Unit 5 Management and Culture Diversity

Unit content 1. Cultural attitudes 2. Managing multinationals 3. You and your culture

The project to be accomplished Group work: 1. Interview more than three HR people to get their opinions about the different work attitudes of people from different parts of China (or from different parts of the world,if possible). Sum up their opinions and present your research findings in the class at the end of this unit.

The project to be accomplished 2. Browse on the internet or go to the library to find information about the different business cultures in different countries. Share your findings with your fellow classmates.

1. Cultural attitudes

1a Group work--Discussion Do you think the culture of your country is similar enough to those of neighboring countries to have the same management techniques? Are there countries nearby where people have very different attitudes to work, hierarchy, organization, and so on? Multinational companies can either attempt to use similar management methods in all their subsidiaries, or adapt their methods to the local culture in each country or continent. Which procedure do you think is the most efficient?

1b. Discussion A Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, and his associates, have asked nearly 15,000 business people in over 50 countries a number of questions which reveal differing cultural beliefs and attitudes to work. The following are five of them adapted from Riding the Waves of Culture:Understanding Culture Diversity in Business. They concern ways of working, individuals and groups, rules, and personal friendships, and so on. what are your answers to the question?

If you had to choose, would you say that a company is a system designed to perform functions and tasks in an efficient way, using machines and people, or a group of people whose functioning depends on social relations and the way people work together? What is the main reason for having an organizational structure in a company? So that everyone knows who has authority over whom, or so that everyone knows how functions are allocated and coordinated? Will the quality of an individual’s life improve if he or she has as much freedom as possible and the maximum opportunity to develop personally, or the quality of life for everyone improve if individuals are continuously taking care of their following human beings, even if this limits individual freedom and development?

A defect is discovered in a production facility. It was caused by Negligence by one of the members of a team. Would you say that The person causing the defect by negligence is the one responsible, Or because he or she is working in a team the responsibility should Be carried by the whole group? Imagine that you are a passenger in a car driven by a close friend who hits and quite seriously injures a pedestrian while driving at least 25 kilometers an hour too fast in town. There are no other witnesses. Your friend’s lawyer says that it will help him a lot if you testify that he was driving within the speed limit. Should your friend expect you to do this?

2a Discussion What nationalities could the managers below typically be? a) I want to get this contract signed fast and get the plane home! American b) If I go on selling like this, I’ll earn more than the boss! I can’t let that happen. Italian c) What an awful idea- reporting to two different bosses! Latin or specifically French.

2a Discussion d) He looks much too young to be doing a major deal like this! Asian or Southern European or Latin America. e) There’s no hurry! Tonight, you can come and eat at my house, and tomorrow we’ll play golf! Asian or Southern European or Latin America.

2b Reading Read the text and see if your suggestions above coincide with the nationalities mentioned. Vocabulary: Cross cultural: 跨文化 Globalization: 全球化 Localization : 本土化 Rationality: 理性 Protestant culture: 清教徒文化 Individualist: 个人主义者 Aggressive: 有进取心的 Dynamic: 充满活力 MBA ：工商管理硕士 Be accorded to: be the same as; agree with 保持一致 Seniority:the state of being older or higher 资历年功 Pay for performance: 按绩效决定报酬 Collectivist: 集体主义者； Bonus: an additional payment beyond usual 奖金 Inadequate: the state of being unqualified 不称职 Humiliation: cause to feel ashamed 使蒙羞

Reading Ethically:in connection with ethics or moral 道义上的 Matrix management: 矩阵式管理 Task-oriented: 以任务为导向 Line superior: 直线上司 Functional boss: 职能部门上司（老板） Universalist: 制度至上主义者（我自己的理解，仅仅供参考） Particularist: 关系至上主义者（同上）

2d vocabulary 1.rationality 2. Intuition 3.status 4.seniority 5.offended 6. Rewards 7. Bonus 8. Humiliation 9. To resign 10. Ethically