GM - Chapter 4 - The Meanings and Dimensions of Culture

Question 1

Culture defined:

Answer 1

Acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior. This knowledge forms values, creates attitudes, and influences behavior

Question 2

Characteristics of Culture

Answer 2

• Learned
• Shared
• Trans-generational
• Symbolic
• Patterned
• Adaptive

Question 3

How Culture Affects - Managerial Approaches: Centralized vs. Decentralized Decision Making:

Answer 3

• In some societies, top managers make all important organizational decisions.
• In others, these decisions are diffused throughout the enterprise, and middle- and lower-level managers actively participate in, and make, key decisions.

Question 4

How Culture Affects - Managerial Approaches: Safety vs. Risk:

Answer 4

Safety vs. Risk:

• In some societies, organizational decision makers are risk averse and have great difficulty with conditions of uncertainty.
• In others, risk taking is encouraged, and deision making under uncertainty is common.

Question 5

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: Individual vs. Group Rewards

Answer 5

Individual vs. Group Rewards:

• In some countries, personnel who do outstanding work are given individual rewards in the form of bonuses and commissions.
• In others, cultural norms require group rewards, and individual rewards are frowned upon.

Question 6

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: Informal Procedures vs. Formal Procedures:

Answer 6

• In some societies, much is accomplished through informal means.
• In others, formal procedures are set forth and followed rigidly.

Question 7

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: High Organizational Loyalty vs. Low Organizational Loyalty

Answer 7

• In some societies, people identify very strongly with their organization or employer.
• In others, people identify with their occupational group, such as engineer or mechanic.

Question 8

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: Cooperation vs. Competition

Answer 8

• Some societies encourage cooperation between their people.

- Others encourage competition between their people.

Question 9

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: Short-term vs. Long-term Horizons

Answer 9

• Some culture focus most heavily on short-term horizons, such as short-range goals of profit and efficiency.
• Others are more interested in long-range goals, such as market share and technologic developments.

Question 10

How Culture Affects- Managerial Approaches: Stability vs. Innovation

Answer 10

• The culture of some countries encourages stability and resistance to change.
• The culture of others puts high value on innovation and change.

Question 11

Business Customs in South Africa

Answer 11

• Arrange meeting before discussing business over phone.
• Make appointments as far in advance as possible.
• Maintain eye contact, shake hands, provide business card
• Maintain a win-win situation
• Keep presentations short

Question 12

Values in Culture

Answer 12

• Learned from culture in which individual is reared
• Differences in cultural values may result in varying management practices
• Basic convictions that people have about
• —Right and wrong
• —Good and bad
• —Important and unimportant

Question 13

Value Similarities and Differences Across Cultures

Answer 13

-Strong relationship between level of managerial success and personal values
Value patterns predict managerial success and can be used in selection/placement decisions
-Country differences in relationship between values and success; however, findings across U.S., Japan, Australia, India are similar
-Values of more successful managers favor pragmatic, dynamic, achievement-oriented and active role in interaction with others
-Values of less successful managers tend toward static and passive values; relatively passive roles in interacting with others

Question 14

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Answer 14

• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism/collectivism
• Masculinity/femininity

Question 15

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions-Power distance:

Answer 15

Less powerful members accept that power is distributed unequally

• High power distance countries: people blindly obey superiors; centralized, tall structures (e.g., Mexico, South Korea, India)
• Low power distance countries: flatter, decentralized structures, smaller ratio of supervisor to employee (e.g., Austria, Finland, Ireland

Question 16

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions-Uncertainty avoidance:

Answer 16

people feel threatened by ambiguous situations; create beliefs/institutions to avoid such situations

• High uncertainty avoidance countries: high need for security, strong belief in experts and their knowledge; structure organizational activities, more written rules, less managerial risk taking (e.g., Germany, Japan, Spain)
• Low uncertainty avoidance countries: people more willing to accept risks of the unknown, less structured organizational activities, fewer written rules, more managerial risk taking, higher employee turnover, more ambitious employees (e.g., Denmark and Great Britain)

Question 17

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions-Individualism:

Answer 17

People look after selves and immediate family only

• High individualism countries: wealthier, protestant work ethic, greater individual initiative, promotions based on market value (e.g., U.S., Canada, Sweden)
• High collectivism countries: poorer, less support of Protestant work ethic, less individual initiative, promotions based on seniority (e.g., Indonesia, Pakistan)

Question 18

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions-Masculinity:

Answer 18

dominant social values are success, money, and things

• High masculine countries: stress earnings, recognition, advancement, challenge, wealth; high job stress (e.g., Germanic countries)
• High feminine countries: emphasize caring for others and quality of life; cooperation, friendly atmosphere., employment security, group decision making; low job stress (e.g., Norway)

Question 19

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Universalism vs. Particularism

Answer 19

• Universalism: ideas/practices can be applied everywhere
• High universalism countries: formal rules, close adhere to business contracts (e.g., Canada, U.S., Netherlands, Hong Kong)
• Particularism: circumstances dictate how ideas/practices apply; high particularism countries often modify contracts (e.g., China, South Korea)

Question 20

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Individualism vs. Communitarianism

Answer 20

• Individualism: people as individuals
• Countries with high individualism: stress personal and individual matters; assume great personal responsibility (e.g., Canada, Thailand, U.S., Japan)
• Communitarianism: people regard selves as part of group
• Value group-related issues; committee decisions; joint responsibility (e.g., Malaysia, Korea)

Question 21

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Neutral vs. Emotional

Answer 21

• Neutral: culture in which emotions not shown
• High neutral countries, people act stoically and maintain composure (e.g., Japan and U.K.)
• Emotional: Emotions are expressed openly and naturally
• High emotion cultures: people smile a lot, talk loudly, greet each other with enthusiasm (e.g., Mexico, Netherlands, Switzerland)

Question 22

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Specific vs. Diffuse

Answer 22

• Specific: large public space shared with others and small private space guarded closely
• High specific cultures: people open, extroverted; strong separation work and personal life (e.g., Austria, U.K., U.S.)
• Diffuse: public and private spaces similar size, public space guarded because shared with private space; people indirect and introverted, work/private life closely linked (e.g., Venezuela, China, Spain)

Question 23

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Achievement vs. Ascription

Answer 23

• Achievement culture: status based on how well perform functions (Austria, Switzerland, U.S.)
• Ascription culture: status based on who or what person is (e.g., Venezuela, China, Indonesia)

Question 24

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions-Time

Answer 24

• Sequential: only one activity at a time; appointments kept strictly, follow plans as laid out (U.S.)
• Synchronous: multi-task, appointments are approximate, schedules subordinate to relationships (e.g., France, Mexico)
• Present vs. Future:
• –Future more important (Italy, U.S., Germany)
• –Present more important (Venezuela, Indonesia
• –All 3 time periods equally important (France, Belgium

Question 25

Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions- The Environment

Answer 25

• Inner-directed: people believe in control of outcomes (U.S., Switzerland, Greece, Japan)
• Outer-directed: people believe in letting things take own course (China, many other Asian countries)

Question 26

Integrating Culture and Management: The GLOBE Project

Answer 26

GLOBE: Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness.

• Project extends and integrates previous analyses of cultural attributes and variables.
• Evaluates nine different cultural attributes using middle managers from 951 organizations in 62 countries.
• Multi-cultural team of 170 scholars from around the world worked together to survey 17,000 managers in 3 industries: financial services, food processing, and telecommunications.
• Covered every major geographic region of the world.

Question 27

The 9 Dimensions of the GLOBE Project:

Answer 27

1) Uncertainty avoidance
2) Power distance
3) Collectivism I: Social collectivism
4) Collectivism II: In-group collectivism
5) Gender egalitarianism
6) Assertiveness
7) Future orientation
8) Performance orientation
9) Humane orientation

Question 28

GLOBE results:

Answer 28

• Corresponds generally with those of Hofstede and Trompenaars.
• Different from Hofstede in that many more researchers with varied perspectives were involved (vs. Hofstede workng alone); studied many companies vs. Hofstede’s IBM.
• GLOBE provides a current comprehensive overview of general stereotypes that can be further analyzed for greater insight.