NATIONAL CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT

QUESTIONS RE CULTURE&MANAGEMENT WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN MGT? IN WHAT WAYS DO CULTURES VARY IN MGT? WHAT PROBLEMS ARE FACED WHEN DEALING W/ OTHER CULTURES? HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS? IS THE IMPACT OF CULTURE EXAGGERATED? IS MANAGEMENT UNIVERSAL? WHY IS THE MGT/CULTURE RELATION HARD TO UNDERSTAND?

CULTURE DEFINED A WIDELY SHARED SYSTEM OF MEANING, IDEAS,THOUGHT AND ACCEPTABLE PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR. SOFTWARE OF THE MIND POWERFUL BECAUSE IT SHAPES OUR BEHAVIOR GOES WITHOUT SAYING, HABITUAL IT IS LIKE GRAVITY, RECOGNIZED WHEN DEFIED.

LEVELS OF CULTURE PAN-NATIONAL CULTURES NATIONAL CULTURES NATIONAL SUBCULTURES (ETHNIC) PROFESSIONAL SUBCULTURES ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURES ORGANIZATIONAL SUBCULTURES –WE ARE ALL MEMBERS OF MULTIPLE CULTURES –WHY DO WE FIRST FOCUS ON NATIONAL CULTURES?

DIMESNSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURE:SILENT LANGUAGE (HALL) TIME: LINEAR (ON SCHEDULE) OR NON LINEAR (BUKRA) SPACE: NORMS OF SOCIAL DISTANCE; INDICATE: FORMALITY,INTIMACY, FRIENDSHIP SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS DENOTING STATUS MATERIAL GOODS: INDICATE POWER AND STATUS IN US, NOT IN JAPAN OR EU FRIENDSHIP: DEBTH, DURABILITY, SENSE OF RECIPROCAL OBLIGATIONS. AGREEMENTS: HOW VOICED; DISSENT &CONFRONTATION; HOW SIGNALED?

HIGH VS LOW CONTEXT CULTURES HALL’S CENCEPTUALIZATION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES CULTURE AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION CONSISTS OF FIVE SILENT LANGUAGES –LANGUAGES OF TIME SPACE MATERIAL GOODS FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENTS

HIGH CONTEXT CULTURES EMPHASIZE FRIENDS AND NETWORKS LESS FORMAL IN NEGOTIATIONS TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION W/O MUCH EXPLICIT CODING RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL CONTACTS MULTITASKING CONCURRENTLY –EXAMPLES MEDITERRANEAN ARAB JAPANESE LATIN

LOW CONTEXT CULTURES EMPHASIZE EXPLICIT CODING PLAIN, OPEN PRECISE SPEAKING VOICE DISAGREEMENTS OPENLY OPEN, EXPLICIT, COMPLETE AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS DISCRETE, LINEAR USE OF TIME AND SCHEDULES CASUAL FRIENDSHIPS, EASLILY ESTABLISHED

CULTURAL WORK RELATED VALUES (HOFSTEDE) INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIVISM POWER DISTANCE UNCERATINTY AVOIDANCE MASCULINITY/FEMININITY CONFICUIAN WORK VALUES

INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIIVISM INDIVIDUAL OR A MEMBER OF A GROUP FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL FIRST SO THAT THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY OR COMMUNITY SINCE THE BENEFITS ARE SHARED PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS, INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS, INDEPENDENCE OR GROUP WELFARE, HARMONY, EQUALITY, DUTY TO THE OTHERS INTERACTIONS ARE NEUTRAL,DETACHED AND OBJECTIVE OR EMOTIONAL AND EXPRESSIVE

POWER DISTANCE HIGH POWER: WIDE AND ACCEPTED GAP B/W HIERARCHICAL POSITIONS –LESS EGALITARIAN –SUBORDINATES SHOW PROPER RESPECT –TOP DOWN MANAGEMENT AND DIRECTIVES –STATUS SYMBOLS ARE IMPORTANT AND WELL PRONOUNCED –STARTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, IN THE FAMILY AND AT SCHOOL: AUTHORITY FIGURES ARE RESPECTED AND NOT-QUESTIONED. OPPOSITE FOR THE LOW POWER DISTANCE CULTURES

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE “ WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS DANGEROUS” VS “WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS CURIOUS” HIGH UA: AVOID RISK, DISLIKE AMBIGUITY, THREATHENED BY UNCERTAINTY, PREFER STABILITY& CONTINUITY&RULES &REGS LOW UA: EMBRACE CHANGE, COMFORTABLE WITH STRANGERS, NEW IDEAS, DIFFERENT VIEWS; WELCOME RISK, TAKE INITIATIVE

MASCULINITY VS FEMININITY MASCULINE CULTURE EMPHASIZE –ASSERTIVENESS –AGGRESSIVE PURSUIT OF MATERIAL GAIN –ACHIVEMENT –COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR –BOTTOM LINE PERFORMANCE –REWARDS FOR PERFORMANCE –FOCUS PERFORMANCE

FEMININE CULTURES EMPHASIZE HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE CARING FOR AND NURTURING OTHERS MAINTAINING AMICABLE RELATIONSHIPS OVERALL WELFARE OF THE ORGANIZATION BEING SENSITIVE TO OTHERS’ NEEDS CONSIDERING THE WHOLE INDIVIDUAL NOT ONLY THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS

CONFUCIAN WORK VALUES HARD WORK PERSEVERENCE PATIENCE FRUGALITY AND HIGH SAVINGS DELAYED GRATIFICATION LONG TIME ORIENTATION STRIVE FOR PERFECTION DISREGARD “TEMPORARY”ABSENCE OF WORLDLY GOODS EAST ASIAN NATIONS