l16 culture power distance

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Lecture 16 Power Distance a cultural dimension

Luis San AndresMast-Childs Tribology Professor

Texas A&M University

http://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me489

October 20, 2011

ME 489 Practices of Modern Engineering

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Lecture 16Date: October 20, 2011

Today Cultural dimensions

Power Distance – A measure of inequality (more and less)

Assignments & reading: (class URL site)A3 – Due Nov 1 – Assess COE Strategic Plan

Other: complete ONE MINUTE PAPER

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Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind by Geert Hofstede & Gert Jan Hofstede

Resource

• Explains culture shock, ethnocentrism, stereotyping, differences in language and humor, and other aspects of intercultural dynamics•Provides powerful insights for business people, civil servants, physicians, mental health professionals, law enforcement professionals, and others•Explains how organizational cultures differ from national cultures, and how they can--sometimes--be managed

Product description found & copied in www.amazon.com

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Culture

Cultures and Organizations: Software of the MindBy Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofstede

Culture is the collective programming(*) of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group of people from others.

Culture is learned (not innate), it derives from the social environment.

(*) mental patterns of thinking, feeling and acting

Culture [cultivate]: Dictionary:ALL THE KNOWLEDGE AND VALUES SHARED BY A SOCIETY

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Culture


Culture must be distinguished from human nature and from individual personality

Human nature

Culture

Personality

Universal Inherited

LearnedSpecific to group

Specific to individual Inherited and learned

Levels of uniqueness in mental programming

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Culture


The onion manifestation of Culture at different levels of depth

Rituals

Symbols

Heroes ValuesPractices

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Culture


Values (tendencies to prefer certain states)

Rituals

Symbols

Heroes

ValuesPractic

esRituals

Symbols

Heroes

ValuesPractic

es

Evil vs. good,Dirty vs. Clean,Dangerous vs. safe,Forbidden vs. permitted,Decent vs. indecentMoral vs. immoralUgly vs. beautifulUnnatural vs. naturalAbnormal vs. normalParadoxical vs. logicalIrrational vs. rational

Values are acquired early in our lives

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Dimensions of National Cultures


Basic problems worldwide

1.Relation to authority

2.Conception of self –relation of individual and society, and the individual concept of masculinity and femininity

3.Ways to deal with conflict, including thecontrol of aggression andexpression of feelings

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1980-2000s research & statistical analysis on the values of people for countries

1.Social inequality, including relationship with authority2.Relationship between individual and group3.Concepts of masculinity and femininity the

implications of having been born as a boy or a girl4.Ways to dealing with uncertainty & conflict

(related to the control of aggression andexpression of emotions)

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Ideas were first based on a large research project into national culture differences across subsidiaries of a multinational corporation (IBM) in 64 countries.

Later studies covered students in 23 countries, elites in 19 countries, commercial airline pilots in 23 countries, up-market consumers in 15 countries, and civil service managers in 14 countries.

http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/

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1.Power Distance (More Equal than Others)2.Individualism (I, We and They)3.Masculinity (He, She & (S)he)4.Uncertainty Avoidance (What is Different is

Dangerous)5.Long-Term Orientation (Yesterday, Now, or

Later)http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/See

For a map of the World to evaluate how similar or different countries or regions are

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Power Distance a cultural dimension


ME 489 Practices of Modern Engineering

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Power Distance Index (PDI)


A cultural dimension:The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions or organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.PDI represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society’s level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders.

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Power Distance Index (PDI)


PDI informs us about DEPENDENCE relationships in a country.Small PDI: limited dependence of subordinates and bosses, with a preference on consultation (interdependence). Emotional distance between them is small (easy approach and contradiction are OK).

Large PDI: considerable dependence (even counterdependence (-)). Large emotional distance (difficult approach and no contradiction)

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PDI: 74 countries


http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/power-distance-index/

http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions

Power Distance World MapPDI informs us about

DEPENDENCE relationships in a country.

Small PDI: limited dependence of subordinates and bosses, with a

preference on consultation

Large PDI: considerable dependence. Large emotional

distance (difficult approach and no contradiction)

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PDI: General

Norm


Small Power Distance Large Power Distance Key Differences

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PDI: The

Family


Small Power Distance Large Power Distance Key Differences

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PDI: School


Key DifferencesSmall Power Distance Large Power Distance

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PDI: The

Workplace



21Cultures and Organizations: Software of the MindBy Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofstede


PDI: The

Workplace

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PDI: the

State



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PDI: the

State



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PDIoccupations


Ocupation Differences

Satisfaction with life index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_with_Life_Indexhttp://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/database-of-happiness/1080

World happiness

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World map on cultural differences


www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/power-distance-index/

See

For a map of the world to find how similar or different countries or regions are.

Are there more low PDI countries than those with high PDI? Is our culture (as per PDI) the dominant one?

l16 culture power distance

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