Cross Cultural Studies Chapter 4

Front 1

Different schools have a different look at culture. Please explain the difference between emic and etic arguments.

Back 1

Emic: culture free meaning that is structured by organisational feature: size and technology
Etic: social context/culturalist meaning that the culture creates the structure

Front 2

Hofstede is one of the scholar who divided cultures according to certain dimension. Please explain the 4 dimensions.

Back 2

Uncertainty avoidance: refers to the amound of tolerance the society has. Their discomfort towards uncertainty, predictability and stability.
Individualism/collectivism: the extend to which people prefer to take care of themselfes and their immediate family, remaining emotionally dependent from groups.
Masculinity/feminity: the levels of assertiveness, competitiveness, materialism and the level of nurturing, quality of life, relationship
Power distance: to which extent the society accepts the unequal distribution of power in organistion/institution (acceptance of hierarchy)

Front 3

What are the 4 emerging cultural profiles and to which cultural clusters do they belong?

Back 3

- Village market (Anglo/Nordic)
- Family or tribe (Asian)
- Well-oiled machine (Germanic)
- Traditional bureaucracy 'pyramid of people' (Latin)

Front 4

By which factors are these cultural profiles determined?

Back 4

- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Formalization
- Hierarchy
- Power Distance

Front 5

Can you shortly explain 'the village market'?

Back 5

Less hierarchic and less formalised

Front 6

How would you describe organisations that are to seen to be 'well-oiled machines'?

Back 6

Hierarchy is downplayed and decisions are decentralised, rules and regulations are formal. There is no need for a boss, organisation runs by routines.

Front 7

How would you describe the traditional bureaucracy?

Back 7

Hierarchical and formal, the boss is the boss and rules and roles are well defined

Front 8

Can you shortly describe the 'family or tribal' model?

Back 8

hierarchal, but informal, the boss is the buss but rules and roles are determined by personalised relationships

Front 9

What kind of role do managers play when organisations are viewed as a political system?

Back 9

Managers play an important political roles in society, and they negotiate within the organisation.

Front 10

What role do managers play in a organisation that is views as systems or role formalisation?

Back 10

Managers who prefer detailed job descriptions and well-defined roles and functions.

Front 11

What is the difference between task systems and social systems?

Back 11

A task system focuses on getting results or performance. Socials systems focus more on personal networks and social positioning, where relationships might become crucial to performance.

Front 12

In what organisational proess can you see the influence of culture?

Back 12

- Policies and procedures
- Systems and controls
- Information and communication
- Decision making

Front 13

Can you name an example of a procedure that is done differently in different countries and name one country with an example?

Back 13

Job descriptions are done differently. In the UK job descriptions are formalised to provide general guidelines and there is low uncertainty avoidance.

Front 14

Where does systems and controls also rely on?

Back 14

On the Theory X and Theory Y, in a way have they have to be controlled.

Front 15

What are the three different kinds of control and can you describe one of them?

Back 15

Input, throughout and output. In France they are careful about reruiting future senior managers from top school, which reflects input. In Germany, the focus on detailed plans and operationsl controls also reflect the importance of throughput controls.

Front 16

What can have an influence on communication?

Back 16

national culture, institutional factors, the legal framework and administrative heritage of a country

Front 17

How is decision making in cultures that emphasise power and hierarchy, can you name an example?

Back 17

Central decision making, where also the government plays a role (France).

Front 18

How is the nature of decision making culturally rooted?

Back 18

In who is making the decision, who is involgend and where decisions are made.

Front 19

What is Japan's complain about American and European companites and why?

Back 19

Japanese have a 'sign on' which delays the decision making process. However, Japanese managers often complain how slow they are in implementing decisions because in Japan everyone has been involved already and it is easier to implement.

Front 20

What does the speed of decision making reflect?

Back 20

The process and the prevailing attitude towards time

Front 21

What is an ambi-cultural approach to management?

Back 21

embracing many of the practices Asian businesses, combing a long-term view promising benefits for all company stakeholders and the global community, with a more decentralised, and empowering management philosophy from Western practice.

Front 22

Why are many developing countries eager to adopt foreign models?

Back 22

Because they can then make the models more culturally appropriate.