chapter two Flashcards
sources of change
Culture
is transmitted in different ways
but values and customs
constantly evolve in response
to changing economic and
social realities
change by imposition
values and practices are
imposed upon one or
more native cultures
social stratification
It creates hierarchies and influences a person’s class, status, and financial rewards
within that culture
ethic and racial groups
Country-by-country attitudes vary toward race
and ethnicity.
gender based groups
differences exist in attitudes toward the roles of
males and females in society and the workplace
age based groups
Many cultures assume that age and wisdom are
correlated; thus, they often have a seniority-based system of advancement
family based groups
In some societies, family membership is more
important than individual achievement.
power distance
a measurement of employee preferences of
interaction between superiors and subordinates
high power difference
little consultation between bosses and subordinates
low power distance
“consultive” styles
high individualism
describes a preference to fulfill leisure time, build
friendships, and improve skills independently of the organization
high collectivism
dependence on the organization through training,
satisfactory workplace conditions, and good benefits
risk taking behavior
nationalities differ in their attitudes towars risk taking
future orientation
where individuals tend to live for the present as opposed to their future
fatalism
represents the belief that life is predestined- fatakists are nit likely to plan for contingencies or take responsibility for performance
information and task processing
people from different cultures obtain, perceive and process information in different ways, thus they may also reach different conclusions
perception of cues
people perceive cues differently according to culture and more precise language
low context culture
people say what they mean and mean what they say, practiced in the united states
high context culture
people infer meaning from things communicated indirectly - relationships are very important, practiced in Italy
information processing
All cultures categorize, plan, and quantify, but the
ordering and classification systems used often vary. To perform efficiently and work
amicably in a foreign environment, you need to understand such differences
monochronic versus polychromic cultures
Monochronic people prefer
working on one task (i.e. northern Europeans) while in the second multiple tasks
(southern Europeans)
idealism versus pragmatism
some cultures will determine principles before
they try to resolve small issues (idealism), whereas other cultures will focus more on
details rather than principles (pragmatic).
host society acceptance
if the host country is willing to accept foreign customs as a
trade-off for other advantages, significant adjustments may not be required.
cultural distance
fewer adjustments must be made when moving within a culturally
similar cluster (i.e. US to UK)
ability to adjust
culture shock-represents the trauma one experiences in a new and
different culture because of having to learn to cope with a vast array of new cues and
expectations
company and management orientations
Whether managers adapt abroad depends
also on their own attitudes and behaviors
polycentrism
A company believes it should act abroad like companies there. Polycentric management may be so overwhelmed by national differences that it won’t introduce workable changes
ethnocentrism
reflects the conviction that one’s own practices are superior to those of other countries
geocentrism
foreign operations are based on an informed knowledge of both home and host country needs, capabilities, and constraints.
consideration of value systems
the more that change upsets important values, the more resistance it will encounter
resistance to too much change
may be reduced if only a few demands are made at one time
participation
proposed change should be discussed
with stakeholders in advance in order to ease their fears of consequences
reward sharing
A company may choose to provide
benefits for all the stakeholders affected by a proposed change in order to gain support for it.
opinion leadership
By discovering the local channels of influence, an international firm may seek the support of
opinion leaders
timing
Many good business changes fail because they are
ill-timed. Attitudes and needs change slowly
