Chapter 5 - Cultural Environments Flashcards
What is organizational culture?
- a system of shared meanings and beliefs held by members that determine how they act
- distinguishes org. members to regular people
Expatriates (someone who lives outside their native country) abroad must rely on…
- being adaptable
- job-related expertise
- responsive to a new enviroment
Culture is ….
- a collective mental programming
- how the members of a
society live, feed, clothe and
shelter themselves - defines their beliefs and values
and the way they perceive the
meaning of life.
There are three different types of managerial orientations
1) Ethnocentric orientation -Using our own culture as the standard for judging other cultures (USA)
2) Polycentric orientation -mindset in which the manager develops a greater affinity for the country in
which he or she works than for the home country (ME)
3) Geocentric orientation - global mindset in which the manager is able to understand a business or market without regard to national boundaries
Cultural Metaphors
a distinctive tradition or institution strongly associated with a particular
society
Stereotypes
generalizations about a group of people that may or may not be factual
Manners and Customs
ways of behaving and conducting oneself in public and business
situations
Perceptions of space
reflect each culture’s orientation about personal space and conversational distance
Two different perceptions of time
1) Monochronic - individual is focused on schedules, punctuality, time as a resource (USA)
2) Polychronic -flexible orientation to time in which the individual takes a long-term perspective (Africa)
Colors in Different Cultures
Blue - trust, security and authority
Green - represents luck, nature, wealth
Red - energy, love, danger
White - purity, peace (western) vs death, bad luck (asian cultures)
Idioms
expression whose symbolic meaning differs from its literal meaning
E. T. Hall
make a distinction between high-and low-context cultures
Geert Hofstede
distinguish among six dimensions of culture.
High-context culture vs Low-context culture
High context – mutual casualty culture events understand only in context, meanings can vary, categories can change (making excuses or lies to cover up true meaning)
Low-context - unidirectional culture, events have clear universal meanings (they say it how it is, USA)
All of Hofstead’s dimensions of culture
- Individualism vs. Collectivism
- Power Distance
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Masculinity/Femininity (Tough vs. Tender Society)
- Long Term Orientation vs. Short Term Orientation
- Indulgence vs. Restraint
Individualism vs Collectivism
Individualistic - Higher value on goals and achievements of individuals Collectivism - Higher value on group and encourage others to put interest of group above their own
Power distance (High vs Low)
Egalitarian society (individuals are equal) - Authority is questioned, Interaction is expected, Subordinated want superiors to be accessible
Hierarchical society - Distance between ranks are respected, Status and power are maintained, Little interaction practiced among people
Uncertainty Avoidance
High - people are not okay with risks, they want rules and structure Low - People = live comfortably w/o strict rules
Tough vs tender society
Masculine - Achievement, assertiveness, power, competition, material possession
Feminine - Social relationships, nurturing, cooperation
Long term vs short term orientation
Long term - long view to planning and living
Short term -maintain time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion
Indulgence vs. Restraint
Indulgence - Individual happiness, Having fun enjoying life, Freedom to express own emotions and desires
Restraint - Job mobility is limited, Basic drives are controlled via social norms, People avoid expressing their opinions
Deal versus relationship orientation
Deal - managers focus on task at hand, prefer getting down to business
Relationship - managers put more value on affiliations with people
