1. Developing Global Manners
Chapter Three
Developing Global Manners

2. Chapter Three Outline Developing a Global Mind-Set
A model of Societal and Organizational Cultures
Cultural relativism versus Cultural Imperialism: Balancing Ethical Extremes
Becoming a Global Manager
How Well Do U.S. Management Theories Apply in Other Countries?
Becoming Cross-Culturally Competent
Individualism versus Collectivism
High-Context and Low-Context Cultures
A Contingency Model for Cross-Cultural Leadership

3. Chapter Three Outline (continued)
3-1b
Chapter Three Outline (continued)
Preparing for a Foreign Assignment
A Poor Track record for American Expatriate
Some Good News: North American Women on Foreign Assignments
Avoiding OB Trouble Spots in the Foreign Assignment Cycle

4. Cultural Awareness Exercise: “The Classroom Culture”
3-2
Cultural Awareness Exercise: “The Classroom Culture”
“Culture generally remains below the threshold of conscious awareness because it involves taken-for-granted assumptions about how one should perceive, think, act, and feel.”
Instructions: Break up into teams of 4 to 5 people and brainstorm (in 5 minutes) as many answers as possible to this question: What generally unspoken and take-for-granted assumptions about student behavior affect your classroom experience? Present your team’s list to the class.
For class discussion: Do these cultural influences tend to enhance or threaten the learning process?

5. Cultural Influences on Organizational Behavior
3-3
Figure 3-1
Cultural Influences on Organizational Behavior
Organizational Culture
Economic/ technological setting
Political/ legal setting
Ethnic background
Religion
Societal culture
Customs
Language
Personal values/ethics
Attitudes
Assumptions
Expectations
Organizational Behavior
Source: Adapted in part from BJ Punnett and S Withane, “Hofstede’s Value Survey Module: To Embrace or Abandon?” in Advances in International Comparative Management, vol 5, ed SB Prasad (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1990), pp

6. Guiding Principles for a Middle Ground
3-4
Table 3-1
Guidelines for Behavior and Ethics in Foreign Cultures: A Balancing Act
Cultural Relativism
“ When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Guiding Principles for a Middle Ground
Cultural Imperialism
“The sun never set on the British Empire”
Assumption: Each culture is right in its own way; there are no international or universal standards.
Problems:
• Morally inconsistent
• Fosters “anything is okay” attitude.
• Respect for core human values, which determine the absolute moral threshold for all business activities.
• Respect for local traditions
• The belief that context matters when deciding what is right and what is wrong.
Assumption: People in all cultures should follow one set of behavioral and ethical standards.
• Morally arrogant
• Insensitivity to local cultural traditions and tastes.
Source: Three guidelines in center column quoted from (and other contents of table adapted from discussion in Thomas Donaldson, “Values in Tension: Ethics Away from Home.” Harvard Business Review, September-October 1996, pp 48-62

7. How Strong Is Your Potential for Ethnocentrism?
3-5
Hands-On Exercise
How Strong Is Your Potential for Ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s native country, culture, language, and modes of behavior are superior to all others.
Are the people from your home country generally more or less ethnocentric than average? Explain.
How strong a factor is ethnocentrism in war-torn regions of the World, including Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Northern India, Central Africa, and the Balkans?
Is the trend toward a global economy threatened by ethnocentrism? Explain.
What can and should managers do to combat ethnocentrism in the workplace?
What can you do to personally combat ethnocentrism?

8. 3-6
Skills and Best Practices: Steps You Can Take Now to Become a Global Manager
Global Perspective: Focus on global business
Cultural Responsiveness: Become familiar with many cultures
Appreciate Cultural Synergies: Learn multicultural dynamics
Cultural Adaptability: Live and work effectively in different cultures
Cross-Cultural Communication: Daily cross-cultural interaction
Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Multicultural teamwork
Acquire Broad Foreign Experience: Series of foreign career assignments

9. Key Cultural Dimensions
Individualistic Cultures: “I” and “me” cultures where individual freedom and choice are given priority
Collectivist Cultures: “We” and “us” cultures where shared goals and interests rank higher than individual desires and goals
High-Context Cultures: situational and nonverbal cues convey primary meaning
Low-Context Cultures: meaning conveyed primarily through written and spoken words

10. Key Cultural Dimensions (continued)
3-7b
Key Cultural Dimensions (continued)
Monochronic Time: precise, schedule-driven, and public (do one thing at a time)
Polychronic Time: multi-dimensional and personal (engage in multi-tasking)
For class discussion: How would you characterize yourself in terms of these key dimensions? How will these cultural tendencies help or hinder you as a manager in your home country?

11. A Contingency Model for Cross-Cultural Leadership
3-8
Table 3-2
A Contingency Model for Cross-Cultural Leadership
Most Culturally Appropriate Leadership Behavior
Country Directive Supportive Participative Achievement
Australia X
Brazil
Canada
France
Germany*
Great Britain
Hong Kong **
Japan
Sweden
United States
*Former West Germany ** Reunited with China

12. Reasons Why US Expatriate Managers Fail in Foreign Assignments
3-9
Reasons Why US Expatriate Managers Fail in Foreign Assignments
Manager’s spouse cannot adjust to new physical or cultural surroundings
Manager cannot adapt to new physical or cultural surroundings
Family problems
Manager is emotionally immature
Manager cannot cope with foreign duties
Manager is not technically competent
Manager lacks proper motivation for foreign assignment

13. Foreign Assignment Cycle
3-10
Foreign Assignment Cycle
Home Country Experiences
Foreign Country Experiences
1. Selection and
training
“Unrealistic expectations”
2. Arrival and
adjustment
“Culture shock”
Reassignment
4. Returning
home and
adjusting
“Reentry shock”
3. Settling in and
acculturating
“Lack of support”