WEEK 7 DESCRIBING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES -2 MNGT 583 – Özge Can

Perceptions  The selective mental processes that enable us to interpret and understand our surroundings  It is selective. We selectively attend to stimuli that are important to us or that help us make decisions.  Culture may subtly sensitize us to the info and behavior that are important for effective interaction.

Perceptions  People selectively used culturally relevant traits to form their impressions.  Ex: individual vs. group dimension  Ex: importance of status  Ex: abstract (universal) vs. situation-specific principles  Perceptions operate “automatically”. We rarely question the source of our views and opinions => cultural filters

Nonverbal Behavior  Across cultures, people look for and see different things, even when observing the same behavior.  Nonverbal behavior: subtle cues used to communicate within and across cultures  Ex: facial expressions, appearence, body movements, personal space

The Effect of Context  Context: backgroun information – other than what is said or written- that helps one understand and perceive others.  Some cultures are less/more reliant on context in their perceptions and interactions:  Low-context cultures: Interpretation of people and behavior importantly depends on what is actually said or written. (Ex. U.S., Australia)  High-context cultures : The context itself often provides info that can be used otherwise ambigous events.(Ex. China, Japan)

Perception of Time  Time has been studies because of its objective nature.  Wide differences in perceptions of this most objective of things  Different descriptions  In Western cultures, it is perceived as a commodity (“time is money”, “you are losing/saving time”, time is running out”)  In Eastern cultures, it is seen more flexible and fluid.

Perception of Time  Questions: How much late is “late”? How being late is evaluated?  Several interesting studies to examine time perception (the pace of time):  Lunch appointment  Accuracy of bank clocks  Walking speed  Postal clerk service

Perception of Time

 Monochronic time versus Polychronic time  The distinction refers to paying attention to one thing at a time vs. Preferring to do mnay things at once

Interpretation of Perceptions  Attribution theory: A model of how we come to perceive others’ behavior as internally or externally caused.  Self-serving attribution bias  The tendency to take credit (internal attribution) for success but to blame failure on other causes (external attribution )  Self-effacing behavior  The tendency among some cultures to be modest in taking credit for success but accepting responsibility for failure

Attitudes  An attitude is a learned tendency to react in a certain way toward some object or person  We have attitudes about nearly everything  Most important ones:  Attitudes toward the self  Attitudes about work  Attitudes toward others/groups

Attitudes toward the Self  Independent self: the view of oneself as a autonomous or unique individual who values self- reliance and achievement  Interdependent self: the view of oneself as closely linked toward others and groups that value paternalism and group cohesion

Attitudes toward the Self  Abstract vs. concrete self-descriptions  Westerners have more independent views of the self and their self-description is more abstract and devoid of specifics or qualifiers  “I am extroverted”, “I am sensitive”  Non-westerners have more interdependent view of self thus they describe themselves in ways specific and imbedded in the social situations  “I am happy when I work with my friend”

Attitudes about Work  Important work attitudes:  Job satisfaction  Organizational commitment Different bases and foci of employee commitment  Protestant work ethic (PWE)  Mixed results  Be careful about the measurements and samples used

Attitudes about Others/ Groups  Parochialism  The state of mind, whereby one focuses on small sections of an issue rather than considering its wider context. More generally, it consists in being narrow in scope  Ethnocentrism  Judging all other groups according to the standards, behaviors, and customs of one’s own group  Stereotyping  The tendency to infer traits to individuals based on their national or cultural gorup membership

Attitudes about Others/ Groups  In-group vs. Out-group distinction  We have a tendency to rate our in-group higher than an out-group.  Mirror imaging: A stereotypical pattern whereby groups perceive positive traits in themselves and negative ones in other groups  We also have a tedency to see in-group members as more varied and complex (heterogeneous) and out-group members as less varied and more homogenous.

Exercies on Cultural Difference:  Click on the links to take the tests:  Hofstede’s Model of Culture Hofstede’s Model of Culture  International Cultural Diversity International Cultural Diversity *These tests are NOT an assignment. This is an exercise for you to test your knowledge.