Behavioral Differences Of Multicultural Team Working With Models Of National Cultural Differences

Culture is an observable, powerful force in any organization. “Made up of its members’ shared values, beliefs, symbols, and behaviors, culture guides individual decisions and actions at the unconscious level. As a result, it can have a potent effect on a company’s well-being and success” (One Page, n.d.).

Every country differs in culture which has been there for centuries. The international market is growing rapidly, with more and more multinational organisations entering new markets each day. In this assignment I will evaluate how the difference in cultures affects the performance of international businesses.

Globalization and technological advancement have dictated the need for managers to deal with multiple ethnic groups with different culture in their day to day interactions. According to Kulkarni (2012), cultures play critical roles in individuals, including values, beliefs, humor, worries, fears, hopes, opinions, attachments, and anxieties.

As per the 14th Annual Global CEO Survey by Price Waterhouse Cooper for the year 2011, the need had been identified to bridge the gap of global skills as one of the biggest concerns, specifically for companies considering attraction, recruitment, development and retention of talents across the globe (Moran, 2014). Costly mistakes, frustration, and confusion are the main consequences of absence of global skills mainly because of ignorance regarding the effect of culture across the work place. This is because ignorance of culture differences result in unproductivity across the organization (Latimer, 2012).

It is crucial for today's business personnel to understand the impact of cross cultural differences on business, trade and internal company organization. The success or failure of a company, venture, merger or acquisition is essentially in the hands of people. If these people are not cross culturally aware then misunderstandings, offence and a breakdown in communication can occur.

In multinational workplaces understanding how important the significance of cultural differences is larger than we might think. Organizations that are diverse have to work together because their functionality impacts the productivity of the workplace. It is vital to have an understanding the different cultures to develop a strong organization. Certain principles will help you acknowledge that different cultures exist within the organization. As a manager, you have to analyze the reasons for the development of the differences and

Now that we have touched on culture let’s look at the same two countries and see how each culture affects management styles. Three notable differences of management in Asian countries compared to the US are: (Member, 2014)

Cross Cultural management explains the behaviour of people in organizations worldwide, helping managers and firms to understand how to act in business matters dealing with the different cultures. (Adler, 2008)

Cultural differences between countries have strong effects on individual personality and behavior, as well as on organizational culture (Hofstede 2001). These differences can be a significant barrier for an international business leader. Failure to understand and adapt to these differences may

American companies rely heavily on systems and processes, which is viewed as highly efficient by the American standard while the Chinese workers with ECL aren’t accustomed to this and believe that it’s not always necessary to establish a system to follow in order to complete a task. The difference in views on this could also present some serious problems for ECL, as the Chinese workers may view the American management style as inefficient or sluggish.

Mismanaging cultural differences can render otherwise successful managers and organisations ineffective when working across cultures. As stated byOsland (1990, p. 4) ``The single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture''. Hofstede (1983) defines culture as "the mental programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another" (Hofstede 1983 p. 25). Through the comparison of Chinese culture and Australian culture using Hofstedes five cross-cultural dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation an insightful view into the differences and similarities of the cultures can be obtained (Chong & Park 2003). Human Resource Management

With the unstoppable trend of globalisation, it becomes extremely significant for international businesses to have a thorough understanding of different cultures. Hofstede (1980, pp. 21-23) defines culture as ‘the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another’. This essay examines Hofstede’s cultural framework and suggests that Hofstede’s cultural framework is an outstanding and authoritative tool to analyze culture differences. In this essay, cultural frameworks will be discussed firstly, following by a discussion of my cultural scores and background. Finally, recommendations on cross-cultural management between China and Australia will be provided.

Using appropriate theories critically analyse the role of culture in International Business. Support your answer by quoting relevant examples from the case study.

Scott, Bishop and Chen (2003) researched how well Chinese employees perform under western management principles and practices. They stated that the traditional Chinese culture might have conflicting influences on the success of programs that involve employees. They examined components that underlie participative management efforts in the U.S., which include the nature of the tasks individuals perform in Guangzhou, China. According to their results, perceived group support and

Culture will play a major part in the dynamics of the way we operated in international business circles. Managers today will need special skills in order to meet these challenges. Language differences, culture awareness, and management skills are necessary for success. These challenges often lead to a debate in which is better for a company, expatriate or foreign national workers. There are pros and cons to the use of each, but it will depend on several factors to which managers will be better suited for the challenge of