This presentation looks at the role cultural traditions play in decision-making in soccer. It combines the work of E. Hall, B. Sutton-Smith and J. Boyd. Without these traditions decision-making cannot happen beyond the most basic levels and patterns.

1. A Decision/Action Model for Soccer – Pt 12
How Culture Influences Decision Making
“Culture is not made up but something that evolves which is human.”
Edward T. Hall
“Everything man is and does is modified by learning and is therefore
malleable. But once learned, these behavior patterns, these habitual
responses, these ways of interacting gradually sink below the surface of the
mind and, like the admiral of a submerged submarine fleet, control from the
depths. The hidden controls are usually experienced as though they were
innate simply because they are not only ubiquitous but habitual as well… The
only time one is aware of the control system is when things don’t follow the
hidden program.” [9]
1

2. “Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Model”
Using objective and subjective information
Pyramid above from [5]
Iceberg on right [17]
2

3. “Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Model”
Using objective and subjective information
Culture is made up of three parts; 70% Internal/subconscious – below the water/wave
line, 20% External/conscious – above the water/wave line, 10% +/- the gray area/the
wave line - exposed/hidden by wave action.* “Hall suggests that the only way to
learn the [unspoken/unconscious] beliefs, values and thought patterns of others is by
actively participating in their culture.” [5,6,9]
“Behavior, surface appearances, external conscious [20%]. The cultural characteristics
at this level are visible, obvious, and easy to research. They include number, language
and so on.” [5,6,9]
“Beliefs, unspoken rules, gray/wave areas
[10%].
The cultural characteristics at this
level are somewhat obscured. You need to identify the context first. Examples are
business etiquette and protocol.” [5,6,9]
“Values & thought patterns, unconscious rules, internal subconscious [70%]. These
cultural characteristics are out of conscious awareness and difficult to study. Examples
include nonverbal communication, a sense of time and physical distances and so on.”
[5,6,9]
*Figures used for illustration only. The ‘gray/wave’ area is in constant flux.
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4. Values and Thought Patterns in Industrialized Culture
Key unconscious global rules that help shape beliefs and behaviors
“Positivism is a philosophy of science based on the view that information derived from
logical and mathematical treatments and reports of sensory experience is the exclusive
source of all authoritative knowledge, and that there is valid knowledge (truth) only in
scientific knowledge.” Wikipedia
Decisions have to make sense, rational thinking is ‘a must’, fact based approach to life.
“Determinism is a metaphysical philosophical position stating that for everything that
happens there are conditions such that, given those conditions, nothing else could
happen.” Wikipedia
Reality is linear. If B follows A and A occurs B must follow. Randomness and chance are
not part of the equation.
“Reductionism is a philosophical position which holds that a complex system is nothing
but the sum of its parts, and that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of
individual constituents. This can be said of objects, phenomena, explanation, theories,
and meanings.” Wikipedia
Reductionism ignores synergies, the added value of interactions between simple
systems.
These three ‘ism’s’ are global, culturally neutral and are rational processes.
Reductionism, determinism and positivism are the same to a Frenchman, Englishman,
German or a Japanese.
4

5. How Did We Get Here?
Key historical events in modern culture
The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution laid the ground work for the
industrialization of institutions. Bureaucracies, based on the principles of scientific
management became necessary to supervise the increasing size and scope of
businesses, militaries, economies and governments. Rationality, supported by science
and mathematics became the default methodology for control. It was the best way to
manage these large institutions, maintain order and could be easily taught (cultural
transfer) on a mass scale. Faith in omniscient beings, magic, fate and myth was
replaced by measurable data, statistics, empirical facts and methods. [14,16,19,20]
The benefits to society through the advancements in science, technology, engineering
and math were obvious. Reductionism, determinism and positivism are fundamental to
the STEM model. Their adoption as ‘the methodology’ was logical and would soon “sink
beneath the surface to exert control” on the people and institutions that used them.
They became “non-human technologies” derisively known as ‘the system, the man.’
Drawbacks were ignored or could be overcome by continued progress in these fields.
Given time, this coalition promised to contain a solution to any conceivable problem.
Reliance on the STEM model, coupled with an exploding population, shrinking resources
and increased competition saw an industrial scale rise in four other ism’s. These four
operated at the local, human level. They would shape national, regional and local
cultures by helping to define who individuals were, what separated them from others
and how they should act.
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6. Beliefs That Shape Cultural Behavior
Nationalism, patriotism, militarism, imperialism
“Nationalism is a belief, creed or political ideology that involves an individual
identifying with, or becoming attached to, one's nation. Nationalism involves national
identity, by contrast with the related construct of patriotism, which involves
personal behaviors that support the nation's decisions and actions.” Wikipedia

To help promote nationalism and patriotism “invented traditions were widely
practiced and celebrated, as in the annual Empire Day observances and massed drill
parades of school children.” [16] Youth team chants and banners.
“In 1886, Herbert Spencer had referred to militarism as a ‘a military type of
society, in which the process of regimentation… affected the whole of society” Alfred
Vagts wrote that militarism ‘“presents a vast array of customs, interests, prestige,
actions and thoughts associated with armies and wars and yet transcending the true
military purposes’… the military mentality as well as the modes of action and
decision-making intrude into the civilian sector of society.” [16] Prematch warm-ups.

“War with all its evil calls out and puts to the proof of the highest and best qualities of man.
Fearlessness, daring, contempt of death, self-sacrifice, readiness to die for country or some
other sacred cause… The training involved in all this preparation for war is an invigorating
antidote against that luxury and effeminacy which destroys nations, as well as individuals.”
General Lord Wolseley, United Services Magazine, March 1897
[16]
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7. Beliefs That Shape Cultural Behavior
Nationalism, patriotism, militarism, imperialism
“Once a nation had embarked upon a course of imperial expansion, a sense of destiny and
even divine purpose tended to accompany the process. Joseph Chamberlain… ‘the archimperialist of the age’ claimed in 1897; ‘It seems to me that the tendency of the time is to
throw all power into the hands of the greater empires, and the minor kingdoms – those which
are non-progressive – seem to be destined to fall into a secondary and subordinate place [The
Matthew Effect]. For imperialism to function it is, then, necessary to distinguish between
states whose arrogated role is to dominate and those ‘non-progressive’ states whose function is
to be submissive to the will of the former… ‘a nation like an individual, is better for having great
responsibilities and great obligations.’ As early as 1775 reference was made to the supposedly
divine nature of imperialism. On 22 of March of that year Edmund Burke spoke of ‘a great
empire’ which ‘went ill with little minds,’ and declaimed: ‘We ought to elevate our minds to
greatness of that task to which the order of Providence has called us’… The emergence of a
popular, mass circulation press provided opportunities for imperialist policies to be presented
non-intellectually… The Daily Mail (1896) and Daily Express (1900) voiced: ‘Our policy is
patriotic; our policy is the British Empire’.” Textbooks and children's readers also “drew the
attention… to the glorious empire on which the sun never set, and to the ‘servants of empire’.”
[16]

However “Those principles were easier to enunciate than to execute when Britain's rivals were
also in search of ‘great and worthy occasions’.” [16] An active opponent thinks the same way and
has veto power over your plans.
These ism’s work at the local level, are culturally specific, learned through imitation and
practice They can carry great emotional weight building love of country or die hard fans and
players. But patriotic rhetoric to one man can be seen as an imperialistic threat by another. It
influences how we view ourselves and others as well i.e. supporters stands at an Old Firm
Derby.
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8. Seven Rhetoric's of Play
When we communicate with ourselves and others,
we are engaged in the art, science and practice of rhetoric
[18]
“Each is called a rhetoric because its ideological values are something that the holders like to
persuade others to believe in and to live by. Much of the time such values do not even reach a
level of conscious awareness. People simply take it for granted, for example, that children
develop as a result of their playing; or that sports are a part of the way in which different states
and nations compete with each other; or that festivals are a way in which groups are bounded
together; or that play is a desirable modern form of creativity or personal choice; or that,
contrary to all these, play is a waste of time.” [21]
1.
“The rhetoric of progress… is the advocacy of the notion that animals and children… develop
through their play. This belief in play as progress is something that most Westerners
cherish… Most educators over the last two hundred years seem to have so needed to
represent playful imitation as a form of children’s socialization and moral, social, and
cognitive growth that they have seen play as being primarily about development rather than
enjoyment.” [21] Teaching curriculums and periodization models are based on the idea of
engineered progress through scientific management. Learning can be made to happen.
2.
“The rhetoric of fate is usually applied to games of chance, and it contrasts totally with the
prior rhetoric… resting as it does on the belief that human lives and play are controlled by…
luck, but very little by ourselves.” [21] When hope, luck and magic are all that’s left.
3.
“The rhetoric of power usually applied to sports, athletics, and contests is… about the use of
play as the representation of conflict and as a way to fortify status… or heroes… It is an
anathema to many modern progress and leisure-oriented play theorists.” [21] We’re #1!
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9. Seven Rhetoric's
Thinking and talking about play
4.
“The rhetoric of identity… is seen as a means of confirming, maintaining, or advancing the
power and identity of the community of players.” [21] Joining the club, one for all-all for one.
5.
“The rhetoric of the imaginary usually applied to playful improvisation of all kinds… This
rhetoric is sustained by modern positive attitudes towards creativity and innovation… The
rhetoric of progress, the rhetoric of self and the rhetoric of the imaginary constitute the
modern set of rhetoric's, with a history largely elaborated ideologically only in the past two
hundred years.” [21] “You must have fantasy” Joe Mallett.
6.
“The rhetoric of the self is usually applied to solitary activities like hobbies or high-risk
phenomena like bungee jumping… These forms of play in which play is idealized by
attention to the desirable experiences of the players – their fun, their relaxation, their
escape – and the intrinsic or aesthetic satisfactions of the play performances.” [21] Objective
results be damned, as long as they’re having fun, individual satisfaction, it’s good.
1.
7.
Some sports sports psychologists and Player Development Models use the rhetoric of self to
justify Csíkszentmihályi’s Flow theory in competitive team sports. However in these games
players need to take into account teammates and opponents. This places constraints on
how much Flow an individual can achieve, usually at the expense of another. These sports are
better understood through the rhetorics of identity, progress and power.
“The rhetoric of the frivolous is usually applied to the idle or the foolish.”
Childish play is
seen as a frivolous waste of time in a ‘serious setting’ like an Academy. “We have work to
do (progress), stop wasting time.”
[21]
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10. Seven Rhetoric's
The implicit meaning in language
“The word rhetoric is used here in its modern sense, as being persuasive discourse, or an
implicit narrative, wittingly or unwittingly adopted by members of a particular affiliation to
persuade others of the veracity and worth whileness of their beliefs. In a sense, whenever
identification is made with a belief or a cause or a science or an ideology, that identification
reveals itself by the words that are spoken about it… the rhetoric's of play express the way
play is placed within broader value systems, which are assumed by the theories of play.” [21]
The limits of the rhetorical model: Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem in communication


“These seven rhetoric's can be illuminated by contrasting them… with rhetoric's that are
broader… and… narrower. Of the broader kind are those that derive from the beliefs about
religion, politics [and so on] – that is, from the matters that priests, politicians… constantly
harangue folks about… People cannot live without them… They constitute the incessant
discourse about who we are and how we should live… The rhetorics of science are generally
of a narrower and more explicit kind. Science, after all, has its own epistemological rhetorics
of reliability, validity… All of these scholarly and scientific tenets are also rhetorics, because
they assume and propogate the view that there is a knowable world, or a knowable text, and
then, acting as if that assumption is real.” [21]
An idea can have different meanings when viewed through different rhetorical lenses. For
example, when a coach discusses a child's “playing development” with a parent it will likely
mean different things to each party. The difference will be influenced by the rhetorical lens
each uses. This is one of the problems with “parent education” initiatives. Before education
can take place the rhetorical form has to be understood and agreed to by all of the parties.
Otherwise a “platform problem,” [18] will exist. The same words will mean different things and
mutual understanding breaks down.
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11. When Does Being In A Groove Become Stuck In A Rut?

Rhetoric's serve as a template for our internal monologs, i.e. constructing a
narrative account of our observations for our own use. This step has to happen
before external communication is possible. The seven rhetoric's of play form the
basis for understanding the game and frame those internal and external
communications. When we fail to appreciate our own, or others, rhetorical
framework miscommunication and harmonized action becomes difficult at best.

These rhetoric’s are learned through observation, experience and practice. They
become culturally habituated. This is part of what differentiates English
‘doggedness,’ German ‘precision’ and Brazilian ‘flair,’ as national rhetoric's. In turn
these are framed through their historical narrative writ large. Each nation has it’s
own unique cultural myths and history while modern history is greatly influenced by
the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment.

On the smaller scale of soccer, nationalism becomes belief in the club/team;
patriotism is buying into the clubs/teams practices and rituals; militarism are the
methods used to maintain order and discipline; imperialism is the desire to test and
validate one’s beliefs, practices and order against a worthy opponent in a
meaningful match.
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12. The Role of Cultural Traditions in Decision-making
Try Orientation without it
Boyd includes Cultural Traditions in Orientation. It helps to frame decision-making by 1)
limiting the external search field. Cultural Traditions i.e. biases help you to have some idea
what you’re looking for and where to look by reducing options. 2) Filters new information to
fit previous experience and concepts. 3) It establishes common ground for
communication with others. Implicit dialog is possible.
Without Cultural Traditions you lack the narrative/rhetorical
capacity to make sense of the world and communicate with
others. Communication is reduced to slow, explicit language
and simple behavior patterns;

•
“When persons of the same culture meet, they have some
common understandings that do not need to be stated
explicitly. Hall emphasizes that: ‘It is important for
conversationalists in any situation… to get to know each
other well enough so that they realize what each person is
and is not taking into account.” [1]
“Note how orientation shapes observation, shapes decision,
shapes action, and in turn is shaped by the feedback and
other phenomena coming into our sensing or observing
window.” Cultural traditions play a vital role in this process. [4,15]
Orientation, Boyd’s OODA
Loop – from Wikipedia
12

13. Culture Is Not Stable
The status-quo will resist change, but the attack is relentless
Cultures are open systems and autodidactic. They are subject to the properties of
emergence, “touch a culture in one place and everything else is influenced.” [9]


Ajax’s and Holland’s “Total Football” emerged from the combination of Neeskens defensive
ferocity with Vasovic’s insight to play offside; “’Yes, this is how we do it’ Rinus Michels”. The
attacking revolution was based on a defensive reorientation in part due to one player’s extra
qualities. [27] Jonathan Wilson’s “Inverting the Pyramid, A History of Football Tactics”
illustrates how football adapts itself to cultural change, upheaval and the influence of
outliers. [26]
Elvis and the Beatles changed popular music which changed cultures world-wide. Uncle
Tom’s Cabin, air conditioning, home computers, the internet and Einstein’s theories are
examples of culture bearing technologies and ideas. These are often called “revolutionary”
when compared to the staus quo. Sometimes cultural change arrives unexpectedly,
sometimes leaders engineer it. [10]
One cultural clash that’s guaranteed is between the young and the old, new-comers and
old-timers. The former want a say in the process, the later want to maintain the status quo
or at least control the direction and pace of change. When Vasovic joined Ajax, as a newcomer, he brought a fresh definition of professionalism that challenged the Ajax old-timers.
This challenge helped to raise the level of the teams play. Cantona had much the same
impact at Manchester United.
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14. Summary
Cultural traditions play a vital role in decision-making. They help to frame preferences,
(good/bad, right/wrong) and baselines of acceptable behavior, (act-how/wait-for what).
Cultural traditions are learned through explicit and implicit experiences. These experiences
sink down to become “unspoken and unconscious rules” [9] which shape how we perceive
things and act in the world. They become deep seated beliefs and values that are accepted as
‘reality, the way to think and take action.’ Unless contrasted against a different culture they
are rarely thought of or questioned. Left alone they can lead to dogma and single solution
problem solving.
Rites of passage, external rewards, appeals to shame/guilt/glory, imitation, policies,
procedures and rituals are some of the methods that societies use to shape desired
behaviors. In essence they create the popular culture, appealing to and controlling the
masses. These methods appeal to the rhetoric of identity, the need to belong. Your behavior
reveals if you are, or are not, one of the group.
Culture shapes and is shaped by people, their environment and previous experience.
Individuals and groups can change entirely, soften or harden existing beliefs, habits, and
routines. These changes maybe intentional/engineered or unexpected/emergent. An
emergent example; publication of Charles Reep analysis that most goals are scored from
“fewer than three passes” [26] gave rise to the idea of ‘route one football.’ Since it had
‘statistical, therefore scientific’ credibility it was a rational way to play appealing to the
rhetoric of progress. This in turn hardened groups that either supported or loathed its
implications and results. Entire coaching curriculums would be built to support or refute his
work. The Vasovic example on slide 13 shows how cultural change can be engineered.
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15. Selected references
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
ACHILLES, C. & CRUMP, H. April 1978, Why Can’t They Be Like We Were (Educational Leadership: 509515).
BOYD, J. 2011, Conceptual Spiral (http://pogoarchives.org/m/dni/john_boyd_compendium/conceptualspiral-20111100.pdf).
BOYD, J. 1976, Destruction and Creation
(http://pogoarchives.org/m/dni/john_boyd_compendium/destruction_and_creation.pdf).
BOYD, J. 2010, The Essence of Winning and Losing
(http://pogoarchives.org/m/dni/john_boyd_compendium/essence_of_winning_losing.pdf).
CONSTANTFOREIGNER.COM, October 11, 2013, (http://constantforeigner.com/research/edward-t-hallscultural-iceberg/).
GALDO, M. & NIELSEN, J. 1996, International User Interfaces (New York: John Wiley & Sons).
GATTO, J. 2010, Weapons of Mass Instruction, A School Teachers Journey Through the Dark World of
Compulsory Schooling (Gabriola Island, B.C: New Society Publishers).
GOFFMAN, E. 1959, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (New York: Anchor Books).
HALL, E. 1976, Beyond Culture (New York: Doubleday).
KUHN, T.S. 1962, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).
KUMATA, E. Feb 25, 2010, Importance of Learning a Culture
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ9qReErpYg).
LAVE, J. & WENGER, E. 1991, Situated Learning, Legitimate Peripheral Practice (New York: Cambridge
University Press).
McCHRYSTAL, S. Aug. 3, 2012 Encouraging Cultural Change
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQf0gt6dtAE).
MITRA, S. Feb. 27, 2013 Build a School in the Clouds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jYVe1RGaU)
OSINGA, F. 2007, Science, Strategy and War, The Strategic Theory of John Boyd (New York: Routledge).
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16. Selected references
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
PENN, A 1999, Targeting Schools, Drill, Militarism and Imperialism (London: Woburn Press)
PENSTONE, J. OPENGECKO, October 20, 2013 (http://opengecko.com/?s=iceberg+model).
PIRSIG, R. 1974, Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, An Inquiry Into Values (New York:
Harper Perennial).
RITZER, G. 2008, The McDonaldization of Society 5 (Thousand Oaks Ca: Pine Oaks Press).
ROBINSON, K. Oct. 14, 2010, Changing Education Paradigms
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U)
SUTTON-SMITH, B. 1997, The Ambiguity of Play (Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press).
THOMAS, D. Sept. 12, 2012, A New Culture of Learning
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U).
VYGOTSKY, L.S. 1978, Mind in Society, The Development of Higher Psychological Processes
(Cambridge Ma: Harvard University Press).
WEICK, K. SUTCLIFFE, K. 2007, Managing the Unexpected, Resilient Performance in an Age of
Uncertainty, (San Francisco, Ca: John Wiley & Sons, Inc).
WENGER, E. 1998, Communities of Practice, Learning, Meaning, and Identity (New York: Cambridge
University Press).
WILSON, J. 2008, Inverting the Pyramid, A History of Football Tactics (Great Britain: Clays Limited).
WINNER, D. 2000, Brilliant Orange, The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football (London: Bloomsbury).
WOOD, J. PETRIGLIERI, G. 2005, Transcending Polarization: Beyond Binary Thinking (Transactional
Analysis Journal, Vol. 35, No. 1, 31-39).
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17. Thank you
“I’ll live or die by my own ideas.” Johan Cruyff
Presentation created November 2013 by Larry Paul, Peoria Arizona.
All references are available as stated.
All content is the responsibility of the author.
For questions or to inquire how to arrange a consultation or workshop on this
topic you can contact me at larry4v4@hotmail.com, subject line; decision/action
model.
For more information visit the bettersoccermorefun channel on YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/user/bettersoccermorefun?feature=watch or Street
soccer, a guide to using small sided games at Udemy,
https://www.udemy.com/street-soccer-a-guide-to-using-small-sidedgames/?sl=E0IZeFxSVw%3D%3D
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