Chapter 5 Flashcards
to slay
What is important about the degree of adaptation?
A company does not have to abandon their way of doing business to adapt, but they are required to be aware of local customs and culture to not let it get in the way of business
What is the key to adaption?
to remain American (or wherever you’re from), but develop an understanding of and willingness to adapt to local customs
what are the three groups of business customs?
imperatives
electives
exclusives
What are cultural imperatives?
these are business customs that must be met in order to establish a relationship, which one needs to do successful business
Found in cultures where friendship and trust come before all else in the business world, without good connection one cannot do business
Also includes cultural imperatives such as the importance of eye contact, apologizing and other culturally significant things matter
What is cultural electives?
behaviours or customs that one can adapt if you want to, but you are not required. Most customs fit into this category!
Includes thing such a greeting with a kiss on the cheek, alcohol or food (you can refuse politely), bowing as a greeting in Japan
Participating is appreciated and shows that the newcomer is willing to adapt and has made an effort to understand local customs
What are cultural exclusives?
Cultural exclusives are those customs or behavior patterns reserved exclusively for the locals, so the visitor should not do this.
Ex: a Christian attempting to act like a Muslim would be repugnant to a follower of Mohammed.
Why is the American cultural management style so important to understand?
- The U.S. market is the biggest export market in the world
- Since the late 1990s, American business culture has been exported around the world
What are the most important ideas of the American management style?
*“Master of destiny” viewpoint.
*Independent enterprise as the instrument of social action.
*Personnel selection and reward based on merit.
*Decisions based on objective analysis.
*Wide sharing in decision making.
What is the master of destiny viewpoint?
People can substantially influence the future; they are in control of their own destinies
individuals can control their future - linked to the idea of hard-work and “american dream”, and also americas high score on individualism
Name examples of countries with a high PDI:
Mexico, Malaysia
Name examples of countries with a low PDI:
Scandinavia, US and Canada
What is the difference between high and low PDI countries?
In high, subordinates will not challenge or question their bosses, in low countries this is normal and even encouraged
What are the three styles of decision making?
Top-level management
Decentralized management style
Committee decisions
What is top-level management?
found in business with family- or close-ownership, - gives absolute power to those high in power
found in ex: mexico, venezuela, middle east and france
What is decentralized management ?
Decentralized decision making allows executives at different levels of management to exercise authority over their own functions.
found in highly development management systems
What is Committee decision making?
decisions are made in group or committees, often found in Japan and countries where collectivism is high
What is the importance of personal life when talking about management styles around the world?
In some countries, people’s jobs are seen as their entire life (Japan), and one’s identity is embedded within their company.
But in others, family relationships and life outside work is seens as more important than their job
This can be seen in the massive difference in the amount of hours worked annually in countries like Japan, Mexico, South Korea ect.
What is the importance of social acceptance and affiliation ?
In some countries, acceptance by other is the goal within business - ex in Japan there is a lot of focus on recognition of the “group”
In cultures where social acceptance is important, when asked what they to for a living, a person might respond by which company they work for rather than their position or field of work
Importance of power and achievement ?
Countries in South America are shown to be more driven by power, one does not only seek profit but also economic and political influence
But, power is measured differently in different countries
What did Edward Hall mean by silent language?
the symbolic meaning of things such as time, space, friendship and agreements
ex; how different countries have their office space layed out - this is example of silent language
Explain the importance of face-to-face communication:
In high-context countries there is a high focus on nonverbal communication
In low-context, they heavily depend on explicit verbal communication - less reading inbetween the lines
What are some countries that are high-context and some countries that are low-context
High: Japan, Arab countries, Latin America
Low: Switzerland, Scandi, Germany
What is the problem with internet communication?
More opportunity for miscommunication and misunderstanding, also lacks context in some cases making it harder to understand
In high-context cultures, this is more difficult to use because they rely on the contextual understanding and reading between the lines
Importance of formality
In some countries, formality is very important - things such as the use of first names
Countries with less formalities tend to score low on PDI, and it can cause misunderstanding between countries who score high
Ex, in Germany you do not use someones first name unless they have known you for 10 years - violating this can be seen as disrespectful
