Chapter 7 – Team Leadership Across Cultures

Question 1

What is Hofstede Model of cultural values

Answer 1

• the most widely known framework, worked with IBM to develop an original set of four major cultural dimensions addressing important work-related questions.
• The first 4 to come out are the most researched dimensions. in later years, they introduced two more dimensions to the framework.
• Leaders can use the COUNTRY COMPARISON TOOL data on www.hofstede-insights.com so compare the total 6 cultural dimensions of whatever country.

Question 2

List and define the 4 major cultural dimensions of Hofstede Model of cultural values

Answer 2

1. Individualism/Collectivism: Do people prefer to work primarily alone or in groups/teams?
   
   • High Individualism: U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia. They Focus on personal achievement, individually-based rewards and recognition, and the value of being different
   • High Collectivism: Many Asian cultures, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, many Arab and African nations. Focus on collective achievement, team-based or equally shared rewards and recognition, and conformity
2. Power Distance: How important are status and hierarchy in terms of getting things done in organizations?
   
   • ​​High power distance: Japan, India, Malaysia, Brazil. Focus on respecting each person’s level, status, or position in organizations; employees are reluctant to question or challenge their bosses’ directives or decisions.
   • Low power distance: U.S., Netherlands, Israel, Scandinavian countries. Place less importance on a person’s title in company hierarchies. Employees feel more comfortable speaking up and offering their own ideas in the presence of supervisors; take initiative when they feel its appropriate; will challenge their bosses if they believe they have a better answer or approach
3. Uncertainty Avoidance: How much tolerance do people have for ambiguity in their work? An attitude toward risk.
   
   • High Uncertainty Avoidance: risk avoidant like Japan, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland. Strive to reduce ambiguity and unpredictability in the workplace through policies, laws, procedures, and structures.
   • Low Uncertainty Avoidance: risk takers like U.S., Netherlands, Israel, Scandinavian countries. Have fewer rules and greater ambiguity; more opportunism and openness to risk taking in business ventures
4. Quantity of Life (Masculinity)/Quality of Life (Femininity): Do people put more emphasis on assertiveness, achievement, and competition or on taking care of others and societal welfare?
   
   • High Quantity of Life: Italy, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela. Greater emphasis on assertiveness, achievement, material wealth, and gender inequality
   • High Quality of Life: Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Scandinavian countries. Emphasize societal welfare, interpersonal sensitivity, taking care of others, and friendly cooperation

Question 3

What are the Hofstede Model 2 Extra Dimensions?

Answer 3

1. Long-term/Short-term Orientation: How do people’s values align regarding respect for tradition, a focus on the past, and respect for the social obligations versus adaptation of traditions to a modern context, a focus on the future, and more limited respect for social obligations?
   
   • long term (Chinese) short term orientation (quarterly, US)
2. Indulgence/Restraint: Whether people in a society are relatively free to gratify basic and natural human drives connected to enjoying life and having fun or instead suppress gratifying needs and regulate life using strict social norms.
   
   • indulgent in the world (Italy, spain) retrained (Pakistan)

Question 4

*What is the most important cultural value from Hofstede Model for understanding 3D team leadership and why (3 reasons).

Answer 4

individualism-collectivism:

- This is the cultural value that has the strongest link with teamwork. 
- Affects how team members view and relate to their subteams. 
- Understanding your teams shared values can help you more finely tune your focus with these aims in mind.

Question 5

*In collectivistic countries, members make strong distinctions between what kinds of groups? Explain.

Answer 5

• in-groups – members to whom one feels a strong sense of loyalty and obligation
• out-groups – members to whom one does not feel a strong connection and, at worse, have a certain level of animosity toward.

Question 6

*How to lead with Collectivism (3)

Answer 6

1. Leaders in highly collectivistic countries may need to take steps to reduce in-group–versus–out-group distinctions.
2. If you are leading in a more collectivism context, you will need to continually focus at least some of your efforts on teams.
   
   • members who are more collectivist will embrace the transition from a simple task to a complex task that requires more interdependence more naturally

Question 7

*How to lead with individualism

Answer 7

1. If you are leading in individualistic contexts, as in many western countries, you will need to be constantly mindful of the “I’s” in your team because, on average, team members in these contexts will desire individually based rewards, feedback, and motivation or coaching.
2. If you have members on your team that score high on individualism you should invest extra effort into making sure they transition appropriately when from a simple task to a complex task requiring more interdependence because you know this might go against their underlying tendencies.

Question 8

*What 3 things should a leader do when dealing with these individualism-collectivism differences on their team:

Answer 8

1. focus on the team first then on the individuals secondly. This approach sends a more coherent messages to team members because individuals matter and can benefit from working together, but the team as a whole is more important.
2. Leaders should also focus on empowering the team as a whole, constantly reiterate team goals, and provide feedback based on the overall team work.
3. They should also work to align individual and team interests by highlighting the gains in visibility and reputation that each member can expect if the team works optimally.

Question 9

*What is the impact of Power Distance and how status and hierarchy affect 3D team leadership.

Answer 9

Power distance can affect how far leaders should attempt to go with empowering each of the team’s three identities (3D). In high power distance countries, individuals may resist self-management, which could lead to less satisfaction and commitment.

Question 10

*4 ways to guide a leader to empower high power distance cultures

Answer 10

1. leaders could lean on HR to help assess prospective team members’ cultural values before determining leadership approach.
2. Adapt the nature of the empowerment programs to fit the cultural values of the countries in which you are operating.
3. Alter the way you implement empowerment programs in various countries.
4. Pay close attention to local employment laws in the countries in which you operate.

Question 11

what are the 2 BEST PRACTICES FOR LEADING

CULTURALLY DIVERSE TEAMS

Answer 11

1. Leaders should spend a great deal of time, especially initially, focusing on the “I’s” in the team to understand the unique needs, concerns, and motivators of each of the team’s members.
2. Leaders must also focus on the team as a whole to create a unified team identity.

Question 12

What is cultural intelligence (CQ)

Answer 12

a person’s or group’s behavior those features true of all people and all groups, those peculiar to this person or this group, and those that are neither universal nor idiosyncratic. In other words, a person high in CQ has the ability to spot patterns and trends when appropriate but can also discern the unique aspects of cultures and individuals. A person can have a high CQ but still be insensitive, which is obviously needed.CQ can be developed and learned over time.

Question 13

What are the three components of CQ?

Answer 13

1. Cognitive: Your ability to notice clues to a culture’s shared understandings and make accurate inferences.
2. Emotional/Motivational: Your ability to make mistakes in a foreign culture without getting frustrated and to preserve in unfamiliar territory.
3. Physical: The ability to adopt habits, customs, and mannerisms characteristic of a given culture.

Question 14

The 6 steps to Increase CQ are

Answer 14

1. Examine CQ strengths and developmental needs using a survey instrument
2. Find training opportunities focusing on developmental needs.
3. Apply lessons learned from the training by practicing what you learned.
4. Organize personal resources to support the new approaches developed in training.
5. Enter the new cultural setting you need to master.
6. Reevaluate newly developed skills and how effective they have been in the new setting.