Chap 004
Transcript of Chap 004
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International OB: International OB: Managing across Managing across
CulturesCultures
Chapter Four
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Learning Objectives
LO.1 Define the term culture, and explain how societal culture and organizational culture combine to influence on-the-job behavior.
LO.2 Define ethnocentrism, and explain how to develop cultural intelligence.
LO.3 Distinguish between high-context and low-context cultures, and identify and describe
the nine cultural dimensions from Project GLOBE.
LO.4 Distinguish between individualistic and collectivist cultures, and explain the difference between monochronic and polychronic cultures.
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Learning Objectives (cont.)
LO.5 Specify the practical lesson from the Hofstede cross-cultural study, and explain what Project GLOBE researchers discovered about leadership.
LO.6 Discuss the results and practical significance of the recent Bloom and Van Reenen study of national management styles.
LO.7 Explain why US managers have a comparatively high failure rate on foreign assignments.
LO.8 Summarize the research findings about North American women on foreign assignments.
LO.9 Identify four stages of the foreign assignment cycle and the OB trouble spot associated with each stage.
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Societal Culture Is Complex and Multilayered
Societal culture a set of beliefs and values about what is
desirable and undesirable in a community of people, and a set of formal or informal practices to support the values
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A Model of Societal and Organizational Cultures
Employees bring their societal culture to work with them in the form of customs and language
Organizational culture affects an individual’s values, ethics, attitudes, assumptions, and expectations
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Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism belief that one’s native country, culture,
language, and behavior are superior to all others.
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Research Insight and Dealing with Ethnocentrism
A survey of companies in Europe, Japan and the U.S. found ethnocentric staffing and human resource policies to be associated with increased personnel problems.
Those problems included recruiting difficulties, high turnover rates, and lawsuits over personnel policies.
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Question?
Patricia has lived in the US her entire life. She believes that the US is the greatest country in the world. Her belief is an example of _____.
A.Societal norm
B.Cultural paradox
C.Ethnocentrism
D.Collectivism
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Cultural Paradoxes Require Cultural Intelligence
Cultural intelligence ability to interpret ambiguous cross-cultural
situations correctly
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High-context cultures and Low-context cultures
High-context cultures – rely heavily on situational cues for meaning when perceiving and communicating with others
Low-context cultures – written and spoken words carry the burden of shared meanings
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Avoiding Cultural Collisions
People on both sides of the context barrier must be trained to make adjustments.
Background information is essential when explaining anything.
Do not assume the newcomer is self-reliant.
High-context workers from abroad need to learn to ask questions outside their department and function.
Foreign workers must make an effort to become more self-reliant.
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Project GLOBE
GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) attempt to develop an empirically based theory
to describe, understand, and predict the impact of specific cultural variables on leadership and organizational processes and the effectiveness of these processes
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Nine Cultural Dimensions fromthe GLOBE Project
Power distance How much unequal distribution of power should
there be in organizations and society?
Uncertainty-avoidance How much should people rely on social norms
and rules to avoid uncertainty and limit unpredictability?
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Nine Cultural Dimensions fromthe GLOBE Project
Institutional collectivism How much should leaders encourage and
reward loyalty to the social unit, as opposed to the pursuit of individual goals?
In-group collectivism How much pride and loyalty should individuals
have for their family or organization?
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Nine Cultural Dimensions from the GLOBE Project
Gender egalitarianism How much effort should be put into minimizing
gender discrimination and role inequalities?
Assertiveness How confrontational and dominant should
individuals be in social relationships?
Future orientation How much should people delay gratification by
planning and saving for the future?
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Nine Cultural Dimensions from the GLOBE Project
Performance orientation How much should individuals be rewarded for
improvement and excellence?
Humane orientation How much should society encourage and
reward people for being kind, fair, friendly, and generous?
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Question?
Rebecca has always focused on delaying gratification and saving money for the well-being and education of her children and her own retirement. According to dimensions from the GLOBE project, Rebecca's behavior reflects:
A.Future orientation
B.In-group collectivism
C.Masculinity-femininity
D.Assertiveness
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Individualism versus Collectivism
Individualistic culture characterized as “I”
and “me” cultures, give priority to individual freedom and choice
Collectivist culture oppositely called
“we” and “us” cultures, rank shared goals higher than individual desires and goals
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Question?
Michelle is torn between her desire to go on vacation and her organization's desire to have her at work. She decides to take her vacation. Michelle is probably from a(n) _____ culture.
A.Organizational
B.Low-context
C.High-context
D.Individualistic
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Cultural Perceptions of Time
Monochronic time revealed in the ordered, precise, schedule-
driven use of public time that typifies and even caricatures efficient Northern Europeans and North Americans
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Cultural Perceptions of Time
Polychronic time seen in the multiple and cyclical activities and
concurrent involvement with different people in Mediterranean, Latin American, and especially Arab cultures.
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Practical Insights from Cross-Cultural Management Research
Cross-cultural management Understanding and teaching behavioral
patterns in different cultures
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GLOBE and the Hofstede Study
Power distance How much inequality
does someone expect in social situations?
Individualism-collectivism How loosely or
closely is the person socially bonded?
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GLOBE and the Hofstede Study
Masculinity-femininity Does the person
embrace stereotypically competitive, performance-oriented masculine traits or nurturing, relationship-oriented feminine traits?
Uncertainty- avoidance How strongly does
the person desire highly structured situations?
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Question?
Manuel is manager of a work crew. He keeps to himself and prefers not to interact with his employees. This is an example of which negative leader attribute.A.Asocial
B.Ruthless
C.Eccentric
D.Loner
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Why Do US Expatriates Failon Foreign Assignments?
Expatriate refers to anyone
living and/or working outside their home country
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Avoiding Unrealistic Expectations
Realistic job previews are a must for future expatriates.
Cross-cultural training any type of structured experience designed to
help departing employees (and their families) adjust to a foreign culture
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Avoiding Culture Shock
Culture shock anxiety and doubt caused by an overload of
new expectations and cues
Best defense is comprehensive cross-cultural training, including intensive language study
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Support during the Foreign Assignment
Host-country sponsors assigned to individual managers or families Serve as “cultural seeing-eye dogs”
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Video Case: Cirque du Soleil
Why is Cirque du Soleil successful throughout the world? Why does the product transcend culture differences between countries?
How do the cultural influences influence organizational behavior at Cirque du Soleil?
Why is it important for Cirque du Soleil to be a good corporate citizen? How does ethnocentrism relate to fulfilling this role?