Global Mindset Competency Flashcards
(17 cards)
Stephen Rhinesmith Characteristics
They drive for the bigger, broader picture.
They accept contradictions.
They trust the process to solve problems.
They value multicultural teamwork.
They view change as opportunity.
They are open to new ideas and continual learning.
They are inclusive, not exclusive.
Artifacts and products.
These include a culture’s obvious features, such as its food, dress, architecture, humor, and music. For example, Texas may elicit images of cowboy hats and boots, barbecue, and country music, while Tuscany conjures images of cathedrals, pasta, and wine. An organization may be distinguished by its clothing choices (for example, suits and ties versus hoodies and jeans) or physical design (for example, beige cubicles or an “open office” with designated collaborative spaces). One of the artifacts of an organizational culture might be its climate.
Norms and values.
Less immediately obvious are a culture’s shared and stated sense of acceptable behaviors—what is right and wrong. These may be a country’s rules and regulations or a company’s mission statement and code of conduct.
Basic assumptions.
These are the culture’s core beliefs about how the world is and ought to be. They may be unspoken, and members may not even be consciously aware of them. Even cultures with similar norms and values may have significantly different basic assumptions. Terms such as “success,” “freedom,” or “doing good” may carry very different meanings for each culture, and failure to perceive such differences is often at the root of cross-cultural miscommunication and conflicts.
International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Nancy J. Adler describes three aspects of cultural intelligence:
Cognitive, including thinking, learning, and strategizing. This involves developing a knowledge of cultural differences and similarities and being able to use that knowledge to determine how best to handle a cross-cultural situation.
Motivational, including effectiveness, confidence, persistence, value congruence, and the level of attraction toward a new culture. This quality enables one to genuinely enjoy cultural differences rather than feeling threatened or intimidated by them.
Behavioral, including an individual’s range of possible actions and responses to intercultural encounters. This quality enables one to be flexible and adapt in multicultural contexts.
High-context cultures
equire a great deal of background. They are characterized by complex, usually long-standing networks of relationships, which are as important as work and often blur the line between business and social lives. Since members of the culture share a rich history of common experience, the way they interact and interpret events is often not apparent to outsiders. There are rules—sometimes exceedingly complex rules—but they are implicit, and the rules are often applied flexibly. Countries with high-context cultures include China, Japan, and France. Most Latin American countries also have high-context cultures.
the applicable principle is: “No business until I get to know you personally.”
Low-context cultures
package necessary background in the communication itself. In a low-context culture, relationships tend to have less history. Because individuals know each other less well and don’t share a common database of experience, communication must be very explicit. Examples of low-context countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
the applicable principle is: “It’s not personal. It’s just business.”
Ethnocentrism and parochialism.
Adler characterizes ethnocentrism as “our way is the best way and we are really not interested in other ways of reaching a goal.” Parochialism goes even further, asserting that “there is only one way to solve a problem or reach a goal.” While both are limited world views, it is possible to alter ethnocentric views with time, experience, and training. Parochialism is such a rigid mindset that it may not easily be malleable.
Cultural stereotypes.
While certain words are used to describe cultural value dimensions and characteristics, these words should not be judgmental or contain negative connotations. A particular culture’s approach to time can be described without degenerating into judgmental phrases such as “lazy” or “undependable.” It is also valuable to remember that cultural descriptive terms characterize group behaviors but that not all individuals within a group necessarily conform to these norms.
Cultural determinism.
“The culture made me do it.” This perspective basically absolves individuals of any responsibility for their actions. Global HR professionals will often hear from managers in other countries that something cannot be done because of the local culture. This may call for further discussion about the supposed obstacles. In some cases they may not exist, and in others the obstacles may not really be cultural resistance to the practice but to how the practice is being implemented.
Cultural relativism.
Cultural relativism holds that because cultures vary so widely and greatly, everything is relative. There are no absolutes; everything varies based on the situation and the cultural perspective. In fact, while cultural differences are often considerable, global HR can refer to a reasonable set of absolutes based on honesty, decency, and personal integrity that should pertain across cultures.
Focus groups.
By bringing together team members from different groups across the organization, you can create a safe space to air opinions and criticisms and generate diverse ideas and solutions.
Employee resource groups.
Employee resource groups (ERGs) are centered around certain shared characteristics (for example, gender, race, or nationality). ERGs can help empower and support communities within the organization, and they can be a useful source of information and feedback to help HR devise plans and proposals to realize benefits from cultural differences.
Reverse mentorship.
Reverse mentorship redefines the mentor-mentee relationship into one that goes both ways. Each individual can teach the other about their own cultures, acting in the role of cultural intermediary or coach. These relationships build trust and enhance effective collaboration and can help instill a global mindset as employees are exposed to more diverse viewpoints.
Civil law
Civil law is based on written codes approved by legislative bodies. In some instances, governments implement regulations to enforce laws. These regulations have the force of law. The law is applied deductively in each case, starting from the abstract rule that has been stated in the nation’s civil law code. Each judicial action is bound by the letter of the law; the laws are not affected by judicial decisions.
Common law
Common law is based on legal precedent. Each case is considered in terms of how it relates to judicial decisions that have already been made. Common law evolves through judicial decisions over time. Some common laws have been codified, as in the Uniform Commercial Code in the United States, which is applied to commercial transactions. Because legal precedents are not always considered binding and because legal positions evolve over time through a series of cases in which analyses may differ, common law can change gradually.
Religious law
Religious law is based on religious beliefs and conventions: a mixture of written codes and interpretations by religious scholars. Most world religions have their own bodies of laws and legal processes—for example, Sharia (Islam), canon law (Christianity), and the Halakha (Judaism). HR professionals must be aware of the relationship between civil and religious laws in the countries in which their organizations operate and potential conflicts between their employees’ religions and the employers’ policies.
