W02: National Cultures and Management

Question 1

Concepts: Culture and perception of the world

Answer 1

Concepts

1. Culture
2. Framing
3. Culture as an Iceberg
4. Edgar Schein’s model of culture

Question 2

Culture

Answer 2

Culture…
is the way through which we make sense of the world

is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category from another

Question 3

Culture shapes …?

Answer 3

Our perceptions, what we do, our needs, beliefs, consumption

Question 4

Framing

Answer 4

Perception is framed and these frames are culturally determined. These frames remain constant.

i.e. Japanese/ American picture and the Fish Movie

Question 5

Culture as an Iceberg

Answer 5

We see only the top like art, language, food etc.

But on the bottom is way more like perception, rules and values

Question 6

Edgar Schein’s model of culture

Answer 6

Inner Circle: The implicit, basic assumptions that guide people’s behavior

Middle Circle: The norms and values that guide the society

Outer Circle: The explicit artifacts of the society

Question 7

Culture and Stereotypes

Answer 7

Stereotypes are widely held but oversimplified categorizations of a particular thing, person, or group.

Cultures averages do not differ much but the tail ends do

Question 8

Hofstede’s dimensions of culture (6)

Answer 8

1. Individualism vs collectivism
   - Whether person primarily functions as an individual or a member of a group
2. Power Distance
   - How a society deals with inequalities on power that exist among people
3. Uncertainty Avoidance
   - Extent to which people can tolerate risk and uncertainty in their lives
4. Masculinity vs Feminity
   - Society’s orientation based on traditional male and female values
5. Long-term vs. short-term orientation
   - Degree to which people and organizations defer gratification to achieve lonh-term success
6. Indulgence vs restraint
   - Freedom to satsify one’s natural needs and desires within a society

Question 9

Trompenaars’ Dimension of Culture (7)

Answer 9

1. Universalism vs particularism
   - ideas and practices and be applied everywhere
2. Individualism vs. Communitarianism
   - people as individuals vs members of social groups
3. Neutral vs Emotional
   - emotions shown vs. not shown
4. Specific vs diffuse
   - S: large public space shares with others and small private space guarded separetely
   - D: public and private spaces are similar, public space is guarded because shared
5. Achievement vs. Ascription
   - Achievement: people are accorded status based on how well they perform their functions
   - Ascription: Status based on who or what this person is
6. Sequential vs. Synchronous
   - one activity at a time vs multi-task
7. Inner-directed vs Outer-directed
   - ID think they can control the outcome

Question 10

How culture affects management

Answer 10

• safety vs risk (decision-makers are risk-averse vs. risk taking is ecouraged)
• centralized vs decentralized decision making (top managers vs. diffused through the enterprise)
• informal vs. formal procedures
• individual vs. group rewards
• high organizational loyalty vs. low organizational loyalty (identify with their occupational group)
• cooperation vs competition
• short-term vs long-term horizons
• stability vs innovation