Week 9 Flashcards
Trompenaars-Hampden-Turner’s
(THT) Cultural Dimensions
Affective vs. Neutral
Affective
In affective cultures people express their emotions more naturally. Reactions are shown immediately verbally and/or non-verbally by using mimic and gesture in form of body signals. They don’t avoid physical contact, which is well known especially from Italians and Spanish when meeting each other very enthusiastic and with raised voices.
* Humorous
* Expressive
* Verbally communicative
* Close body-space
* Tactile
Neutral
In contrast neutral cultures like Japanese tend to hide their emotions and don’t show them in public. Neutral cultures don’t express precisely and directly what they are really thinking which can lead to misunderstandings and certain emotions are considered to be improper to exhibit in certain situations.
* Serious
* Controlled
* Non-verbal communication
* Larger body-space
* Non-tactile
Emotional vs Restraint
Kuwait, Egypt, Spain: very emotional
China, Hong Kong, Japan: try to hide emotions, communitarism, how does our feelings affect the group
-> in the middle, universalist coutnries
Cross-cultural Perspectives on Humor
“Humor seems to manifest differently in Western and Eastern cultures, although little is known about how culture shapes humor perceptions. The authors suggest that Westerners regard humor as a common and positive disposition; the Chinese regard humor as a special
disposition particular to humorists, with controversial aspect.
In. Westerners view humor as a commonly owned trait and as a positive disposition for self-actualization. In contrast, the
Chinese consider humor to be restricted to humor
professionals and less desirable for social interactions.
-> Western: humour is positive
-> Chinese: humour is not evaluated as positvely
Emotional expression
in the workplace
Recognize the differences
Affective vs Neutral
Neutral
- Do not reveal what they are thinking or feeling
- May (accidentally) reveal tension in face and posture
- Emotions often dammed up will occasionally explode
- Cool and self-possessed conduct is admired.
- Physical contact, gesturing or strong facial expressions are often taboo.
- Statements often read out in monotone
Affective
- Reveals thoughts and feelings verbally and non-verbally.
- Transparency and expressiveness release tensions.
- Emotions flow easily, effusively, vehemently and without inhibition.
- Heated, vital, animated expressions are admired
- Touching, gesturing and strong facial expressions are common.
- Statements declaimed fluently and dramatically
When doing business with Affectives vs Neutrals
Neutrals
- It is recommended to ask for time-outs from meetings and negotiations and put as much as you can on paper beforehand.
- “Neutrals” tend to be reserved which doesn’t mean that they are disinterested or bored. It is just a lack of emotional tone. You may experience that the entire negotiation is very focused on the object or proposition being discussed and less on you as a person.
Affectives
- Members of affective cultures may have a tendency to overact, creating scenes or getting histrionic, but it is suggested not to get confused but to take time-outs for a clear, sober reflection and hard assessment.
- They haven’t necessarily made up their minds when showing their enthusiasm, readiness to agree or vehement disagree. You can respond warmly their expressed goodwill. In contrast to neutral cultures, affective cultures are focused on you as a person and not so much on the object or position
Specific vs. Diffuse
Specfic (Analytic, Differentiated)
* direct low context, say what you mean
* Text / Task
* Easy Contact
* Open, direct communication
* Analyzing, segmenting
* Hard-selling
* Shareholders
Diffuse (Holistic, Integrated)
* Context, Relationship
* Slower personal involvement
* Polite, implicit communication
* Connecting issues
* Client relationship
* Stakeholders
Specific vs. Diffuse
-> countries comparision
low context countries -> high specific
Specific vs. Diffuse
Specific / Segmented / Atomistic
- From the specific to the general
- Communication: Clear and direct (Get to the point!)
- Relationship: Public / private life separation
Diffuse / Integrated / Holistic
- From the general to the specific
- Communication: Picturesque, and indirect. (Read between the lines!)
- Relationship: Hardly any public / private life separation
- Context, Relationship
Specificity
-> as it best
As its best
- Seeks truth through analysis, and a scientific approach
- Contributed to the doctrine of human rights; democracy began as a franchise of property owners. When everyone was allowed to vote as a result of political pressures, landless voters were said to have property in their persons, hence civil “rights.”
- Is vital to promise-keeping. When you “give your word” you must keep it.
- Can clarify issues by separating what we know from what we infer or conclude from known facts or results
Specify -> taken too far
- Must specify what those in your environment care about, what they require, and then match each specific request with your own response.
- May cause “paralysis-through-analysis.” (ex. Reducing a house to a pile of bricks)
- Turns into “single-principle imperialism.” The part or unit specified grows and grows in salience until it usurps the whole. (ex. Pay-for-performance) -> poor job fit
- Can become materialist and lose all human and spiritual qualities. Objects and objectives are more specific than living people, who are more diffuse. Human beings have attachments and social bonds Objects have none, take away human spiritual & human qualities
Extreme Specificity
The first step is to measure what can be measured. That’s ok as far as it goes.
The second step is to disregard what cannot be measured or give it an arbitrary quantitative value. This is artificial and misleading.
-> we ignore things that cannot be meassured
The third step is to assume that what cannot be
measured is really not important. This is blindness.
The fourth step is to assume that what cannot be
measured does not really exist. This is suicide.
Diffuseness -> at its best..
- root cause analyse
- Is very aware of quality (as a characteristic of whole products and whole design, development, and manufacturing processes.) -> quality is everyone’s job
- Considers the entire process by which the product is conceived, designed, developed, manufactured, distributed, and maintained. -> work as a process
- Is more alert to remote consequences and the need for balance. (ex. “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”)
- Accelerates returns in networked contexts (ex. The
one-thousandth member to join a network generates nine hundred and ninety-nine additional relationships.”)
-> complex interactions
Diffuseness - >when taken too far
- Tends to subscribe to the “ethic of ultimate ends.” If the ends are sufficiently glorious and revolutionary, the trails of blood leading to those ends can be overlooked. -> everyones job -> no one’s job
- Tendency to maintain hierarchy through reciprocal obligations. Because a powerful superior can always do more for a relatively powerless person than the latter can do for his superior, the powerless person is forever obligated. -> the ends justify the means, in the end we get what we want, in reality no
- Stresses aesthetics, harmony, and the closeness of relationships; Rebellion is seen as ugly, ungrateful, and insensitive; Disagreement is not permitted.
- Slows needed changes and prevents incremental adjustments to the outside world; When the change comes it may be radical, but it is overdue.
- Erects barriers against invalidation; Objections are explained away.
- unfalsifibale theory
Direct vs. Indirect
-> Communication
Direct (Switzerland)
Transmitter-oriented Communication: It is considered the responsibility of the speaker to communicate ideas clearly and unambiguously
Indirect (Japan)
Receiver-oriented Communication: It is up to the listener to make sense of what is being said
Specific vs. Diffuse
Relationships
Specific
- Large public space (easily shared with others); Small private space (for family, friends and close associates)
- Informal approaches in both public and private spaces
Diffuse
- Public and private spaces overlap; therefore, private space must be closely protected (as it provides access to public space).
- Value is attached to formality in
public space
Communication in
Context
pauses, body language, loudness, not just the words are diffrent
Management Dichotomies
Specific vs diffuse
specific:
* division of leader, everyone is spezialized at a specific part
* mechanism: fix small things
* forecast for next year
diffuse;
* integration of labor, they rotate, they know very little about technical things
* organism: look at the big picture
* scenarios, if— then
Doing vs Being
Achievement vs. Ascription
Achievement Orientation (Switzerland)
- Respect or status is based on what you do.
- Status is ascribed to what you do, what you have accomplished.
- Winners “make it” on their own
-> Steve Jobs
Ascription Orientation
- Respect or status is based on who you are; i.e. on your (family) background
- Status is ascribed to what you are, what you stand for or where you come from
-> Price Harry
Disagree with “Respect depends on family background”
-> diffrence between countries
