preview

Cultural Culture, Occupational, And Organizational Cultures

Better Essays
Open Document

(Ch.2) It was while reading the introduction of this chapter that the realization hit me that ‘Culture’ governs every walk of our life. Right from what we wear and what we speak, to what we perceive as beautiful (or ugly), how we behave differently with different people, our idea of right and wrong – everything is part of our culture, which has been handed down to us as accepted from our past generations. This has been very beautifully explained in the first two pages of the chapter. I particularly liked one example in the ‘Case In Point’ (p. 9), where it is pointed out that crossing your ankle over your knee is a posture that is considered rude in Japan. This might not seem a big deal to people in other countries, but when in Japan, it would do us good remember this.

The author has then moved on to list the three levels of culture i.e., National Culture, Business Culture, Occupational and organizational Cultures. Also, the three diagnostic models – Hofstede’s Model, The GLOBE project and the 7d culture model –all of them have some pretty useful information about different cultures across the world. Amidst these, I found one fascinating concept called ‘Power Distance’ (p. 52). It explains how different cultures deal with inequality. Hailing from India, a typically high-power-distance country, I completely understand this concept. It was actually a pleasant surprise when I moved to the United States and got to experience how much of a Low-Power-Distance country this is. Just

Get Access