Essay on Cultural Awareness

First, power distance measures the amount of layers there is between the entry level employee and the top tier managerial position. Typically, lower rankings indicate that the culture has a gradual hierarchy and less of a gap. Higher rates usually resemble a large discrepancy gauging the separation of employees and their employers. In the United States, power distance is fairly moderate at 40,

Thinking about which country and culture to choose for this assignment was a difficult process because there is a plethora to choose from! I decided to choose Spain as I lived there for a short period of time. Spain, is a country located in western Europe and is bordered by Portugal, France, and Gibraltar. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to its east and the North Atlantic Ocean to its west. When trying to understand a culture from a foreign perspective, it is important to analyze the geography that makes up that country.

“Culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. Statements about culture do not describe “reality”; they are all general and relative”. So depending on the person, everyone see things in a different view. According to the case study the question is asked: How does culture and environment affect institutions and their management? I will define the problem of what went wrong during Ms. Myers tenure from my point of view. I will explain the problem Ms. Myers is encountering using Hofstede's five dimensions of culture to compare Korean and American assumptions about

From reviewing Green’s fictional case study, (Green, 2011), the author acknowledges some good points for consideration when one has to determine how much a culture and environment will affect institutions and their management. In this review, Green explores the challenges faced by Ms. Linda Myers when she accepted a job as a VP in a Seoul, South Korea with SK Telecom.

This dimension represents the degree to which those with less powerful members of a society expect power to be unequally distributed (Wursten et al., n.d.). The degree of inequality is accepted as a normal component of their country. Those who are well established understand and accept that their status is not only part of their hierarchy 's organization, but where they belong in society. Those societies with low power distance indexes share and distribute power amongst each other in a cohesive manner.

These five dimensions were individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long-term orientation (Hofstede, 1984). Chinese differ substantially with respect to individualism, long term orientation and power distance when compared to the Americans (Geert-hofstede.com, 2014). These differences could result in conflicts in the following areas:-

Power distance is a value that is essential to differentiate individuals, groups and organisations based on the distance between the leader of a group or head of the organisation, to those present on the lowest rung of the organisational hierarchy. Power distance also relates to the degree to which inequalities are acceptable within the organisational hierarchy. Hofstede (1984) defines power distance as “the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally”. In organisations where power distance is large, hierarchies are accepted and create social orders where each member has a very specific role. Conversely, in societies where power distance is low, people tend to strive to distribute power equally and question any kind of inequalities.

Power Distance Index is the degree less powerful ones in an organization expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. Authoritarian leaders maintain most of the power and want little input or advice from staff. In this environment, employees may feel they have less power in their organization. On the other hand, participative leaders set a collaborative tone and welcome open communication. How employees view the organization can have an impact on their production.

When a business decides to venture internationally into different countries with its products, services, and operations, it is very important that the company gains an understanding of how the culture of the different societies affects the values found in those societies. Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most famous and most used studies on how culture relates to values. Hofstede study enabled him to compare dimensions of culture across 40 countries. He originally isolated four dimensions of what he claimed summarized different cultures — power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, and masculinity versus femininity (Hill, 2013, p.110). To cover aspects of values not discussed in the original paradigm Hofstede has since added two more dimensions — Confucianism or long-term orientation and indulgence versus self-restraint (Hofstede, n.d.). Because of the way Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are given an index score from 0-100, it is easy for a company to get a general comparison between the cultures they are expanding into and the culture they are already in.

Psychologist, Dr. Geert Hofstede developed a framework to link culture and organizational behavior considered the most useful outline for a scholarly community. The basis of his framework is comprehensive research involving 160,000 participants’ of managers and employees from 53 countries throughout the world. The study categorized the five cultural dimensions as Power/ Distance, Individualism /Collectivism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity / Femininity, and Short-Term / Long-Term Orientation (Khan 2014). Evaluating and understanding that culture has influence on how trade is conducted in a particular country and around the world, is critical in helping to increase a leader’ knowledge and ability to communicate and direct resources, to make viable business decisions globally. In addition, knowledge of the five cultural dimensions can be an effective tool for business leaders dealing with the rapidly growing cultural diversity within their respective countries.

The man who put corporate culture on the map—almost literally—Geert Hofstede (born 1928) defined culture along five different dimensions. He measured each of these dimensions in numerous countries and then made cross-country comparisons. In the age of globalization, managers trying to understand the differences between workforces in different environments have used this model extensively. Early in his career he worked for IBM, during which he carried out the research on which his career and reputation successively rests. Now known as the Hofstede Cultural Orientation Model is based on his study between 1967 and 1973 of IBM employees in 40 different countries.

Although we may not notice it, differences in culture affect our everyday lives including business. In the business world, it is inevitable that you will cross paths with people of differ from you. Understanding these differences can play a major factor to being successful in business. Improving your level of knowledge of international cultural difference in business can help in building international skills as well as empowering you to increase competitive advantage. Hofstede’s theory allows for statistical comparison of cultures through various studies. His extensive work gives an insight of the culture and how its impacts business strategies of members of that society. Hofstede studied and categorized cultures into 5 different sections; Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, Long-term orientation, Masculinity and Power index. There are always a few generally clear signs you should notice that shows how a country cultural and business are created. Hofstede’s study results show vast differences between the United States and Japan’s culture and business. A clear majority of Americas population is made up and individuals who have fled their countries to explore new options in a new land.

Power distance, is the extent to which social groups accepts the fact of unequal distribution of power among individuals. Thailand has high power distance, which means that the society is not equal.

First, Power Distance (PDI) speaks to the inequality between members of an organization. Therefore, high power distance equates with an autocratic, dictatorial leadership style compared to low PDI members sharing equal powers.

We were asked by top management to train the sales staff in our offices in South Korea. We will travel to South Korea to begin our three year assignment on May 1, 2015. There are differences in their culture, and in the manner they conduct business and live their daily lives. It is imperative these differences are learned now, allowing adequate time to prepare for the necessary adjustments.