week one - culture and cultural differences Flashcards
(68 cards)
1
Q
what is culture
A
A set of beliefs, values and norms embedded in a human group that provides the group with a common identity
2
Q
what are values
A
they are abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right and desirable
3
Q
what are norms
A
social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behaviour in particular situations.
4
Q
characteristics of culture
A
- it is not innate, it is learned
- serves as a guide for people
- shared by a collective but cannot be identified with the individual personalities
5
Q
determinants of culture
A
- climate
- religion
- education
- social
6
Q
what is ethnocentrism
A
analysing any problem or situation through the lens of one’s own culture without bearing in mind that our decisions, actions and behaviour may have a very different impact on other people than they would have in our own culture
7
Q
what is a stereotype
A
a fixed, unvarying idea about something or someone
8
Q
what is a generalisation
A
a principle, statement or an idea hhaving general application
9
Q
model of cultural behaviour
A
lecture one, slide seven
10
Q
what are the dimensions of the hofstede model
A
- power distance
- uncertainty avoidance
- individualism/collectivism
- masculinity/femininity
- long/short-term orientation
- indulgence/restriction
11
Q
what is power distance
A
the extent to which less powerful members of organisations accept an unequal distribution of power
12
Q
what does high power distance in a company imply
A
- managers make decisions in a autocratic way, subordinates accept orders without questioning them
- privileges and status symbols are expected for managers
- high organisation pyramids with many management levels
- wide salary range between top and bottom of organisation
13
Q
what does a low power distance in a company imply
A
- managers usually consult subordinates before making decisions, subordinates may question orders
- experience and talent are more important than formal status
- formal titles and positions are not so important for negotiations
- decentralised and flatter structures, few management levels
- openness and multi-directional information flows
- narrow salary range, managers feel adequately paid
14
Q
what is uncertainty avoidance
A
the extent to which people in a society feel threatened by ambiguity
15
Q
what does high uncertainty avoidance imply
A
- strong loyalty to the employer, long length of employment in the same company
- highly formalised conception of management: key role of rules and procedures
- preference for tradition, resistance to change and innovation
16
Q
what does low uncertainty avoidance imply
A
- weak loyalty to the employer, high mobility across companies
- low formalisation and structuring of activities: key role of common sense
- risk-taking and innovation are encouraged
17
Q
what is individualism (hofstede)
A
- people define themselves as independent individuals and make their primary commitments just to themselves
- emphasis on personal initiative and achievement, efficiency, and financial autonomy
- hiring is based on skills and performance
- poor performance is the main reason for dismissal
- treating friends or family better than others is considered unethical
- greater social mobility across occupations
18
Q
what is collectivism (hofstede)
A
- relatives and friends of the employer are preferred in hiring and promotion decisions
- personal relationships prevail over efficiency in tasks and company goals
- treating friends better than others is normal and ethical
- organisational success attributed to sharing information with the group
- belief in collective decisions
- low social mobility across occupations
19
Q
pros of individualism
A
- employees develop a stronger self-concept and self-confidence
- is consistent with achievement motivation
- competition encourages innovation
- links between personal effort and greater sense of equity
20
Q
cons of individualism
A
- emphasis of personal gain at the expense of others
- interpersonal conflicts are encouraged
- personal stress
- more feelings of loneliness and alienation
- greater incentive for unethical behaviour
21
Q
pros of collectivism
A
- individuals are treated as equals
- greater synergies
- greater concern for the welfare of others
- relationships are more personalised
- credit for failure is shared
- teamwork
22
Q
cons of collectivism
A
- loss of personal self to the group
- individuals have a greater emotional reliance on the group
- less personal responsibility for outcomes
- tendency towards ‘group think’
- collectives can take longer to reach a consensus
- ‘free ride’ effect
23
Q
what is masculinity
A
- emphasis on income, mutual competition and performance
- managers are expected to be decisive, firm, assertive, aggressive, competitive and fair
- career ambitions are compulsory for men and optional for women
- managers are generally ready to prioritise their careers over family
- sickness leave is not popular
- preference for larger companies and higher pay
24
Q
what is femininity
A
- emphasis on quality of life, relationships among people and concern for wellbeing of others
- high job satisfaction, freedom, flexibility and low stress
25
what is long-term orientation and what is it also known as
flexhumility, how every society has to maintain links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and how society priorities these two goals differently
26
what is short-term orientation called
monumentalism
27
what dimensions does the globe model consider
- power distance
- uncertainty avoidance
- gender egalitarianism
- assertiveness
- institutional collectivism
- group collectivism
- future orientation
- performance orientation
- humane orientation
28
what is performance orientation
This reflects the extent to which a community encourages and rewards innovation, high standards and performance improvement
29
what is high performance orientation
* Value training and development
* Emphasise results more than people
* Reward performance
* Expect demanding targets
* Value assertiveness, competitiveness and materialism
* Value initiative. Have a ‘can-do’ attitude
* Value and reward individual achievement
* View feedback as necessary for improvement
* Believe that anyone can succeed if he or she tries hard enough
* Value what you do more than who you are
* Attach little importance to age in promotional decisions
* Value being direct, explicit and to the point in communications
* Have a monochronic approach to time
* Have a sense of urgency
* believe that education is critical
30
what is low performance orientation
* Value societal and family relationships
* Emphasise loyalty and belonging
* Have high respect for quality of life
* Value harmony with the environment rather than control
* View assertiveness as socially unacceptable
* Have high value for sympathy
* Regard being motivated by money as inappropriate
* View feedback and appraisal as judgmental and discomforting
Value who you are more that what you do.
* Pay particular attention to age in promotional decisions
* Value ambiguity and subtlety in language and communications
* Have a polychronic approach to time
Have a low sense of urgency
* Value “attending the right school” as an important criterion of success
* associate competition with defeat and punishment
31
what is future orientation
this represents the degree to which a collective encourages and rewards future-oriented behaviours such as planning and delaying gratification
32
what is high future orientation
* Achieve economic success
* Have a propensity to save for the future
* Individuals are more intrinsically motivated
* Organisations have a longer strategic orientation
* View materialistic success and spiritual fulfilment as an integrated whole
* Emphasise visionary leadership that is capable of seeing patterns in the face of chaos and uncertainty
* organisations and managers are flexible and adaptive
33
what is low future orientation
* Have lower levels of economic success
* Have a propensity to spend now rather than save for the future
* Individuals are less intrinsically motivated
* Organisations have a shorter strategic orientation
* Organisations and managers are inflexible and maladaptive
* See materialistic success and spiritual fulfilment as dualities
* Emphasise leadership that focuses on repetition of reproducible and routine sequences
34
what is gender egalitarianism
The societies that are gender egalitarian seek to minimise gender role differences
35
what is high gender egalitarianism
* Have more women in positions of authority
* Accord women a higher status in society
* Have a higher percentage of women participating in the labour force
* Have less occupational sex segregation
* Have similar levels of education of females and males
36
what is low gender egalitarianism
* Have fewer women in positions of authority
* Accord women a lower status in society
* Have a lower percentage of women in the labour force
* Have more occupational sex segregation
* Have a lower level of education of females relative to males
37
what is assertiveness
Assertiveness reflects the degree to which a collective encourages being assertive, aggressive or tough in social relationships
38
what is high assertiveness
* Value assertive, dominant, and tough behaviour for everyone in society
* Have sympathy for the strong
* Value competition
* Value success and progress
* Value being explicit and to the point in communications
* believe that someone can succeed if he or she tries enough
* value expressiveness and revealing feelings and thoughts
39
what is low assertiveness
* View assertiveness as socially unacceptable and value modesty and tenderness
* Have sympathy for the weak
* Value cooperation
* Associate competition with defeat and punishment
* Value people and warm relationships
* Speak indirectly and emphasise “face-saving”
* Value detached and self-possessed conduct
40
what is individualism (globe)
- At the organisational level, individualistic cultures have members who consider
themselves largely independent from the organisations
- At the group level, individualism reflects the degree to which the individual shares his or her goals and rewards
41
what is high collectivism (globe)
* Individuals are integrated into strong and cohesive groups
* The self is viewed as interdependent with groups
* Group goals take precedence over individual goals
* Duties and obligations are important determinants of social behaviour
* People emphasise relatedness with groups
* The pace of life is slower
* Individuals make greater distinctions between in-groups and out-groups
* There are more extended family structures
* Divorce rates are lower
* Heart-attack rates are lower
* Love is assigned less weight in marriage decisions
* individuals have fewer social interactions but the ones they have tend to be longer and more intimate
42
what is low collectivism (globe)
* Individuals look after themselves or their immediate families
* The self is viewed as autonomous and independent of groups
* Individual goals take precedence over group goals
* Attitudes and personal needs are important determinants of behaviour
* People emphasise rationality
* The pace of life is faster
* Individuals make fewer distinctions between in-groups and out-groups
* There are more nuclear family structures
* Divorce rates are higher
* Heart-attack rates are higher
* Love is assigned greater weight in marriage decisions
* individuals have more social interactions but interactions tend to be shorter and less intimate
43
what is humane orientation
Represents the degree to which an organisation or society encourages and rewards individuals for being fair, altruistic, friendly, generous, caring and kind to others
44
what is high humane orientation
* Needs for belonging and affiliation motivate people
* Close circle receives material, financial and social support
* People are expected to promote paternalistic norms and patronage relationships
* Children should be obedient
* Members of society are urged to be sensitive of all forms of racial discrimination
45
what is low humane orientation
* Self interest is important
* Power and material possessions motivate people
* Lack of support for others; predominance of self-enhancement
* People are expected to solve personal problems on their own
* Children should be autonomous
46
what are the dimensions of gesteland's model
- deal-focused cultures/relationship-focused cultures
- formal cultures/informal cultures
- monochronic cultures/polychronic cultures
- expressive cultures/reserved cultures
47
characteristics of deal-focused cultures
- task oriented
- easy direct contact
- written agreements are important to avoid miscommunication
- impersonal contracts and lawyers are important
- language is direct
48
characteristics of relationship-focused cultures
- uncomfortable doing business with foreigners/strangers
- face to face contact is important
- getting to know each other is important
- indirect language
49
characteristics of formal cultures
- informality can be perceived as disrespect
- formality involves organisational hierarchies
- status according to gender, age
50
characteristics of informal cultures
- informality is not disrespect
- attitudes tend to be more egalitarian
- differences in power are smaller
- no protocol
51
characteristics of a rigid-time culture
- punctuality is crucial
- agendas are fixed
- business meetings are rarely interrupted
52
characteristics of a fluid-time culture
- people and relationships are more important than agendas
- less emphasis on deadlines and punctuality
53
characteristics of an expressive culture
- silence in a conversation can seem tense
- conversations overlap
- personal space is small
- eye contact is intense
54
characteristics of a reserved culture
- silence is not a problem
- no conversations overlap
- physical distance
- eye contact is indirect
- 'poker faces'
55
what are the basic dimensions of trompenaars model
- universalism/particularism
- specific/diffuse
- individualism/communitarianism
- internal/external control
- sequential/synchronic
- achieved/ascribed status
- egalitarianism/hierarchy
56
characteristics of a universalistic culture
- relations between people are prescribed by laws, rules, general values and obligations
- rules come before personal relationships
57
characteristics of a particularistic culture
- personal relationships always come before universal rules and laws
- an individuals behaviour is determined by the particular obligations to the people they know
58
characteristics of a diffuse culture
- people are more holistic
- they see parts of their life and business as a whole
- relationships are seen as more important than individual elements
- personal and professional lives overlap
59
define specific oriented cultures
- people think their lives are a sum of parts, best to remain separate
- professional and personal aspects must stay separate
60
what is individualism - communitarianism
- individual values prevail and individual efficiency is rewarded
vs
- harmony and group cohesion prevails
61
what is internal - external control
- people determine their own correct course of action
vs
- people orient their action to others
62
what is sequential - synchronic time orientation
- time flows in one direction
vs
- time is a circle, past/present/future are interrelated
63
what is achieved - ascribed status
- status is ascribed on the basis of one's achievements (by doing)
vs
- status is achieved by virtue of ages, class, gender, education (by being)
64
what is egalitarianism - hierarchy
- contributions must be assed by themselves
vs
- the position of the individual influences the assessment of his/her actions
65
what does Hall's model assess
context and cross-cultural communication
66
characteristics of a high-context culture
- the meaning of the message is dependent on non-verbal communication and the environment
- communication is internalised
- shared values and common mental frameworks
67
characteristics of a low context culture
- most information is contained in speech/words
- listeners must be told everything
- less importance in non-verbal communication
- cultures are heterogeneous with different mental frameworks
68
what are Shwartz individual values and representative items
- self-direction
- stimulation
- hedonism
- achievement
- power
- security
- conformity
- tradition
- benevolence
- universalism
