Managing across culture Managing across culture

issues & perspectivesissues & perspectives

Sun Lilu, LecturerDepartment of Human Resource Management

School of Economics & Trade,CQIT

Chongqing 400037

People’s Republic of China

Cultural StylesCultural Styles

Reference Trompenaars, Fons and Hampden-

Turner, Charles. Riding the Waves of Culture:Understanding Cultural Diversity in Global Business (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill,1998, pages: 1-10, 29-36, 49-53, 68-75, 80-81, 105-111, 121-122.

Theories and ThemesTheories and Themes

Late 1950s – Edward Hall Anthropologist.( 人类学者 ) World War II -- U.S. Army in Europe and the

Philippines. Later, Director of the Foreign Service Institute training program. He observed first hand the many difficulties created by failures of intercultural communication.

Proxemics 空间关系学 – human use of space within the context of culture

Personal space and community (town) space, Also looked at monochromic ( 单色的 )and polychromic( 多色的 ) time

Late 1960s – Geert Hofstede Founded and managed personnel research dept of IBM

Europe. Surveyed 116,000 IBM employees in 40 countries on

preferences around management style and work environment

4 dimensions where differences by country were significant power distance uncertainty avoidance individualism/collectivism masculinity 阳性 /femininity 阴性 later discussed a 5th dimension = long term view (Asia)

Late 1980s Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner Consultants

By 1998: 15 years of research – questionnaire based. Framework from Talcott Parsons, US Sociologist (Harvard 1927-1973)

30 companies, 50 countries, 30,000 people7 fundamental dimensions of culture: relationships with people universalism vs. particularism individualism vs. communitarianism (collectivism) neutral vs. emotional specific vs. diffuse achievement vs. ascription understanding of time attitudes toward environment

Late 1990s Robert J House et al – Project GLOBE Professor at Wharton since 1988. by 2004: 10 years of research,

150 researchers, 18,000 managers in 62 countries.Questionnaire. A few industries.

9 cultural dimensions assertiveness future orientation gender differentiation uncertainty avoidance power distance collectivism vs. individualism in-group collectivism performance orientation humane orientation Plus looking for leadership traits that are consistent across cultures –

charisma

Today’s topicsToday’s topicsFons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner

: 4 of their 7 fundamental dimensions of culture relationships with people universalism vs. particularism individualism vs. communitarianism

(collectivism) neutral vs. emotional specific vs. diffuse achievement vs. ascription

Before we start, I reiterate some caveats:

There will be anecdotes and stereotypes. Show each other respect. Try not to offend each other.

This is about NOT making assumptions!!! These continua are frameworks. Lenses through which

you can assess a situation AND yourself. Do not expect your own experiences to map perfectly to the anecdotes you hear.

This course looks to build your awareness that the same action/activity/situation may very well have different meanings.

Social Dimensions Social Dimensions ReferenceJavidan, Mansour and House, Robert J. “Cultural Acumen

for the Global Manager: Lessons from Project GLOBE.” Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 29, No. 4, pages 289-304, Spring 2001.

House, Robert J.; Hanges, Paul J.; Javidan, Mansour; Dorfman, Peter W. and Gupta, Vipin.Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. Thousand Oaks,California, 2004, pages: 410, 411; 365, 366; 622, 623; 539, 540; 250, 251; 573, 574.

Schneider, Susan and Barsoux, Jean-Louis. Managing Across Cultures (2nd edition). Essex,England: Pearson Education Limited, 2003, pages 87-95.

TheoryTheory

Reminder -- Late 1960s – Geert HofstedeFounded and managed personnel research dept of IBM

Europe.Surveyed116,000 IBM employees in 40 countries on preferences round

management style and work environment 4 dimensions where differences by

country were significant: power distance uncertainty avoidance individualism/collectivism masculinity/femininity 5th = long term view (Asia)

GLOBE takes “masculine/feminine” and creates 2 categories

assertiveness

o gender differentiation

Additional studies did not always get the same results. Dimensions still useful – even though results variable. (World is different – not just IBM being studied)

Assertiveness and Gender Assertiveness and Gender DifferentiationDifferentiation

(Schneider & Barsoux) High masculine 1. Task not relationships 2. Motivation by money and things, not quality of life 3. Leadership – ensure bottom line profits and set targets 4. “Feminine” leader would safe-guard employee well-being

and demonstrate concern for social responsibility(GLOBE) – Gender Differentiation = society maximizes gender

role differentiation. Who gets status and decision-making power

(GLOBE) Assertive = society encourages people to be tough, confrontational, assertive and competitive (not modest and tender). Can-do vs. cooperation and harmony.

Uncertainty avoidance deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity.

(Schneider & Barsoux) High uncertainty avoidance

1. More formalization, more written rules and regs 2. Risk avoidance 3. Motivated by stability and security 4. Leaders – plan, organize, coordinate, control(GLOBE) society seeks orderliness, consistency, structure NOTE – Be explicit about difference between discomfort in

unstructured situations (are there traffic rules for crossing the street) and “risk avoidance”

Power distance, the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. 

Schneider and Barsoux) High Schneider and Barsoux) High power distancepower distance

1. More hierarchy 2. More supervision (narrow span of control) 3. More centralized decision-making 4. Motivated by status and power 5. Leaders revered or obeyed as authorities(GLOBE) – expectation that power is shared Unequally.  

Correlation across two dimensions: Hofstede found that there was a correlation between

power distance and uncertainty avoidance that provided insight into the kinds of organization that tend to be successful in those environments.

Orientation to Time and SpaceOrientation to Time and Space

ReferenceTrompenaars, Fons and Hampden-Turner, Charles.

Riding the Waves of Culture:Understanding Cultural Diversity in Global Business (2nd edition). New York:

McGraw-Hill, 1998, pages 123–128, 132-144. Gesteland, Richard R. Cross-Cultural Business

Behavior: Marketing,Negotiating and Managing across Cultures (2nd edition). Copenhagen:Copenhagen Business School Press, 2000, pages 55-62.

 

TimeTime

Past vs. present vs. Future – Know what matters! Ascription vs. current achievement vs. potential History as determinant (bloodlines) Current abilities as determinant (current race)

Monochronic – Polychronic – Richard Gesteland

Number of concurrent tasks: Single task to multi-task

Flexibility of schedule – time allocation AND sequencing: rigid to fluid

Degree of punctuality: absolute to absent

SpaceSpace

Size of “personal bubble” – Edward Hall – What is “too close” in what situations? Close family Close friends Business partners Social acquaintances Business acquaintances Strangers

What is “private?”What is “private?”If I work with you, how much access do you expect

to have to my office space,my personal life and home?

re: Specific vs. Diffuse -- (level of involvement) –access is to a specific portion of someone’s life – or diffuse – access to one private area is access to all private areas. Plus wide range of delineation of what is public (shared readily) and what is private (your refrigerator or your car?). Separation of business and private vs. merging of biz and private. How do you create a private space? (physical barriers, visual delineations, aural cues, eye contact, etc)

 

Leadership EffectivenessLeadership Effectiveness

Reference Kouzes, James and Posner, Barry. The Leadership

Challenge. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 2002 (3rd edition), pages 13 – 22, 24-25. Goleman, Daniel. “Leadership that Gets Results.” Harvard Business Review,March-April 2000, pages 78-90.

Derr, C. Brooklyn; Roussillon, Sylvie and Bournois, Frank. Cross-Cultural Approaches to Leadership Development. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books,2002, pages 290-292.

Graham, John l. and Lam, N. Mark. “The Chinese Negotiation.” Harvard Business Review, October 2003, pages 82-91.

TheoriesTheories

Kouzes & PosnerModel the Way – behavior that wins you respect, lead

from own values, examples are often on the simple things – spending time with people, working side by side, telling stories, being visible during crisis/uncertainty

K&P list (top four) Honest Forward Looking Competent Inspiring

Inspire a Shared Vision – vision of what could be, total belief in making that vision a reality, AND can inspire commitment to that vision in others. Forging a unity of purpose. Incredibly enthusiastic

Challenge the Process – take risk. Pioneer. Willing to step into the unknown and change the status quo. Don’t have to invent – do have to adopt early. Help others feel safe in risk-taking. Problems shape leaders – who learn from failure (and successes).

Enable others to Act – trust, empowerment, teamwork. Give people the chance of autonomy, discretion, authority. Provide both the resources and the safety net. 

Encourage the Heart – help others feel strong and capable. Show appreciation. Create celebration. Recognition. (from the heart). Lship IS about strong and sustainable relationships.

GolemanGoleman

Threshold capabilities (intelligence, appropriate skills, cognitive skills – bigpicture thinking, long-term vision)

Emotional Intelligence (twice as important for outstanding performance)

Self-awarenessSelf-regulation – reasonable people create an

environment of trust and fairness. Roll with the changes.

Motivation – achieve for the sake of achievementEmpathySocial Skill – knack for building rapport

Welch (4 E’s)Welch (4 E’s)

Integrity Intelligence (breadth of knowledge plus

emotional intelligence) Energy Energize Edge (courage to make tough decisions) Execute Passion

Leadership metaphorsLeadership metaphors

Derr, Rousillon and Bournois: USA – The Free Agent, superstar Latin America – The General, strong man in

charge France – The Genius, intellectual elite UK – The Diplomat Germany – The Master, expert in field Japan – Senior Statesman China – Warlord, has local power( Traits of

Chinese Leader )

Graham and Lam (Chinese Graham and Lam (Chinese Negotiation):Negotiation):

– Guanxi (Personal connections and individual social capital)

– Zhongjian Ren (The intermediary) – Shehui Dengji (Social status and

deference to superiors) – Renji Hexie (Interpersonal harmony) – Zhengti Guannian (Holistic thinking) – Jiejian (Thrift) – Mianzi (Face) – Chiku Nailao (Endurance)