Which behavior would you most likely see in a low Humane orientation culture?
The GLOBE Confucian Asia cluster is comprised of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The societies belonging to this cluster reflect relatively high scores of the societal cultural practice dimensions of Power Distance, Institutional and In-Group Collectivism. The scores on Performance Orientation are best characterized as high- medium but are noteworthy because they are among the highest scores of all culture clusters. The high Power Distance score indicates that the community accepts and endorses authority, power differentials, status privileges, and social inequality, and power is not expected to be distributed equally but is seen as providing social order and stability. The low scores on Gender Egalitarianism indicate a comparatively higher degree of gender inequality compared to most other culture clusters. The societal culture dimensions of Future Orientation and Uncertainty Avoidance are rated in the middle range but slightly higher than others. In general, the Confucian Asian societies are highly group and family-oriented indicating that individuals who belong to these societies take pride and loyalties in their families and organizations. The high Institutional Collectivism score suggests that these societies encourage collective distribution of resources and collective action. High Power Distance is characteristic of societies with unambiguous allocation of roles and rigid structure of relationships. Show
As for societal values (that is, what people in society believe should be), the Confucian Asia cluster desires more Performance Orientation, Future Orientation, and Humane Orientation. The societies in the cluster desire much less Power Distance than currently exists, but this desired level is still one of the two highest clusters on dimension. While it desires more Gender Egalitarianism, its value score is still below the average of the other clusters. This cluster also wishes to maintain about the same high level of In-Group Collectivism but a bit less Institutional Collectivism. In comparing the societal practices and values, as a whole, the societies in this cluster desire to decrease their level of power differentiation from that which presently exists but which is still higher than the other clusters. These societies do however, desire more reward and encouragement for performance excellence and prefer to be more future-oriented. They also want their members to be more kind, fair, friendly, and caring to each other. Moreover, these societies desire a lower level of male domination and gender role differences, but not as much as the average of other culture clusters. To avoid uncertainty in future events, they desire slightly higher levels of established norms, rituals, and bureaucratic practices. In the Confucian Asia cluster, leadership dimensions viewed as contributing the most to outstanding leadership include Charismatic/Value-Based and Team-Oriented Leadership, yet these are viewed a bit less positively than the average of other clusters. Still, this indicates that these societies desire leaders who are somewhat visionary, inspirational, and decisive, possessing high levels of integrity and having high performance expectations. These societies also value team oriented leaders whose characteristics include developing outstanding teams and using their administrative and interpersonal skills to create cohesive working groups. While participative leadership is valued, it’s score is among the lowest of all culture clusters. The Humane-Oriented Leadership score for outstanding leadership is higher than most other clusters as is the Autonomous and Self-Protective Leadership. It is noteworthy that Self-Protective Leadership is seen in slightly less negative light than most other clusters; this includes leader attributes such as engaging in status conscious, face saving, and self-protective behaviors. In short, compared to the other clusters, the Confucian Asia cluster is ranked as one of the lowest scores on Participative Leadership but among the highest on Self-Protective Leadership dimensions. An example of an outstanding leader for the Confucian Asian cluster would be an individual who is performance-oriented, charismatic, and somewhat team-oriented but not particularly participative in their leadership style. When considering going into international business, managers need to realize that conditions they take for granted may be different in other countries. For example, Wal-Mart’s first international expansion was into Mexico. It modeled the Wal-Mart stores in Mexico after its stores in the United States, with a stand-alone store surrounded by large parking lots. But it soon realized this was a problem. Many of the customers rode on buses to the store. This meant customers had to walk through the parking lot to get to the store and could only buy what they could carry back to the bus. To address this, Wal-Mart added shuttle buses that took customers to and from the store. Difficulties like those faced by Wal-Mart are easy to identify and often are easy to fix. Cultural differences, however, also concern deeply held beliefs, values, and customs that are more difficult to identify. Understanding cultural differences is particularly important for managers, because managers must understand their employees to motivate and lead them. Geert Hofstede, a Dutch management researcher, conducted a multiyear, multicountry study to identify ways to describe differences in national cultures. His research included more than 100,000 employees of a global corporation in 40 countries. A later study, called the GLOBE project, included 170,000 managers in 162 countries. These studies identified nine dimensions that describe differences in national cultures. These dimensions are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, performance orientation, assertiveness, future orientation, humane orientation, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, and gender egalitarianism. Let’s look at each in more detail.
In the chart that follows, Germany and Poland are similar in their cultural characteristics. Comparison of cultural characteristics of Germany and Poland using data from GLOBE 2004 study Practice QuestionEffects of Cultural Differences on Global BusinessWhen companies decide to expand internationally, they have to be aware of cultural differences. To be effective, managers need to be attuned to their cultural surroundings. There have been many examples of advertising that included images or phrases that were culturally offensive. For example, Pepsi lost its dominant market share to Coke in Southeast Asia when Pepsi changed the color of its vending machines to light “Ice” blue. The company failed to understand that light blue is associated with death and mourning in that region. Managers must also consider different communication practices. In some countries, direct feedback is considered impolite, and managers must be able to read subtle body language to determine if the receiver has understood and accepted the message. For example, in many cultures, telling a superior that he has made a mistake is considered disrespectful. Different cultures also have different ideas about time. In the United States, an appointment is the time someone is expected to arrive. In some countries, an appointment is the earliest someone is expected to arrive, but he could arrive much later. Global managers must appreciate and accommodate these cultural differences. Management expert Peter Drucker But what about the effect of cultural differences on the basic functions of management? Are there universal theories that will hold in any culture? The answer is yes and no. Peter Drucker, the famed management expert, observed:
In other words, the functions of management are the same everywhere, but the functions are performed differently in different countries. We have defined the four basic management functions as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Consider how the GLOBE cultural dimensions could affect these basic management functions.
Practice QuestionKey PointsDeciding to engage in global business exposes companies to risks and hazards. However, when companies research conditions and plan and prepare for cultural differences, they can benefit from the advantages of globalization. In the next section we consider strategies managers can use to respond to cultural differences. Which of the following cultural cluster is characterized by lower degree of humane orientation?The Philippines, Ireland, and Egypt have high humane orientation; France, Germany, and Singapore have low humane orientation.
What is most likely to be true about a culture with low future orientation?Cultures with low future orientation (or present-oriented cultures) tend to enjoy being in the moment and spontaneity. They are less anxious about the future and often avoid the planning and sacrifices necessary to reach future goals. They tend to use firm and inflexible language.
When a country has a humane orientation its people?Humane Orientation refers to the degree to which members of a society are fair, altruistic, friendly, generous, caring and kind to others.
What is true about cultures with low performance orientation quizlet?Low-performance orientation societies prioritize measurable goals and objectives in meetings and communications. Organizations in present-oriented societies are less likely to develop clear long-term strategies and business plans. In less-assertive cultures, people are uncomfortable with silence.
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