NOKIAs Ovi Life Tools application- provides coaching in
conversational English and access to crop and weather patterns, has
been replicated in emerging markets like China, Indonesia and
Nigeria.The Learn English service alone has 6 million users
worldwide.The large Hispanic population in the US makes use of
it.
Physical- (Artifacts)
Manner of dressAwardsMyths and stories told about the
organizationPublished lists of valuesRituals and ceremoniesSpecial
parking spacesDecorations etc.
Psychological- (value systems)
Values are
Concepts or beliefsPertain to desirable end-states or
behaviorTranscend (cut above) situationsGuide selection or
evaluation of behavior and eventsOrdered by relative importance
Espoused values- represent the explicitly stated values and
norms that are preferred by an organization. They are generally
established by the founder of a new or small company and by the top
management team in a larger organization.
J.M.Smucker- No. 1 Co. (America) in2003 according to Fortune-
107-year-old family-run business headed by co-CEOs Tim and Richard
Smucker.
The brothers encouraged the employees to adhere to the value
systems advocated by their father- Paul Smucker
Listen with your full attention, look for the good in others,,
have a sense of humour, and say thank you for a job well done.
Enacted values
Enacted values represent the value and norms that actually are
exhibited or converted into employee behavior.It is essential to
reduce the gap between the espoused values and the enacted
values.
HOFSTEDES MODEL OF CROSS-CULTURE COMMUNICATION
CULTURAL ICEBERG
Environment
behaviors
language
religion
nonverbal
ethnic
perceptions
stereotypes
Subcultures
subgroups
Business philosophy
rules
norms
THE CULTURAL FACTORS- HOFSTEDE MODEL
Individualism vs. collectivismConflict managementPower
distancePolychronic vs. monochronicWork centralityHigh / low
context communicationUncertainty avoidance
Individualism vs. collectivism
Individualism refers to the attitude of valuing ourselves as
separate individuals with responsibility for our own destinies and
our own actions. Proponents of individualism believe that self
interest is an appropriate goal.Collectivism emphasizes common
interests, conformity, cooperation and interdependence.
When someone tends towards the collectivist end of the
continuum, they consider individual choice as less important than
the group and social obligations.Leaning towards individualistic
end- individual rights are very important.Countries- collectivist-
China, Japan, India, Nigeria, Cameroon, Puerto Rico responsibility,
honesty, politeness, respect for elders and family, and looking to
the society for the values to embrace.Individualist Germans,
Europeans, Americans and Dutch ----- self-maximization,
independence, creativity, assertiveness, self-esteem and
education.
Individualism
Well known phrases of parents to children- Do your own things.Youd
better look out for yourself; no one else will.
POWER DISTANCE
Power distance
The power distance index is concerned with inequality within a
society and how the country distinguishes between inequalities.
The inequality can be of power, wealth, status, social position,
physical and intellectual differences.
Chronemics
Chronemics ( attitude towards time) vary from culture to
culture.Countries that follow monochronic time perform only one
major activity at a time; countries that follow polychronic time
work on several activities simultaneously.
Polychronic vs. Monochronic
Polychronic
Do many things at once.Are highly distractible and subject to
interruptions.Consider time commitment more casually; promptness
based on the relationship.Are committed to people.Borrow and lend
things often.Tend to build lifetime relationships.
Monochronic people
Do one thing at a time.Concentrate on the task.Take time
commitments seriously and value promptness.Are committed to the
task.Show respect for private property; rarely borrow or lend.Are
accustomed to short term relationships.
Monochronic cultures- US, England, Switzerland, and Germany.
In monochronic cultures, it is considered rude to do 2 things at
once, such as reading a journal in a meeting or answering the
telephone when someone is in your office. Schedules and keeping
appointments are consistent with values of people in monochronic
culture. Tardiness is interpreted as rudeness. Being late means YOU
ARE UNORGANIZED.
High context vs. Low context
High context language
A high context language transmits very less in the explicit
message, instead , the nonverbal and cultural aspects of what is
not said are very important.In high context, people must read
between the lines to understand the intended meaning of the
message.Japanese culture
Low context
The message is explicit.A person states what is expected and
wanted.Direct and verbal.
Resolving cultural conflicts (Strategies)
Adaptation: Adaptation works when team members are willing to
acknowledge and name their cultural differences and to assume
responsibility for figuring out how to live with them.Structural
Intervention: is a deliberate reorganization or reassignment
designed to reduce interpersonal friction or to remove the source
of conflict for one or more groups. This approach can be extremely
effective when obvious sub-groups demarcate the team or if team
members are proud, defensive, threatened, or clinging to negative
steriotype of one another.Managerial Intervention: the manager
should always behave as an intermediary and not as an arbiter or
judge in any case of cultural conflict. By involving the team
members, both the manager and the team gain in terms of team
productivity.Exit: when teams are permanent, the exit of one or
more member is a strategy of last resort. If nothing else works,
this method can be used after a formal request from the management.
Exit is likely when emotions are running high, too much face has
been lost on both sides, and nothing can salvage the
situation.
