Culture and Organizations

Question 1

Individualism

Answer 1

Pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family

Question 2

Collectivism

Answer 2

Pertains to societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong cohesive in-groupps, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty

Question 3

High power distance

Answer 3

Hierarchical organizations; they develop rules, mechanisms, and rituals that serve to maintain and strengthen status and power dynamics among members

Question 4

Low power distance

Answer 4

More egalitarian organizations, minimizing rules and customs

Question 5

Uncertainty avoidance

Answer 5

Highly refined rules and rituals vs. a more relaxed attitude concerning uncertainty and ambiguity and mandate fewer rules and rituals for their employees

Question 6

Masculinity versus feminity

Answer 6

Value success, money, and achievements vs. prioitize nurturing and caring of its members over money and achievement

Question 7

long versus short term orientation

Answer 7

Focus on building relationships and market positions vs. short-term, bottom-line profits

Question 8

Indulgence vesus restraint

Answer 8

Relatively freer gratifaction of basic and natural human desires vs. suppress the gratifications of such desires and refulate through stricter social norms

Question 9

Criticism of Hofstede’s cultural values
- Minkov, 2017

Answer 9

1. Do IBM employees represent national culture? Do the values replicate with other groups and the general public
2. Does the questionnaire measure the values well?
3. is the cultural variation meaningful?
4. Ecological fallacy: some caution with interpretation

Question 10

Organizational culture

Answer 10

Information system shared within an organization and transmitted across successive generations

Question 11

Person-culture match

Answer 11

• Workers who had values that were congruent with those of their supervisor were more satisfied and committed
• Organizational identification associated with employee turnover
• but fit less important when less choice

Question 12

Normative commitment

Answer 12

Degree to which one’s ties to the organization are boun by duty and obligation

Question 13

Affective commitment

Answer 13

Level of personal feelings associated with one’s relationship to an organization

Question 14

Leaders in high power distance culture

Answer 14

Tend to be autocratic or paternalistic in their decision making and interaction style
- close supervision positively evaluated by subordinated

Question 15

Leaders in low power distance cultures

Answer 15

Particiapative and consensual
- close supervision negatively evaluated by subordinates

Question 16

Paternalistic leadership

Answer 16

hierarchical relationship in which superior provides guidance, nurturance, care and subordinate responds with loyalty
- leader acts as a father figure + role model - both participative and authorative

Question 17

differences and similarities in leadership styles

Answer 17

• culture is bound to differentiate between leadership in different societies
• but universal leadership goals: task performance and group maintenance
• common/global technological imperatives and industrial practices harmonize management pratices across cultures

Question 18

Decision making individualistic cultures

Answer 18

Individual decisions are considered better than group decisions

Question 19

Decision making collectivistic cultures

Answer 19

Group decisions are considered better than individual decisions

Question 20

Low power distance in decision making

Answer 20

Managers are seen as making decisions after consulting with subordinates, and informal employee consultation is very possible

Question 21

High power distance in decision making

Answer 21

Managers are seen as making decisions autocratically and paternalistically

Question 22

Oligarchy

Answer 22

Organizational structure where rule- or decision-making power is held by few

Question 23

Ringi

Answer 23

Japanese process of decision making, which involves the circulation of a proposal amongst all stakeholders
- Nemawashi: broad-based consensus building procedure

Question 24

Culture shock

Answer 24

Disorientation, anxiet, confusion, doubt, distress, or nervousness that occurs in the process of adapting to new and different cultures

Question 25

Optimistic view of diversity –> information-processing approach

Answer 25

• Diverse groups have more relevant information and perspectives available than homogeneous groups (i.e., have more available resources)
• Need to reconcile conflicting viewpoints → thorough processing task-relevant information, reduced risk group think
• When groups can combine these resources well (= good process), they can achieve superior performance

Question 26

Pessimistic view of diversity –> social categorization perspective

Answer 26

• Diversity creates social divisions which harm teamwork
  Similarity-attraction theory
• People attracted to similar others
• Social identity theories: People categorize themselves and others into groups, with which they identify and which they try to promote (i.e., favoring the ingroup above the outgroup, thereby harming intergroup relations)
• Intercultural misunderstandings

Question 27

Diversity as a double-edged sword

Answer 27

More creativity, increased performance, high quality decisionc
- More conflict, less effective communication, though more satisfaction with work