ETHNIC CULTURAL DIFFERENCES REASONS FOR BUSINESS FOCUS

GLOBALIZATION OF BUSINESS US FIRMS ARE MORE INVOLVED IN WORLD MARKETS –EXPORTING –LICENSING –STRATEGIC ALLIANCES EQUITY ALLIANCES, JOINT VENTURES NON-EQUITY ALLIANCES: OUTSOURCING, LONG TERM CONTRACTS –FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT –ALL REQUIRING DEALING WITH BUSINESS PEOPLE FROM OTHER CULTURES

FOREIGN FIRMS ARE INCREASING THEIR PRESENCE IN US SAME METHODS OF GLOBAL BUSINES EXPANSION ATTRACTIVE MARKETS IN US MORE OPEN ENTREPRENURIAL ENVIRONMENT LOWER TAXES LESS REGULATIONS FOREIGN OWNED FIRMS BRING IN MORE DIVERSE CULTURE CONTACTS REQUIRING MORE CULTURAL COMPETENCE

HUGE WAVE OF IMMIGRATION RAPID CHANGE IN THE LABOR POOL RAPID CHANGE IN THE CUSTOMER BASE NO TIME FOR SLOW ASSIMILATION PROCESS LESS DESIRE OF NEW IMMIGRANTS TO BE ASSIMILATED COMPLETELY LESS DESIRE FOR ESTABLISHED CULTURE GROUPS TO BE ASSIMILATED COMPLETELY HUGE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

IMPLICATIONS OF NEW WAVE OF IMMIGRATION MULTI ETHNIC WORKFORCE MULTI ETHINC CLIENT/ CUSTOMER BASE MULTIPLICITY OF EE EXPECTATIONS –MANAGEMENT ORIENTATION –CONTROL SYSTEMS –COMMUNICATION SYSTEM –REWARD SYSTEM –COMMITMENT AND ATTACHMENT

IMPLICATIONS OF ETHNIC CULTURAL DIFFERENCES REQUIRES INCREASED CULTURAL COMPETENCY CULTURALLY COMPETENT MGRs CAN MAKE THEIR FIRMS GAIN COMPETETIVE ADVANTAGE US FIRMS HAVE A LEG UP ON FIRMS IN SOME OTHER COMPANIES IF THE US FIRMS CAN LEARN TO IMPROVE MGT OF ETHNICALLY DIVERSE WORKFORCE

MEANING OF CULTURE SHARED DEFINITIONS OF SITUATIONS BY A GROUP DETERMINES MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS IN BUSINESS INTERACTIONS -OUR EXPECTATIONS DEFINE US, -IF MET WITH SIMILAR EXPECTATIONS, CREATES MUTUALITY OF MEANING

LAYERS OF CULTURE EXPLICIT ELEMENTS –OBSERVABLE ELEMENTS BEHAVIOR LANGUAGE CEREMONIES MONUMENTS (FERTILE SOURCES OF PREJUDICES)

LAYERS OF CULTURE NORMS –WHAT IS RIGHT –WHAT IS WRONG –HOW I SHOULD BEHAVE VALUES –WHAT IS GOOD –WHAT IS BAD –HOW I DESIRE TO BEHAVE

STABLE CULTURES NORMS REFLECT THE VALUES OTHERWISE, THE CLASH WILL DESTABILIZE THE CULTURE

ENDURING CULTURES HAVE SHARED MEANINGS OF VALUES AND NORMS –IMPORTANT FOR THE GROUP –DEVELOPED THRU TIME –ELABORATED BY THE GROUP MEMBERS

CORE ASSUMPTION VALUES AND NORMS IMPROVES SURVIVAL CHANCES HAS HELPED THE GROUP SOLVE BASIC PROBLEMS THRU TIME, HAVE BECOME UNTESTED ASSUMPTIONS SOURCES OF IRRITATION WHEN QUESTIONED CHANGE ONLY WHEN CONSISTENTLY FAILS TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS

CULTURE AND ACTION CULTURE DIRECTS ACTION ACTION REINFORCES CULTURE THRU SOCIALIZATION PROCESS CULTURE IS MAN-MADE IT SHAPES OUR INTERACTIONS

CULTURE AS A NORMAL DISTRIBUTION WIDE SPREAD OF NORMS, VALUES AND ASSUMPTIONS IN EVERY CULTURE HAS A MEANINGFUL AVERAGE HAS OUTLIERS (TAILS) HAS OVERLAPS (SIMILARITIES) WITH OTHER CULTURES THE AVERAGES MAY BE COMPARED W/ OTHER CULTURES FOCUSING ON THE EXTREMES (OUTLIERS) LEADS TO STREOTYPING AND CARICATURE DESCRIPTIONS DIFFERENCES ARE JUST THAT.

DIFFERENT CULTURES ADDRESS COMMON DILEMMAS HOW DO WE RELATE TO THE OTHERS HOW DO WE RELATE TO TIME HOW DO WE RELATE TO NATURE HOW DO WE RELATE TO ACTIVITIES MANAGERS: – HOW DO WE INTEGRATE, RECONCILE CULTURES – HOW DO WE MANAGE DIFFERENT CULTURES AT WORK