Week 8 Flashcards
Why is culture relevant?
- Culture eats strategy for breakfast”
- The way in which a group of people solves problems & reconciles dilemmas
- “The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one category of people from another
- “A system of values and norms that are shared among a
group of people, and, when taken together constitute a design for living.” - A set of shared solutions to universal problems of external adaption & internal integration, which are handed down from one generation to the next.”
- Social constructed constellation consisting of practices, competencies, ideas, shemas, symbols, values, norms, institutions, goals, constitutive rules, artifacts -> internalized rules create tradtitions that go deeper than reason
- Understanding culture has great implications both deomestically and internationally
- culture is a invisible control mechanism operting in our thoughts, we become only aware of this control mechanism when it is serverely challenged -> by exposure to a different culture
- Culture influence behaviour as well as the intepretation of behaviour
Iceberg
Culture consitsts of two levels:
invisible: level of values -> area that is not immediately visible but that can be dervied by careful attention to the visivle elements of the cultural system as we understand
visible: behaviour or arefacts
Culture is shared set of basic assumptions and values, with resultant behvioural norms, attitudes and beliefs which manifest themselves ins systems and institutions as well as behavioural patterns and non behavioural items. Culture is shared among members of one group or society. Culutre is shared and modified by the individual personality.
Are cultures around the world becoming more similar (convergence hypothesis) or dissimilar (divergence hypothesis)?
- in some cases more similar, in some cases more dissimilar
- moving to traditionals values, religion,
Layers of Social Behaior:
Universal
- Fight
- Freeze
- Flight
- Fear
- need for security
*
Layers of Social Behavior 2:
Cultural
Plants and animals have mastered their environments via bodily (somatic) adaptation
* Dense, smooth, insulating feathers
* Strong beaks with serrated margins for catching fish
* Powerful forelimbs as flippers
* Flat bones bound together
* Thick layer of fat under the skin
Humans rely on culture (i.e. extra-somatic) means of adaptation for survival
* Horn & bone from other animals
* Technology & tools
* Wood & other plants products
* Fur, & skins from other animals
* Language
Layers of Social Behavior 2:
Culture -> Geographical Diversity → Cultural Diversity
Values, ethics, norms, behavior, etiquette, and communication patterns, are shaped by a particular group of people who share specific conditions that require specific solutions of adjustment that fit this particular context.
Layers of Social Behavior 2: Culture -> The Function of Culture
Naturally we are responding out of fear / judgment
Social norms help build trust
-> Higher level of trust lead to lower levels of interpersonal violence
-> Lower levels of violence allows for organzation of people into a workforce
-> Better organization leads to greater efficeny of production
-> Better efficeny leads to greater production and richer society
Layers of Social Behavior 2: Culture -> Culture at Two Levels
The Psychological Level:
Focuses on internalized norms, attitudes, values and behaviors of individuals from a particular culture
The Institutional Level:
National or group culture embodied in institutions (i.e. government, education, economic or business organizations etc.).
Swiss
* federal system
* direct democracy
* sovereignty
* independence
* self-sufficiency
Layers of Social Behavior 3:
Personal
- Unique biology
- unique biography
Layer of Behavior
Universal / Culutral / Personal
Universal
* Running from a dangerous animal -> dangerous cultural
* Learning one’s native language
* Eating regularly
* Feeling sad at the death of your mother
Personal
* Sleeping with bedroom window open
* Disliking having to wear mourning clothes for 30 days after the death of your mother
Culutral
* Considering snakes to be “evil” -> China delicious, little dragon
* Men opening doors for women
* Respecting older people
* Speaking Arabic as a foreign language
* Eating with knife, fork, and spoon
* Wearing white mourning robes for 30 days after the death of your mother -> Japan
What is a cultural problem? / What is not a culutral problem?
May every problem seems like a culutral problem, but not every problem is a culutral one
Stereotyping
- a common but oversimplified and fixed image or idea of a particular type of person or thing
- Based on the tendency to group things together
- Often unconscious and in line with our own cultural programming
- By stereotyping, we tend to exaggerate similarities of things within the same group and differences between groups
Why do we stereotype?
Cognitive Economy
* Efficient categorization: negates the need to re-assess specific situations
* Predictive ability: assumes knowledge of how an “other” group will act, behave, respond, etc.
Social Categorization
* Social identity: a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership
* Group membership: source of pride and self-esteem, source of sense of belonging
Pygmalion / Golem Effect
Pygmalion Effect:
Higher expectations (positive prejudice) lead to increased
performance
Golem Effect: Lower
expectations (biased, prejudice, etc.) lead to decreased performance
Stereotypes vs. Generalizations
Stereotypes
* Categorizing all members of a group as having the same characteristics
* Selective and inflexible perception
* Observations are subjective, judgmental
* Clichés
Generalizations
* Categorizing many members of a group as having similar
characteristic tendencies
* Flexible perception
* Observations are neutral, objective
* Tendencies
dilemma
Cultural dimension models work from a dilemma, which is a choice between equally unfavorable alternatives.
There is no final answer to a dilemma, but one position or choice must be made
Culture gives us the “right” answer to a dilemma
Trompenaars-Hampden-Turner’s
(THT) Cultural Dimensions
Countries -> Would not expect their friend to protect them (%)
Universalism
Universalism searches for sameness and similarity and tries to impose on all members of a class or universe the laws of their commonality
Universalist societies tend to feel that general rules and obligations are a strong source of moral reference. Universalists are inclined to follow the rules, even when friends are involved, and look for the ‘one best way’ of dealing equally and fairly with all cases. They assume that their standards are the right standards, and they attempt to change the attitudes of others to match theirs.”
Universalism
at its best…
- Provides equality opportunity and equal treatment: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “ dream” emphasized the need for equality and equal treatment of all Americans, regardless of their race, religion, creed, or gender.
- Demands equal treatment under the law: Archibald Cox, special prosecutor for the Watergate investigations, said “Whether this is to be a government of laws or men, must now be decided.”
- Encourages competition, leading to higher value
products at lower costs and is crucial to mass
manufacturing and mass marketing.
Universalism
when taken too far…
- Can lead to simplistic moral formulas and dogmas including religious, political and social fundamentalism
- The stereotyped nature of objectifiable or “universal” criteria (as seen in beauty pageants, for example) are ludicrously limited to a narrowly construed “ideal”.
- Can quickly become very challenging to legislate, as exceptions to the rule cannot be easily reconciled with universalist thinking.
- Results in a litigious society as more and more
rules are created to accommodate the everincreasing circumstances and exceptional characteristics of real life
Universalism
when taken to the
extreme…
Universalism, in the form of fundamentalism, has led to horrors of humanity including eugenics and human rights violations, all in the name of the common good.
The universal and universally applied principles of science, when taken to the extreme, have led a fundamentalist dogma around it where, ironically, it becomes the very thing it purports to be the antithesis of: religion.
Taken to extremes, laws, applied without a consideration of the circumstances of the case, result in abuses of justice
Particularism
Particularism searches for differences, for unique and exceptional forms of distinction that render phenomena incomparable and of matchless quality
Particularism
“Particularist societies are those in which particular circumstances are more important than rules. Bonds of particular relationships (family, friends) are stronger than any abstract rules. Response to a situation may change according to the circumstances and the people involved. Particularists often argue that ‘it depends’.”
Particularism
at its best…
- May be the beginning of something new, as the exception which allows a deeper or better understanding of a phenomena
- Enhances the value of a product through the scarcity of really close, really complex relationships.
- Is involved in our intimate and passionate relationships. There has never been a love like ours, a passion like ours, an understanding like ours.
- Is closer to nature. Living systems, although
governed by biological laws, have the aspect of
growth, flowering wildness, chaos, and vitality
Particularism
when taken too far…
- Becomes hostile to human rights and universalizing claims of equality
- Attacks science, as modern-day Luddites proudly reject authority and data-based evidence, in favor of anti-intellectualism: Suddenly, “my opinion is as valid as your facts”.
- Supplants Christianity with “Eastern” religions, obscurantist mysticism, mind-expanding drugs, and by deliberate reversals of conventional values, as typified by counterculture movements.
- Combined, this rejection of norms, customs, and
laws leads to an erosion of trust in the legal frameworks, and slowly, the degradation of a society
Management Dichotomies
Universalism vs Particularism
Scientific Management
we have this kpi -> we can measure it
Human Relations
build relationship, motivate them, engage them
Extreme Particular Expression
Human Rights violations
racism
anti intellectural / anti sience
my opinion is more imporant then your facts
counterculutre
* example hippies rejected thigs that are given to me be more spiritual
* regection to nomrs
* idea comes for im looking for exceptions
when we have universinalism and particularis comes in there comes an erusion of turst
* these crazy young people
* these old people dont know what the world is like
* this is bad cuase we arent able to work togehter
exterme one
* Religious Violence
* Brexit
* Prohibition -> US alcohol is illegal
Recognize the differences between universalist and particularist
Universalist
* Focus is more on rules than relationships
* Legal contracts are readily drawn up and strictly adhered to
* A trustworthy person is the one who honors their word or contract
* There is only one truth or reality,
that which has been agreed to
* A deal is a deal
Particularist
* Focus is more on relationships than on rules
* Legal contracts are readily modified
* A trustworthy person is the one who honors changing mutualities
* There are several perspectives on reality relative to each participant
* Relationships evolve
Tips for doing
business with…
- universalists
- particularist
Universalist (for Particularist)
- Be prepared for “rational”, “professional” arguments and presentations that push for your acquiescence
- Do not take an impersonal, getdown-to-business attitudes as rude
- Carefully prepare the legal ground with a lawyer if in doubt
Particularist (for Universalist)
- Be prepared for personal “meandering” or “irrelevancies” that do not seem to be going anywhere
- Do not take personal, get-toknow-you attitudes as small talk.
- Carefully consider the personal implications of your legal safeguards
In Management
- universalists
- particularist
Universalists
- Strive for consistency and uniform procedures
- Institute formal ways of changing the way business is conducted
- Modify the system so that the system will modify you
- Signal changes publicly
- Seek fairness by treating all like cases in the same way
Particularists
- Build informal networks and create private understandings
- Try to alter informally accustomed patterns of activity
- Modify relations with you, so that you will modify the system
- Pull levers privately
- Seek fairness by treating all cases on their special merits
Universalism vs.
Particularism
Universalism
* Consistency
* Rules and Systems
* Clarity based on standards
* Uniform procedures
* Desire for structure
* Letter of the Law
Particularism
* “It depends”
* Pragmatic responses
* Exceptions and Relationship
* Flexibility based on relationships
* Comfortable with ambiguity
* Spirit of the Law (within the
* context of the relationsh
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Individualism
“It is obvious that if an individual has as much opportunity as possible and the maximum opportunity to develop yourself, the quality of life would improve as a result.”
Communitarianism
“If an individual is continuously taking care of their neighbors then the quality of life will improve for everyone, even if it obstructs individual freedom and individual development.”
Individual Freedom vs. Social Obligation
-> compare countries
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Living in a society
Communitarianism seeks to locate the origins of value within the social discourse of the living society, which nurtures, educates, and takes responsibility for the spirit engendered among its member
Individualism seeks to locate the origins of value in the creative, feeling, inquiring, and discovering person who seeks fulfillment and is solely responsible for choices made and convictions formed
-> in an individualistic country you can decide if you want to care for other
Individualism
-> personal freedom / individual achievement
“People in Individualistic societies believe in personal freedom and individual achievement. They believe that you make your own decisions, and that you must take care of yourself.”
Individualism
at its best…
- Allows autonomy, self-reliance, freedom, initiative,
accountability, and divergent thinking. - Supports human rights, freedom, and other
expressions of democratic thought. - Encourages vigorous dissent. In a functioning
democracy, there isn’t an inherent expectation that
everyone must act, think, or behave in a
prescribed way. - Explores the unknown; from Puritan settlers in
America, to the Moon. - Allows certain individuals to amass vast resources.
- Encourages philanthropy “Teach a man to fish…”,
“Help people to help themselves”, and “A hand up,
not a hand-out
Individualism
when taken too far…
- Blames victims, ignoring environmental or systemic causes for the problem.
- Celebrates insatiable greed, avarice, and hoarding of resources that may benefit others if shared more equitably.
- Supports dictators and strongmen around the world (ex. USA: Batista in Cuba, Somoza in Nicaragua, Pinochet in Chile, Marcos in the Philippines, Sese Seko in Congo, Reza Pahlavi in Iran, Suharto in Indonesia, Zia ul-Haq in Pakistan, etc.)
- Persecutes trade unions to enrich individuals over the broader society.
- Consumes a disproportionately large share of the world’s resources.
- Tend to compete promiscuously, not just with other companies, but with relatively powerless customers and consumers.
Communitarianism
“People in communitarian societies believe that the group is more important than the individual. The group provides
help and safety, in exchange for loyalty. The group always comes before the individual.”
Communitarianism
at its best…
-
Shares burdens equally (ex. Singapore made across the-board wage cuts to allow it to ride out
the 1997 recession more effectively.) - Adept at fast following and industrial catch-up.
- Encourages its members to leave a legacy to society, neighborhood, and family, which lasts beyond the individual’s life span.
- Offer high levels of productivity, quality, and esprit de corps by instilling high levels of literacy and
numeracy in the population -
Provides long-term, low-interest loans to achieve a lower cost of capital and a source of lending that
remains loyal and supportive over extended periods.
Communitarianism
when taken too far…
- Allows ailing industries to prop each other up by mutual assistance provided by cross-shareholding, in which banks, suppliers, and customers own shares in each other’s companies.
- Can become a pyramid of sacrifice, with those
lower down sacrificed to those on top. This happens when the interests of consumers are subordinated to the interests of producers. -
Prohibit agile and timely responses in favor of
time-consuming consensus-making. - Can sabotage any attempt by members to escape
their shared fate. - In conflict, leads to out-group dehumanization
Management Dichotomies
Individualism / Communitarism
both of this systems work
Individualism / Coummunitarianism
shareholder / stakeholder
porfitability / market share
pioneer / catch-up
social -> they can decided who suits the best/ personal -> i decide who goes where
compete / cooperate
rival / complement
Leaders and Culture
The culture that we are embedded in influences our views about leadership
Three cultural influences at work in corporations
* personal culture: shared combination of an individuals traits, skill and personality formed within the context of ethnic, racial, familial, and educational environment -> unique personal culture
* national culture -> shared understanding that comes form the combinsation of beliefs, values and behaviors that have provided the foundation of the heritage of a country
* organizational culture -> shared insitutional beliefs, values, and the organization’s guiding philosophy -> vission, mission, values -> leaaders have often diffrent views about their corporate culture compared to those in lower levels -> keeping in touch how these views differ is an imporant part of every leader’s job
Dimension of culture: Kluckhohn and Stodtbeck
Dimensions of Culture Kluckhohn and Stodtbeck
* Basic nature and human beings: Good: act in a reasonable and responsible manner / Evil: are evil and are not to be trusted
* Relationship among people: Individualistic: responsibility it to himself/ Hierarchical: group orientation distinct differences in status are expeceted and respected
* Activity orientation: Being: live and experience / Doing: accomplish goals
* Relation to nature: Subjugation: nature and the environment determine human acitivity / Harmony: humans should live in harmony with their environment / Domination: Humans can extert domination over their environment while they control their own destinies
* Time orientation: Past: history is important / Present: the current situation should determine what we do / Future: our actions should concentrate on the future
Hofstede: Dimensions influence culture
Hofstede: Dimensions influence culture
- Power distance
- Uncertainty avoidance
- Individualism / Collectivsm
- Masculinity and Femininity -> Masculinity: achievement and material sucess / Femininity: realationship, cooperation, quality of life
The 10 types of motivational values
Openess to change
* Power: social status and prestige, dominance or control
* Achievement: demonstating competence
* Stimulation: Challenge, excitement
* Self-Direction: Independet thought and action
* Hedonism: Pleasure and sensuous gratifcation for oneself
Conservation
* Security: harmony and stability
* Conformity: restraining actions or impuleses that would likely upset or harm others
* Tradition: commitment, respect and acceptance of customs that tradiditional culture provide
* Benevolence: Preserving and enhancing welfare of all people
* Universalism: Broadminded and having appreciation, understanding and tolerance for the welfare of all people
GLOBE dimension
- Uncertainity avoidance
- Power distance
- Collectivsm / Individualism
- Assertiveness: competition / warm and cooperative relations
- Future orientation: planning, investing, long time horizon for decision making / short time horizon, instant gratification
- Performance orientation: the degree to which a society encourages and rewards group members for performance improvement, direct and explicit way of communication / loyalty and belonging, family background
- Humane orientation: Extent to which a society encourages and rewards people for being far, caring, generous / Importance of given to power, material possession and self-enhancement
- Gender differentation: extent to which a socitety maximizies gender role differnces
Which cultural dimension are most imporant for leadership behaviour
- difficult to say
- May be Individualism / Collectivism or Power distance
Development model of interculutral sensitivity (DMIS)
Explain the reacions of peolple to cultural differences
Ethnocentric stages
* Denial of Difference: one’s own culture is experienced as the only real one, act aggressively to eliminate the difference
* Defense Aggainst differnces: one’s own culutre ist experienced as the only viable one, other culutres are viewd negatively, us versus them
* Minimalization of difference: acceptance of superficial cultural differences
Ethnorelative stages
* Acceptance of Difference: one’s one culture is experienced as just one of anumer of equally viable alternatives, those from different culutres are viewed as different but equal
* Adapation to Difference: Empathy, which allows tehm to take the perspecitve of those form other countries, understand across culture
* Integration of difference: consture their identities at the margins of two or more cultures
-> knowledge is power, if leaders understand their own intercultural senisitivity
Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Components
- Cognitive: understanding how communication is both different and similiar across culture
- Affective: focus on the motivation to communicate with others from different culutres and on issues of sensitivitiy
- Behavioral: obtaining the skill necessary to communicate with people from other cultures
A three stage development sequence
- Awareness: culutral self-awareness
- Knowledge: documenting facts and knowledge to increase comprehension
- Skills: generate appropriate intervention skills for bringing about suitable and effective change will match the skill to the cultural context,
Three levels of culture: Hofestede
- Rituals, such as way of greeing and paying respect
- Heroes, such as admired persons who serve as an example of behaviour
- Symbols, such as words, colour or other arefacts that carry a special meaning
Ecological fallacy
data form one level of analysis (such as the culture level of analysis) at another level of analysis (the individual level) is inappropriate -> culture level anlysis always refelcts central tendencies, it does not predict individual behaviour
Cultural competences
cultural competent:
leans to participate in a particular society, learn that their culture’s beliefs, patterns, and expected behaviours are correct
cross-cultural competences:
learn a culture when they encounter other humans who do not hold the same cultural orientation, learn a second cultural orientation
multi-cultural competence:
operate succesffully when they cross multicultural boundaries
transcultural competence:
able to adapt to various sociocultural settings anywhere in the world, with or without prior knowledge of the cultural orientation of those people -> being able to adapt to any specific culture
Transcultural competences 4r:
* recogintion: what is the diemma?
* respect: both sides have legitimate opinions
* reconciliation: coming to some sort of agreement
* realization: translating it into actual behaviour
