exam Flashcards
culture definition
Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of people.
types of culture
- team culture
- student culture
- music culture
- industry culture
- department/function culture
- regional culture
- corporate culture
- national culture
iceberg model - visible parts
- music
- rituals
- art
- fashion
- food
- language
- architecture
iceberg model - invisible things
- norms
- beliefs
- values
- knowledge
( - language)
definition of stereotype
… a wildly held but fixed and oversimplified image/idea of a particular type of person or thing (positive or negative)
definition of prejudice
preconceived opinion that is either based on reason or actual experience (positive or negative)
Hofstede´s culturel dimensions (1973))
- Low/ High power distance
- Low/ High uncertainty avoidance
- Individualism/ Collectivism
- Masculinity / Femininity
- Long-/ Short-term orientation
- Indulgence / Restraint
Hofstede - Low/ High power distance
relationship with authorities -> are people in positions with authority the same or superior to their subordinates?
Hofstede - Low/ High uncertainty avoidance
comfort with ambiguity -> do you need few/ many rules to avoid (constrain uncertainty?
Hofstede - Individualism/ Collectivism
individual/ group interests generally take precedence over group/ individual interests
Hofstede - Masculinity/ Femininity
value of possessions, money and pursuit of a personal goal (ambition, assertiveness, competitiveness, materialism, seeking wealth
vs value of social relevance, quality of life(work-life balance) and welfare of others ( feelings, relationships, well-being)
Long/ Short term orientation
future orientation -> will to give up immediate gratification for futures purposes, values dedication and hard work
past and present orientation -> values traditions and social obligations
Indulgence / Restraint
Indulgence stands for free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun.
Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms
Critisism of Hofstede
- old data
- one company ( +less variables/ differences between the people, - a limited amount of perspectives)
- analyses the country, not the culture ( doesn’t account for multiculturism within a country and differences within a culture)
Dimensions of Trompenaars Theory of relationship orientation
- Universalism v particularism (rules vs relationships)
- Individualism v collectivism
- Neutral v emotional
- Specific v diffuse (separation between work and private life)
- Achievement v ascription (status from achievement or birth/connections)
Trompenaar - Universalism / Particularism
rules apply equally to everyone vs rules change based on the person who is involved
Trompenaar - Individualism / Collectivism
focus on
individual achievement & independence
vs
group achievement and welfare
Trompenaar- Specific / Diffuse
personal life isn’t / is separated from your work
Diffuse -> you spend time outside of work with your colleagues / clients
work roles are specific/ diffuse -> a CEO can´t/ can have another work role at the same time
Trompenaar - Neutral / Emotional
hide / show emotions
Trompenaar - Achievement / Ascription
respect and status earned because of your accomplishments/ you inherited it or have the right connections
Trompenaar - Sequential / Synchronous time
doing one/ multiple things at the same time
Trompenaar - Internal/ External control
we control our environment and are self-determined/ the environment controls us and we are influenceable
Reasons why our culture is dynamic:
- catastrophic events, population shifts/ migration, cultural exchange
- technology, changing values, resource shortages (-> impact on our values and way of thinking)
culture´s impact on an individual
it defines how
- we identify (see ourselves)
- we see others
- we relate to others
- we live (work and play)
- it affects our values, what we consider right and wrong
- influences/ affects our choices, and in turn, through our choices, we influence others around us, consequently shaping our society/ culture
culture is reciprocal - culture shapes individual and the individual shapes the culture
Push and Pull of culture
culture´s ideals formed through personal/shared context
Individual degree of acceptance/ rejection determines how much we act in accordance with or against societal expectstion
=> comfort level depends on how much you identify with your culture
Factors influencing cultural identity
- Personal contextual Factors (background, history, experiences, genetics, education, life transitions)
- *Isms (racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, heterosexism, religious intolerance)
- Cultural Dimensions (ethnicity, ability, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, social class, religion/ spirituality)
- Systematic Factors (historical, sociocultural, political, economic context, social norms)
- Relationality (family, friends, chosen family, ancestry. heritage, social location)
Definition of communication
Process of understanding & sharing meaning
definition of intrinsic bias
- processing new information through the lens of our current/ previous perspective
- Everything is filtred & processed by relating to our knowledge & experience
- gives unique context and complicates shared meaning & understanding
High context
Asia, Aran and mediterrranean countries (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arab, Greek, Latin, Italian)
- implicitly embedded meanings
- nonverbal expressions have high importance
- ambiguity of essages
- relationship iimportant
Low Context
USA, UK, German
- clear, direct communication
- few nonverbal expressions
- highly structured and detailed messages
Non-verbal part of communication
- Appearance
- Kinetics
- Proxemics
- Haptics
- Occulesics
- Chronemics (use of time)
colour symbolism
Challenges of a multicultural team
- power struggles
- process difficulties
- team conflict
- distribution of work
pros of a multicultural team
- Improves quality analysis
- Global awareness
- Divers viewpoints
- Higher creativity
- Personal growth
cons of a multicultural team
- communication problems
- unpredictability
- low team cohesion
- stress
- mistrust
rituals
for example openings of a meeting takes 20 minutes in Spain or Italy but only about 5 in Germany
