chapter two Flashcards
sources of change
Culture
is transmitted in different ways
but values and customs
constantly evolve in response
to changing economic and
social realities
change by imposition
values and practices are
imposed upon one or
more native cultures
social stratification
It creates hierarchies and influences a person’s class, status, and financial rewards
within that culture
ethic and racial groups
Country-by-country attitudes vary toward race
and ethnicity.
gender based groups
differences exist in attitudes toward the roles of
males and females in society and the workplace
age based groups
Many cultures assume that age and wisdom are
correlated; thus, they often have a seniority-based system of advancement
family based groups
In some societies, family membership is more
important than individual achievement.
power distance
a measurement of employee preferences of
interaction between superiors and subordinates
high power difference
little consultation between bosses and subordinates
low power distance
“consultive” styles
high individualism
describes a preference to fulfill leisure time, build
friendships, and improve skills independently of the organization
high collectivism
dependence on the organization through training,
satisfactory workplace conditions, and good benefits
risk taking behavior
nationalities differ in their attitudes towars risk taking
future orientation
where individuals tend to live for the present as opposed to their future
fatalism
represents the belief that life is predestined- fatakists are nit likely to plan for contingencies or take responsibility for performance
information and task processing
people from different cultures obtain, perceive and process information in different ways, thus they may also reach different conclusions
perception of cues
people perceive cues differently according to culture and more precise language
low context culture
people say what they mean and mean what they say, practiced in the united states
high context culture
people infer meaning from things communicated indirectly - relationships are very important, practiced in Italy
information processing
All cultures categorize, plan, and quantify, but the
ordering and classification systems used often vary. To perform efficiently and work
amicably in a foreign environment, you need to understand such differences
monochronic versus polychromic cultures
Monochronic people prefer
working on one task (i.e. northern Europeans) while in the second multiple tasks
(southern Europeans)
idealism versus pragmatism
some cultures will determine principles before
they try to resolve small issues (idealism), whereas other cultures will focus more on
details rather than principles (pragmatic).
host society acceptance
if the host country is willing to accept foreign customs as a
trade-off for other advantages, significant adjustments may not be required.
cultural distance
fewer adjustments must be made when moving within a culturally
similar cluster (i.e. US to UK)
