65%
O T-Mobile LTE
9:02 PM
Personal Hotspot: 1 Connection
Cancel International+Ma...nd+Culture....pdf 000
3
Understanding the Role
of Culture
OUTLINE
Opening Profile: Social Media Bring
Changes to Saudi Arabian Culture
Culture and Its Effects on Organizations
Societal Culture
Organizational Culture
Culture's Effects on Management
Influences on National Culture
Under the Lens: Religion and the Workplace
Cultural Value Dimensions
Project GLOBE Cultural Dimensions
Cultural Clusters
Hofstede's Value Dimensions
Trompenaars's Value Dimensions
Consequence or Cause?
Critical Operational Value Differences
The Internet and Culture
Management in Action: Google's Street
View Makes Friends in Japan but
Clashes with European Culture
Developing Cultural Profiles
Comparative Management in Focus:
Profiles in Culture—Japan, Germany,
Latin America
Culture and Management Styles around
the World
Under the Lens: Doing Business in
Brazil-Language, Culture, Customs,
and Etiquette
Saudi Arabia
Chinese Family Small Businesses
Conclusion
Summary of Key Points
Discussion Questions
Application Exercises
Experiential Exercises
Case Study: An Australian Manager in an
American Company
OBJECTIVES
3-1. To understand how culture affects all aspects of international management
3-2. To be able to distinguish the major value dimensions that define cultural differences
among societies or groups
3-3. To understand the interaction between culture and the use of the Internet
3-4. To be able to develop a working cultural profile typical of many people within a certain
society as an aid to anticipating attitudes toward work, negotiations, and so on
3-5. To gain some insight into different management styles around the world
o
ing riome. DUCIAI VEUID DIIIIy Ullanges
udi Arabian Culture1
meaningless small talk than in dealing with the substan-
tive issues concerning their business. How might you
help Bill deal with his frustration?
Source: Gary P. Ferraro, The Cultural Dimensions of International
Business, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1994).
CASE STUDY
Case Study: An Australian Manager in an American Company
"Qantas Flight 23 to Sydney is now boarding. Please have your boarding passes and passports ready
for the attendant at the gate.”
Les Collins picked up his briefcase and started toward the jet way. He paused to look around
the waiting area and, as had been the case so often here in Houston, he saw nothing to indicate
that he was in a foreign country. Certainly the accents were different from in Sydney, but the lan-
guage was English and readily understandable. This superficial familiarity, he concluded, must
help explain why he had had difficulties adjusting to his role at the Global Oil Company office
in Houston.
Global Oil Company, or GOC, was headquartered in Houston, Texas, with partners and sub-
sidiaries in countries around the world. Les had worked at GOC's Sydney office for eight years
CHAPTER 3
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF CULTURE
III
before being offered the chance to work at Houston headquarters for two years. His boss, Jim
Branson, had encouraged Les to apply for the job in Houston because he knew it would enhance
Les's chances for promotion within GOC-Australia. Although Les's family—his wife and two
middle school-age children—was not very enthusiastic about the move, he reluctantly applied
for the job because he knew it was critical to his success at GOC.
As he settled back in his seat on the flight to Sydney, Les thought back to the day he arrived in
Houston over a year ago. Les had left Sydney on a hot, humid day in January and arrived 30 hours
later to find Houston almost closed down due to a sleet and ice storm. That juxtaposition of seasons
probably should have alerted him that there would be many differences between Australia and
the United States. When he hailed a taxi outside the terminal at IAH, the driver looked at him in
amazement when Les opened the door to the front seat and sat down next to the driver.
During his first few weeks at the Houston office, everything seemed to go well. He met
with his staff to introduce himself and his goals for his two-year assignment. Everyone seemed
friendly enough, although he didn't get much feedback at that meeting or in subsequent meet-
ings on his request for their ideas and input on how he could fit in and be effective. Thinking
that maybe he needed to get to know the staff in a more informal setting, he invited them to join
him after work one day at a local pub. Several staff members begged off, citing personal com-
mitments, and the three senior managers who did come were clearly uncomfortable and left after
about 30 minutes of awkward conversation.
Over the next six months, Les stayed busy learning operations for his area at GOC head-
quarters. He met often with his Houston boss, Tom Sanchez, to discuss the changes Tom wanted
Les to help him realize during his tenure there.
“I'm counting on you, Les, to help me bring the staff around on the changes we've dis-
cussed. Your group hasn't moved nearly as fast as I think they could and that's partly due to
the staff's reluctance to change the ways they've always done things. I'm confident that a new
leader, especially someone from a completely different country, will convince them of the
soundness of what I'm proposing.
“Keep me posted on your progress," Tom concluded, as he walked Les to the reception area
outside his office.
One of the things Les noticed soon after arriving in Houston was how many more manage-
ment levels the U.S. operation had than comparable offices in Australia. The hierarchy seemed
excessive to Les, and he sought to break down some of the communication barriers he perceived
by meeting with all staff members in one large meeting.
At one of these meetings, Les brought up the proposed changes in procedures that he had
discussed with Sanchez. “I know that some of you may not be in favor of the changes we're pro-
posing and I'd like to know your reasons for this. Let's have an open discussion of the changes in
general and see where our major disagreement lies.”
After a few minutes of silence, one of the senior managers explained his reasons for resisting
a change in their reporting procedures for expenses. “I'm not sure that the new method will capture
a true picture of expenses and outlay if we change what we're doing now. I'm not opposed to mak-
ing changes that improve our work—I just am not convinced that the new method will be better."
“Okay, I'd like to hear from others on that specific change. Let's table this discussion,” Les said.
The managers and staff at the table looked at each other in confusion at that point. No one
said anything for several minutes and Les concluded that no one else had an objection or concern
on this particular point. The meeting continued for another hour as Les moved through the list of
changes he was charged with making and when no one offered much objection or proposed any
alternatives, he concluded that his predecessor and Sanchez had misinterpreted the staff's resis-
tance to the changes.
A week later, in a meeting with Bill Crosby, one of the senior managers in his department,
Les decided to get his manager's views on how to involve junior managers in decisions and how
to encourage their ideas on various topics.
“I notice that in most meetings only the senior managers seem to participate in discussions,"
Les began. “I'm eager to have more input on some ideas I have for a new marketing plan, and
I'm wondering how I can get junior managers and staff to contribute in our meetings."
“I'm counting on you, Les, to help me bring the staff around on the changes we've dis-
cussed. Your group hasn't moved nearly as fast as I think they could and that's partly due to
the staff's reluctance to change the ways they've always done things. I'm confident that a new
leader, especially someone from a completely different country, will convince them of the
soundness of what I'm proposing.
“Keep me posted on your progress," Tom concluded, as he walked Les to the reception area
outside his office.
One of the things Les noticed soon after arriving in Houston was how many more manage-
ment levels the U.S. operation had than comparable offices in Australia. The hierarchy seemed
excessive to Les, and he sought to break down some of the communication barriers he perceived
by meeting with all staff members in one large meeting.
At one of these meetings, Les brought up the proposed changes in procedures that he had
discussed with Sanchez. “I know that some of you may not be in favor of the changes we're pro-
posing and I'd like to know your reasons for this. Let's have an open discussion of the changes in
general and see where our major disagreement lies.”
After a few minutes of silence, one of the senior managers explained his reasons for resisting
a change in their reporting procedures for expenses. “I'm not sure that the new method will capture
a true picture of expenses and outlay if we change what we're doing now. I'm not opposed to mak-
ing changes that improve our work—I just am not convinced that the new method will be better.”
“Okay, I'd like to hear from others on that specific change. Let's table this discussion,” Les said.
The managers and staff at the table looked at each other in confusion at that point. No one
said anything for several minutes and Les concluded that no one else had an objection or concern
on this particular point. The meeting continued for another hour as Les moved through the list of
changes he was charged with making and when no one offered much objection or proposed any
alternatives, he concluded that his predecessor and Sanchez had misinterpreted the staff's resis-
tance to the changes.
A week later, in a meeting with Bill Crosby, one of the senior managers in his department,
Les decided to get his manager's views on how to involve junior managers in decisions and how
to encourage their ideas on various topics.
“I notice that in most meetings only the senior managers seem to participate in discussions,
Les began. “I'm eager to have more input on some ideas I have for a new marketing plan, and
I'm wondering how I can get junior managers and staff to contribute in our meetings.”
Bill hesitated before saying, “Sometimes staff are reluctant to put forward ideas when their
bosses are in the same meeting. Perhaps you should have some of the senior managers solicit
ideas in their own staff meetings and then bring these to the meeting with you.”
III
112
PART 2
THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
“But what about the synergy we can create if we have people from different levels discussing an
idea together? Especially if the idea will affect the work staff are expected to do. I think there's too
much separation of people by level in our department. I'd like to eliminate some of the impediments
to collaboration that hierarchy creates," Les said. “What are your thoughts on how to do that?""
“I'll need to take some time to think about that,” Bill said. “Maybe we can talk about it in
our next one-on-one."
Later that day, during lunch with one of his peers in the company cafeteria, Bill brought up
his discussion with Les. “He wants to eliminate some of the barriers that the hierarchy puts in
the way of collaboration,” Bill began. “What exactly do you think he means by collaboration?
We all get along just fine as far as I can see. We cooperate when we need to. And I really don't
know how to get staff to speak their minds if they don't want to. I don't feel comfortable forcing
anybody to be part of a discussion in a meeting if they prefer to just listen.”
At the next all-staff meeting, Les began by handing out a sheet with five topics on it. “Rather
than following one of our regular agendas today, I thought we might do a little brainstorming on
the topics I've outlined here. As you can see, these topics all relate to marketing, and what we
come up with in our discussion can go a long way toward finalizing that plan.
“And here's a twist on our usual meeting protocol: instead of my leading the discussion, I'm
going to assign one of these topics to five people and let you take over the discussion.”
In thinking about the meeting afterward, Les decided that although it hadn't been a com-
plete success, he thought he had made some progress in getting increased participation. When
one of the senior managers requested a meeting a couple of days later, Les was surprised at the
manager's comments about the meeting.
“I'm sure you were sincere in your request for ideas from everybody but I need to tell you
that you made a lot of people very uncomfortable. Staff are not used to leading a discussion with
senior managers present. When that staff member is leading a brainstorming session and has to
tell a manager that he's out of order because he's criticizing someone's idea, you’re putting the
staff member in a really awkward position.”
“I guess I don't understand,” Les said. “The whole point of doing what I did was to break
down the barriers that make people feel uncomfortable. I think everybody has good ideas, and
I'm trying to figure out how I can get them to share those ideas. I thought putting people in dif-
ferent roles would be helpful.”
At his next meeting with Tom Sanchez, Les expressed his frustration with achieving as
much as he hoped for when he started.
“It just seems as though I'm being stonewalled at every turn. In fact, I've heard that several
people are thinking of transferring to another department,” Les said. “What am I missing? I've
done things just like I do at GOC-Sydney, but the results are not the same.
“Maybe I can make some progress when I get back after vacation. Sometimes three weeks
away helps give a different perspective on things.”
"Ves Les" Tom began "we'll need to talk about this when you get back from vacation
112
PART 2
THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
“But what about the synergy we can create if we have people from different levels discussing an
idea together? Especially if the idea will affect the work staff are expected to do. I think there's too
much separation of people by level in our department. I'd like to eliminate some of the impediments
to collaboration that hierarchy creates," Les said. “What are your thoughts on how to do that?"
“I'll need to take some time to think about that,” Bill said. “Maybe we can talk about it in
our next one-on-one."
Later that day, during lunch with one of his peers in the company cafeteria, Bill brought up
his discussion with Les. "He wants to eliminate some of the barriers that the hierarchy puts in
the way of collaboration,” Bill began. “What exactly do you think he means by collaboration?
We all get along just fine as far as I can see. We cooperate when we need to. And I really don't
know how to get staff to speak their minds if they don't want to. I don't feel comfortable forcing
anybody to be part of a discussion in a meeting if they prefer to just listen.”
At the next all-staff meeting, Les began by handing out a sheet with five topics on it. “Rather
than following one of our regular agendas today, I thought we might do a little brainstorming on
the topics I've outlined here. As you can see, these topics all relate to marketing, and what we
come up with in our discussion can go a long way toward finalizing that plan.
“And here's a twist on our usual meeting protocol: instead of my leading the discussion, I'm
going to assign one of these topics to five people and let you take over the discussion.”
In thinking about the meeting afterward, Les decided that although it hadn't been a com-
plete success, he thought he had made some progress in getting increased participation. When
one of the senior managers requested a meeting a couple of days later, Les was surprised at the
manager's comments about the meeting.
“I'm sure you were sincere in your request for ideas from everybody but I need to tell you
that you made a lot of people very uncomfortable. Staff are not used to leading a discussion with
senior managers present. When that staff member is leading a brainstorming session and has to
tell a manager that he's out of order because he's criticizing someone's idea, you're putting the
staff member in a really awkward position.”
“I guess I don't understand,” Les said. “The whole point of doing what I did was to break
down the barriers that make people feel uncomfortable. I think everybody has good ideas, and
I'm trying to figure out how I can get them to share those ideas. I thought putting people in dif-
ferent roles would be helpful.”
At his next meeting with Tom Sanchez, Les expressed his frustration with achieving as
much as he hoped for when he started.
“It just seems as though I'm being stonewalled at every turn. In fact, I've heard that several
people are thinking of transferring to another department,” Les said. “What am I missing? I've
done things just like I do at GOC-Sydney, but the results are not the same.
“Maybe I can make some progress when I get back after vacation. Sometimes three weeks
away helps give a different perspective on things.”
“Yes, Les," Tom began, "we'll need to talk about this when you get back from vacation.
Three weeks is a pretty long time for a senior manager to be gone, but I know you and your
family have plans to visit a lot of the national parks in the west, so I reluctantly approved your
request. Have a good trip and I'll talk with you when you get back.”
When Les returned from vacation, Tom Sanchez was out of the office for a week and they
didn't have a chance to meet before Les got word that his mother had passed away suddenly
and that he needed to return to Sydney for the funeral. As he headed for Sydney, Les won-
dered how he could explain to his former boss in Sydney the problems he was having at GOC
headquarters.
Discussion Questions
3-11. Using Geert Hofstede's cultural characteristics, compare Australia and the United States on vari-
ous measures. As you'll see, the two countries are fairly similar, but there are some differences that
may help explain Les Collins's apparent lack of success in the American setting. Which of these do
you think is the most significant and why?
CHAPTER 3
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF CULTURE
113
3-12. What could GOC have done to prepare Collins for his assignment in the United States? Outline
an action plan for companies to use in preparing executives—and their families—for international
assignments.
3-13. Articulate and evaluate your own opinion about the degree of distance prevalent in U.S. companies
between managers and their direct reports. Who is protected by this management style? What ad-
verse organizational impacts might result from this style?
Source: Linda Catlin. Ms Catlin is an organizational anthropologist and the co-author of International
Business: Cultural Sourcebook and Case Studies. She consults with clients on projects related to
crosscultural business communications, organizational culture, and organizational change dynamics.
Her clients include the Mayo Clinic, the Kellogg Foundation, General Motors, Ascension Health, and
BASF. Linda Catlin, Claymore Associates. Used with permission.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment