To efficiently serve guests from Russian cultural background, it would help if the staff in the hospitality sector, while trying to avoid stereotyping, is familiar with the main characteristics of Russian guests. To that end, we will start with sketching some relevant aspects of Russian mentality outlined in reputable studies.[1] These aspects can explain some features of Russian visitors’ profile that might be considered peculiar by a person from another culture. No doubt these features lie in the base of the traditions and behaviour of people from Russian/Eastern Slavic cultural background. “As a hotelier, showing hospitality to guests from both near and far is nothing new for you. However, when guests come from less well known cultures, it really does help if you understand your visitor’s traditions and practices.” (HotellerieSuisse 2019: 3)
You will not grasp her with your mind
or cover with a common label,
for Russia is one of a kind —
believe in her, if you are able...
Fyoror Tyutchev, 1866
Translated by Anatoly Liberman[2]
Thousands of pages have been written and countless studies conducted on the topic of Russian mentality (sometimes refered to as “Russian soul”), with some of the findings quite opposite. However, there are some features that are mentioned in numerous reputable studies. As in any other culture, various geographic and historical circumstances, as well as the social and political environment, have shaped Russian mentality throughout the centuries. Such as love for huge open spaces and, at the same time, fearing them because of their immensity – one of the reasons causing melancholy (toská) (Epstein 1998). Such as the feeling of belonging to a group which studies call deep and “internalized”. “There has never been such a thing as personal privacy here, everything was subordinated to the interests of the collective or the state.” (Milovsky 2019: 14) However, in the last decades this collective consciousness is becoming not so rigid.
Another feature often mentioned is the rather fatalistic approach to living. Some sources state that this is the result of long centuries of totalitarianism, from the tsarist to the Communist regimes. Until this day, many Russians are finding it very difficult to adapt to the Western values of individualism and profit maximization. Especially people from older generations – they are generally quite pessimistic and don't have much faith in a better life in the future while younger urban Russians have adopted a more Western outlook on life. But still for many Russians “fate, chance and accident have priority over a human being’s will and over systemic, disciplined actions directed towards a goal.“ (Bogomolov 2020) Closely related to this is “an inclination toward being superstitious”. (HotellerieSuisse 2019: 8) Some superstitions mentioned most offen that are relevant to hospitality context require avoiding things such as:
- giving/putting on the table even number of flowers (used only at funerals);
- hanshake over the treshold (it is believed it could bring bad luck);
- whistling indoors (it is believed it brings financial problems and could scare your guardian angel away);
- setting chairs at the corner of the table (it is believed it could bring bad luck, specifically to young women – they won’t get married).
It is also thought that feelings, not rationality, play a bigger role in Russians’ behavior compared to people from other cultures.
Social pchyhologist G. Hofstede’s cultural dimentions can provide an insight into Russian cultural values (in percentage). The following table (from Hofstede Insights 2023) illustrates the results:
According to this approach, well known in intercultural studies, “culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. This programming influences patterns of thinking which are reflected in the meaning people attach to various aspects of life.” (ibid.) Given this understanding, the above-mentioned characteristics can be understood as the base of some aspects of Russians behavior.
The graph shows that some values stand out significantly and are pretty close to 100%: Power distance and Uncertanty avoidance, closely followed by Long term orientation. In terms of behavior this means that Russian tourists can be expected to closely follow the leader (it’s well known that they often travel in groups) and often wouldn’t tolerate flexibility. They give priority to stability: “Perceiving change as something that leads to an even worse state/condition. Thus, change is generally not welcomed.” (Bogomolov 2020)
At the other pole of the graph (low values) are Individualism and Masculinity which means that Russian society in general has strong respect for the opposite – Collectivism and Femininity. Other studies have confirmed the same finding about collectivism: great emphasis is placed on the family and social groups; unconditional priority given to the group over the individual; securing personal safety and wellbeing through group loyalty (Bogomolov 2020). The very strong sense of family is specifically seen in smaller towns and in the countryside where several generations often live under one roof. In the traditional family members support each other financially and all help with child care and care for the elderly. The above-mentioned features (Collectivism and Femininity) are reflected in the practice of traveling in groups (typical for average Russian tourists) and depending on women to make decisions.
In another model offered by E. Hall – a famous anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher – cultures are divided into predominantly monochronic (mainly Western “domain”; doing one thing at a time; highly valuing clear order and punctuality) and polychronic (mainly Eastern and Southern “domain”; doing numerous things at the same time; placing less importance on a time limit; valuing people more than schedules) cultures (Hall 1983). In this opposition, Russian culture is considered mostly polychronic (Lebedko 2016: 85) in which relationships greatly affect the way things get done. There is strong awareness of insiders and outsiders and people are served in order of personal relationship. This is why priority is placed on building relationships on the base of personal ties and loyalty, rather than formal rights, rules and professional competence (Bogomolov 2020).
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As it can be seen in this material, many features are shared also with other Russian-speaking guests, not necessarily coming from the Russian federation. ↑
https://ruverses.com/fyodor-tyutchev/russia-cannot-be-known-by-the-mind/2756/ ↑