Download Organizational Behavior: An Introduction to Your Life in Organizations

Organizational Behavior:
An Introduction to
Your Life in Organizations
Chapter 8
Cross-Cultural Relationships
©2007 Prentice Hall
Preview
• What characterizes Americans--what characterizes
you—culturally?
• Since Western business customs are accepted world
wide, why should you study other cultures?
• What cultural differences interest managers?
• What do you need to know about developing business
relationships with America’s most important trading
partners?
• What characterizes the successful individual working
overseas?
• How can you develop cross-cultural skills?
• What should companies do to support their expatriates?
• How should you prepare for a short-term international
assignment?
©2007 Prentice Hall
Culture
• Culture is a set of shared beliefs and
values about what is desirable in a
community, and the set of behaviors and
practices that support these values
• National culture includes the thoughts,
emotions and behaviors rooted in common
values and societal conventions of a
particular society
©2007 Prentice Hall
What characterizes Americans--what
characterizes you—culturally?
• Open discussion is encouraged and
valued
• Decision are made in meetings
• Everyone in the group has input
• Conflict is positive
• Friendly and open but impersonal work
relationships
• Want to achieve high efficiency at work
©2007 Prentice Hall
Since Western business customs
are accepted world wide, why
should you study other cultures?
• The Western business customs that count
the most are not accepted world wide
• Typically it is only the superficial customs
that have been adopted
• Rarely do they think about these behaviors
the same way you do
©2007 Prentice Hall
What cultural differences interest
managers?
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Perceptual differences
Non-verbal differences
Differences in attitudes and values
Personality differences
Differences in psychological contracts
©2007 Prentice Hall
Perceptual differences
High context cultures rely extensively on
situational cues; low context cultures rely
extensively on explicit codes
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Monochronic and polychronic
cultures
• Polychronicity: the preference for having
multiple activities occurring at the same
time
• Monochronicity: the preference for
scheduling tasks separately and for
focusing on just one task at a time
©2007 Prentice Hall
Non-verbal differences
• Each non-verbal behavior sends a
message that can mean
 something different in the other culture than it
does in yours
 nothing in your culture, but something in theirs
 the same thing in their culture as in yours
©2007 Prentice Hall
Differences in attitudes and values
• Economic development is associated with shifts
away from rigid values towards values that are
increasingly rational, tolerant, trusting and
participatory
• The broad cultural heritage of a society remains
• Consider differences in:
 The value of work in a person’s life
 Values in the workplace
 Incidence of corruption
©2007 Prentice Hall
Personality differences
• The relationship of self-esteem to life
satisfaction is stronger in individualistic
countries than in collectivist countries
• The Big Five personality trait of
openness/adventurousness predicts
success in cross-cultural training
performance
©2007 Prentice Hall
Differences in psychological
contracts
• Main societal influences on work behavior
are:
 the laws governing the employer-employee
relationship
 the existence of legal protections for
employees
 the existence of a market economy
 the power of the government relative to
business
 the right to engage in collective bargaining
©2007 Prentice Hall
Canada
• Multicultural society in which the two
dominant subcultures are the English
Canadians and the French Canadians
• Similar in many ways to the U.S.
©2007 Prentice Hall
The People’s Republic of China
• Highly export-oriented
• Companies are likely to be strongly
paternalistic
• Employees appear to be more compliant
than committed
• One of the most in-group collective
countries
• The concepts of face and guanxi are
important
©2007 Prentice Hall
Mexico
• Invisible caste system exists
• Management decision making is more
paternalistic, authoritarian, and
hierarchical
• Encouraging participation is seen as a
weakness
• Business is based highly on personal
relationships
©2007 Prentice Hall
Japan
• Ranks number one in being aggressive,
competitive, and interested in acquiring money
and things
• Long-term oriented, strongly prefer to avoid
uncertainty, respect propriety and order,
relatively collectivist
• Base interpersonal relationships on the concept
of amae
• In groups and organizations, Japanese
deemphasize the individual
©2007 Prentice Hall
The Federal Republic of Germany
• Highly structured society
• Business and government work closely
together
• A vast welfare state
• Individuals tend to be organized,
disciplined and unspontaneous
• Germans are formal and conservative
when doing business
©2007 Prentice Hall
What characterizes the successful
individual working overseas?
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General professional qualifications
Interpersonal skills
Individual traits
Realistic pre-departure expectations
If married, has a spouse who has similar
qualifications
• Language ability
©2007 Prentice Hall
How can you develop cross-cultural
skills?
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Use the Big Five personality theory
Understand your tolerance for ambiguity
Evaluate differences in values
Gain experience
Attend cross-cultural training
Develop cultural intelligence
Understand culture shock
©2007 Prentice Hall
Use the Big Five personality theory
• Consider the fit of your predispositions to a
particular culture
• In general, a score on the Big Five
personality traits that suggests a person is
adventurous and agreeable works best
©2007 Prentice Hall
Understand your tolerance for
ambiguity
• Will likely do better if:
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Like complicated problems
Enjoy lack of schedule or routine
Deal well with incomplete information
Like to show initiative and originality
©2007 Prentice Hall
Evaluate differences in values
• People whose identity rests on values like
equality and social justice risk harming
their self-image in cultures that do not hold
similar values
• Foreign nationals who must adjust to the
U.S. culture must also pay attention to the
different values they find here
©2007 Prentice Hall
Develop cultural intelligence
• The ability to “think about thinking,” and to
develop and expand your behavioral repertoire,
often on the spot
• Observe cues to the other person’s behavior and
assemble them to make sense of what the other
person is actually experiencing
• Have the motivation to persist in their attempts
to understand the other person
• Choose and execute the right actions to respond
appropriately
©2007 Prentice Hall
Understand culture shock
A sense of disorientation in interpreting the
myriad unfamiliar environmental, business,
and social cues they encounter
©2007 Prentice Hall
Gain experience
• Travel to other countries and having
international contacts count, but living
there for extended periods is even better
• Use a cultural interpreter, a person who
can explain to you the psychological and
social basis of local behaviors and
attitudes
©2007 Prentice Hall
Attend cross-cultural training
• A cultural assimilator teaches you about
elements in the culture that are likely to be
challenging
• Role-plays
• Simulations
• Field visits
©2007 Prentice Hall
What should companies do to
support their expatriates?
• Put in place human relations policies and
practices that will help their expatriates
achieve job satisfaction
• Go out of their way to encourage their
expatriates to develop strong work-related
interpersonal relationships and networks
©2007 Prentice Hall
How should you prepare for a shortterm international assignment?
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Learn key phrases in the host language.
Learn the essential faux pas to avoid.
Learn the friendly gestures that are expected.
Learn the key business customs, especially
those related to decision making, negotiation,
and entertaining.
• Identify a cultural interpreter here at home and
pick his or her brain.
• Learn as much as you can about the country
• Rest up beforehand, anticipate jet lag, relax and
enjoy the trip
©2007 Prentice Hall
Apply what you have learned
• World Class Company: Lincoln Electric’s
Cultural Lessons from International
Expansion
• Advice from the Pro’s
• Gain Experience
• Can you solve this manager’s problem?
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – What characterizes
Americans--what characterizes
you—culturally?
• Culture is a set of shared beliefs, values
and practices
• It is important to understand the
differences and similarities between how
Americans and others do business
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – Since Western business
customs are accepted world wide, why
should you study other cultures?
• Western business customs are not
accepted worldwide, and cultural
differences can get in the way of effective
communication
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – What cultural
differences interest managers?
•
•
•
•
•
Differences in perceptions
Non-verbal behaviors
Attitudes and values
Personalities
Psychological contracts
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – What do you need to know about
developing business relationships with
America’s most important trading partners?
• Study any culture you are likely to do
business with
• The countries with which the U.S. trades
the most are Canada, Mexico, China,
Japan and Germany
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – What characterizes the
successful individual working
overseas?
• Professional credentials appropriate to the
job
• Interpersonal skills
• Individual flexibility and other personality
traits
• Realistic expectations
• Language capability
• If married, a spouse with similar traits
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – How can you develop
cross-cultural skills?
•
•
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Gain international experience
Identify a cultural interpreter
Understand your tolerance for ambiguity
Get cross-cultural training
Understand culture shock
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – What should companies
do to support their expatriates?
• Everything they can to ensure that their
expatriate employees:
 develop job satisfaction
 supportive colleagues and networks
©2007 Prentice Hall
Summary – How should you prepare
for a short-term international
assignment?
• Learn some key phrases in the host
language
• know faux pas to avoid
• Master essential business customs
©2007 Prentice Hall