech convey respect to valued customs and people in Indonesia. Forms of expression are an element of communicative art and relate to efficient interaction in the country (Beers, 2015, p.35). In the physical domain, uniformity extends to the dressing of events and the environment that prompt the desire to return to the style of communism that is pronounced in the country’s cultural domain. Different forms of communication also carry a claim to validity and the manner in which a person communicates to others counts in terms of fulfilling the social expectations. It is important to understand aspects such as temperament, communication styles, interaction styles, and general presentation principles as part of observing the aesthetic aspect of Indonesian culture.
In the context of relational and symbolic behavior, character building is a theme that supports affective social-emotional understanding and aesthetics. In the Indonesian culture, and in reference to the local culture, character building is expressed through symbolization and deals with values of honesty, progress motivation, cooperation, and becoming useful human beings (Iswary, 2014, p. 117). The relational model of character building is important in reinforcing the values which are expected as people interact within the society. Character building means that social activities that people engage in orient towards the values of honesty, cooperation, motivation and usefulness to the human race as a show of respect to the social diversity and locally prescribed norms.
Aesthetics in relation to Indonesian culture comprises a social code which expresses collective realities. Varying social contexts and individual experiences allow multiple interpretations of certain aesthetic activity and the meaning of any social activity one engages or participates in fluctuates depending on the context. In any social activity such as holding meetings, aesthetic experiences are charged with collective representations and emotional power from the entire social groups. The outstanding aspect is that in every social activity, the focus is on searching points of communal connection. Communal connection points highlight the need to frame individual social activities and the actions of subversive groups to maintain its sanctity.
Analytical Framework
Based on the fields of management and cultural studies, culture as an organizing principle can be used to develop and innovative framework based on theoretical approaches that provide better insight that enable the comparison of Indonesia’s culture for patterns of authority and control and openness in their relationship with their environment. Indonesian culture differs from Western culture, particularly in respect to UK culture as there are differences in hierarchies, spatial relations, and cultural aspects.
In Indonesia, culture is the organizing principle and is generally based on the relative political and bureaucratic status of the key figures involved in an event such as leaders who determine aspects such as control and authority patterns. In the control and authority domain, high power distance and the demands for specific aspects in respect to the treatment of leaders stand out in accordance with the patriarchal authority that characterizes the social organization in the country (Irawanto, 2011, p.45). The leadership domain also is oriented towards collectivism and deep-rooted persistent cultural values and assumptions which emphasize social order values and harmony. This highlights that leadership in the Indonesian cultural perspective may be largely authoritarian as leaders are expected to build up their authority and assert control (Irawanto, 2011, p.46). The mutual respect aspect means that subordinates work on a patron-subordinate model system with respect to the authority of leaders.
In comparison to the UK culture, authority and control in Indonesia differ significantly owing to cultural differences between the two countries. The UK like Indonesia is made up of diverse populations but the cultural influences are based on individualistic, risk taking, and short-term cultural elements due to the dynamism of its society (Irawanto, 2011, p.47). The UK culture values egalitarianism which in turn creates moderate power distance and promotes risk taking. Individualism forms the essence of competitive entrepreneurism and drives individuals to autonomy and short-termism as well as dynamism. This means that authority and control are essentially for guidance and not for dictatorship and rule as it may be in the context of the Indonesian culture.
Looking at the cultural influence in the way Indonesians relate with their environment, the cultural framework highlights the aspect of mutual respect and concern for others which is pronounced in Indonesia’s culture. This affects administrative duties in the social sphere and groups. Indonesians in subordinate positions or even in leadership positions recognize the need not to harm the feelings of others. Indonesians are generally oriented towards a traditionalist approach in relation to their daily life, customs, and traditions. Adherence to social customs and ethnic traditions have been maintained in the country and it becomes difficult to challenge aspects that define their relationship with the environment. Challenging the aspects has often led to conflicts. According to Beers (2015, p.34), Indonesians consider it a duty to please a guest or a host by saying what may be thought as being favorable rather than the truth when it may be considered unpleasant. Indonesians are also often concerned about the effects of their actions on others and take care not to upset others (Irawanto, 2011, p.44). This means that agreement rather than objective truth is highly valued and is what informs any social organization or discussions. Culturally based organizations are based on the unwillingness to be the recipient of rejection or denial. This means that Indonesians generally relate to their environment with respect to a principle or norm that guides the relationship.
Compared to the UK culture, there are tendencies to say no and challenge relational underpinnings as people relate to their environment. The emphasis on the relationship between people and their environment is of moral obligation rather than the pursuit of roles and authoritarianism (Irawanto, 2011, p.46). Individual autonomy and negotiated rather than imposed points of view are used to guide the relationship between individuals and their environment. It is from this point of view in which autonomy is pronounced in UK’s social organization that different groups emerge with different views about important aspects of the environment in the social and political domains.
Implications of Differences to Global Marketing Communication between UK and Indonesia
Marketing managers are often convinced that their ideas and practices represent universal wisdom and thus try to impose them on consumers regardless of their backgrounds (de Mooij, 2010, p.13). This is an ill-informed assumption because culture impacts consumer choices as well as marketing concepts that are adopted by firms. In global marketing, business firms face the realities of cultural differences in the development of their marketing and marketing communication plans. Culture as a social organization factor in both the UK and Indonesia significantly impact marketing communication plans, especially for marketing managers. For the UK and Indonesia, culture as an organizing principle means that the markets and consumers rely on their different cultural aspects and elements in relation to their consumption trends and choices.
Indonesia’s culture organizes the society in a manner that acknowledges the leadership and practices informed by long-held social norms and values. The aspect of collectivism and shared social norms and harmony means that marketing communication is aimed at building relationships and trust. The impact of the aspect of collectivism calls for the adoption of culture-specific marketing communication and this will be achieved through a high-tolerance for information asymmetry between the marketing team of a firm and outside board members. The marketing communication is thus oriented towards symbolic and direct messages as the focus is on the explicit content of the message in collectivist contexts (de Mooij, 2010, p.264). Being driven by unwritten and culturally informed social rules means that firms rely more heavily on the social responsibilities that come with well-maintained relationships with the locals and authority figures. In Indonesia, the authority and control by authority figures and significant people in the society based on social norms and traditions mean that the marketing communication aspects are under government control. This means that marketing communication plans must be carried out based on proven strategies and based on resources made available by the authority figures.
In the UK the adoption of marketing communication channels and messages is bottom up due to respect for individual autonomy and individualism which basically gives the consumers the right to choose. Individualism is characterized by independence and a focus on achievement. The marketing communication thus considers individual characteristics and attributes rather than contextual and relational factors in the UK (de Mooij, 2010, p.264). This means that marketing communication would thus be oriented towards personalized solutions with more interest in convincing but adhering to set standards at the same time. In the country, marketing strategies make use of culture-specific differences to efficiently target individual markets. Marketing communication will be managed based on market decisions, heterogeneity, and variety in respect to consumers’ individual autonomy.
Bibliography
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