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Chapter 3Understanding the Role of Culture

PowerPoint by

Kristopher Blanchard

North Central University

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Overview

Culture and its effects on organizations

Cultural variables

Cultural value dimensions

The Internet and culture

Developing cultural profiles

Culture and management styles around the world

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Key Terms

Culture Savvy

Cultural Sensitivity or Cultural Empathy

Culture of a society

Self reference criterion

Parochialism

Ethnocentrism

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Culture and Its Effects on Organizations

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Culture and Its Effects on Organizations

Once upon a time there was a great flood, and involved in this flood were two creatures, a monkey and a fish. The monkey, being agile and experienced, was lucky enough to scramble up a tree and escape the raging waters. As he looked down from his safe perch, he saw the poor fish struggling against the swift current. With the best of intentions, he reached down and lifted the fish from the water. The result was inevitable.

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Cultural Variables

Never assume that a manager can transplant American, or Japanese, or any other country’s styles, practices, expectations, and processes

Managers need to develop a cultural profile that identifies the specific differences found in each country

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Subcultures

Residents of the country only conform to the national character to a certain degree

Could be from ethnic, geographic, or other variables

Good managers treat people as individuals and they avoid any form of stereotyping

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Influences on National Culture

Kinship – guides family relationshipsEducation – formal or informal education of workers affects workplace expectationsEconomy – means of production and distribution in a society influences all aspects of the resource allocationPolitics – system of government imposes varying constraints on an organization

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Influences on National Culture

Religion – spiritual beliefs of a society are so powerful that they overpower all other cultural aspectsAssociations – the formal and informal groups that make up a societyHealth – system of health care affects employee productivityRecreation – the use, attitude, and choice of how to use leisure time

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Cultural Value Dimensions

Values are a society’s ideas about what is good or bad, right or wrong

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Project GLOBE Cultural Dimensions

AssertivenessFuture orientationPerformance orientationHuman orientationGender differentiationUncertainty avoidancePower distanceInstitutional collectivism vs individualismIn-group collectivism

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Cultural Clusters

Ex. 3-3 & Ex 3-4. Globe ProjectAssertiveness & Non Assertiveness: Most Spain, USA, Greece. Least Sweden, NZPerf Orientation. Most USA, Taiwan. Least Russia, ArgentinaFuture Orientation. Most Denmark, Ca. Least Russia, ArgentinaHumane Orientation. Most Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia. Least Germany (Former West), Spain

3.4 Geographic Culture Clusters. Southern Asia, Confucian Asia, Anglo, Latin America, to some extent, these specify the cultural clusters

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Hofstede’s Value DimensionsPower distance. To what extent, unequal dist. of power accepted by the societyUncertainty Avoidance. To what extent people feel threaten by ambiguityIndividualism. Tendency to look for themselves & their familyMasculinity. The degree typical values such as assertiveness, materialism & lack of concern for others. Femininity emphasizes concerns for others, relationships with others, & quality of life.

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Trompenaar’ Value DimensionsUniversalistic vs particularistic. Applying rules objectively or subjectively

Neutral vs Affective. Specific or diffuse in relationship.. Specific oriented separate work personal vs diffuse mix work &personal.

Achievement vs ascription Source of power in achievement is individual-how well one performs the job & what level of experience & education one offers

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Critical Operational Value Differences

Time: temporal vs non linear

Change: some forms of control over the future vs destiny or will of Allah

Material factors

Individualism

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The Internet and Culture

Affecting many social variables: associations, education, & the economy. For example, in S Korea, the desire for technology in syn: economy & daily habits.

Affecting how internet is used. Attitude toward information privacy-the right to control information about oneself. See Exh. 3.8

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Developing Cultural Profiles

Mgsr to gather info considerable info on cultural variables from current research, personal observation, & discussions with people. Develop cultural profiles of various countries- composite pics of working environ, people attitudes etc.

Exh 3.7- a basic comparison with other cultures on 10 dimensions

http://www.bspage.com/1netiq.html

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Comparative management in FocusJapan-principle of wa (peace & harmony) embedded in amae (indulgent love)Japan’s cultural roots produced a very homogeneous managerial value system, with strong middle management, strong working relationship, a strong seniority system. Wa emphasises participative mgmt, consensus problem solving, & decision making within a patient & long term prospective.Evidence of some convergence bet western business culture & Japan. Group, lifetime employment focus has given way to more competitive bus environment with no guaranteed job security & emphasis on perf based pay.

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Comparative management in Focus2. Germany. Ranks high on ind. (less individualistic than the uS), high on uncertainty avoidance & masculinity, relatively small need for power distance. Thus, Manifest preferences to be around familiar people & situations, & for detailed evaluation of business before committing themselves. Christianity domination- perpetuates their need for rule & order in their lives. Assertive but not aggressive. Have a strict sense & use of time & follow hierarchical org structures with power at the top. Want detailed info. http://www.germany-info.or/3. South Korea. Ranks high on collectivism & pragmatism, fairly low on masculinity, moderate on power distance & quite high on uncertainty avoidance. Priority on family, respect for authority, formality, class & rank. Aggressive, hardworking, friendly & hospitable.

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Culture and Management Styles

Korea. Bus based on honor & trust, most contracts are oral.

http://www.1.kcci.or.kr/eng/dbdefault.htm

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Looking Ahead

Chapter 4 - Communicating Across Cultures– The Communication Process– The Culture – Communication Link– Information Technology

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Culture Savvy

A working knowledge of the cultural variables affecting management decisions

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Cultural Sensitivity or Cultural Empathy

An awareness and an honest caring about another individual’s culture.

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Culture of a society

Comprises the shared values, understandings, assumptions, and goals that are learned from earlier generations, imposed by present members of a society, and passed on to succeeding generations.

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Self reference criterion

The unconscious reference point of one’s own cultural values

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Parochialism

Occurs when a Frenchman, for example, expects those from or in another country to automatically fall into patterns of behavior common in France.

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Ethnocentrism

Describes the attitude of those who operate from the assumption that their ways of doing things are best – no matter where or under what conditions they are applied

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