Examine the Roles of Hierarchy and Power Within East and Western Enterprises

Lets start by understanding that cultures are a melting pot of people’s beliefs, language, behaviors, values, material objects, and norms. Norms are written and non-written “expectations of behavior” that govern a certain location, place, or culture (26). These norms also vary from culture to culture meaning what is a norm in the U.S may not be a norm in India. For example, a norm in America would be tipping a waiter after a meal. Another would be acknowledging someone as you walk past him or her, typically done at work or in a public place. In all, norms are folkways, mores, taboos, and written laws that are an established standard of one’s behavior.

The culture in which we were raised in has a big impact on who we are and how we behave. Our culture effects things such as how we dress, the way we interact with others, and our manners such as what we may or may not find funny or what we may find offensive or weird. In the Ethan Watters Article “Being WEIRD: How Culture Shapes the Mind” we see examples of how being raised in different cultures affects our decisions and the way we perceive things. For example, in the ultimatum game (which is played by giving the first player $100 dollars, he can then offer player 2 any amount of the $100 but if the second player rejects the money they both end up with nothing) we can see how differently Machiguengans and Americans were likely to play. We

The final cross cultural difference I will discuss is the collectivist culture of India versus the individualistic culture of the United States. India is more of a collectivist culture, whereas the U.S. is strongly individualistic. The family is at the center of Indian society, which is largely patriarchal. Several generations of a family are brought together to live in one household. The hierarchical nature of the Indian culture extends into the family as well, where the head of the family makes the key decisions for the household (Kumar, 2005). An Indian’s primary loyalty usually lies with their family rather than with their

The fundamentals of Japanese and American social hierarchy are different. In Japan the social structure is based off of a hierarchy, and older people are treated with more respect than younger people. On the other hand, in the USA social status is derived from multiple factors; age not being one of them. In addition to the way social status is decided in Japan, the way people treat each other is also vastly different than in the USA. In Japan people treat each other with much more respect and curtsy than in the USA. furthermore the hierarchal nature of Japanese society even extends into the business world. An excerpt from the textbook, Global Business Language, shows this: “ They want to know who has the higher social status and where they themselves need to fit in among the people involved in the

This is because of the culture Asians grow up in—or, more so the religions involved in their growth: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. “Within these philosophies families are highly structured, hierarchical, and paternal. Within the family systems children are taught that they must avoid bringing shame to their family and that the welfare and integrity of the family are very important. These Asian philosophies also teach principles of peace, balance, and harmony, causing some Asians to avoid confrontation or appear passive, indifferent, or indecisive. Using indirect methods of communication may be appropriate for some Asian students with strong ties to their ancestral culture.” (McKay School of Education, 2015).

Even though they have the same parents, their considerable differences in looks, personalities, and attitude toward life reflect the differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

In sum, there are several ways is the idea of happiness similar in my culture and American culture which are danced as cultural heritage, the attitude of regarding older people and family as the central unit. Moreover, happiness in my culture and American culture shape the lives of children, families and the village. Analyzing cultural norms means to determine a model way of life and it is a way of understanding how countries and people interact on a local, national, and international

When going through the assessment I thought back to my year before grad school and how I conducted myself as an AmeriCorps member in the nonprofit sector. The results made me think of specific instances when I exhibited both the Hierarch and Market culture types. Interestingly enough, I thought that I would have fallen into the Clan type; however, as I developed as a person in different environments I see now that I am indeed part of both the Hierarch and Market culture types. Heavily focused on maintaining control in order to achieve efficiency in very important to me, but I am also motivated by competition. Considering this, I would say that it would be difficult for me to work in an Adhocracy culture type.

Power and politics have always been around but seldom openly discussed. Power is learned at an early age through family and schools. Ordinary people such as scholars hesitate to talk about power. It is often equated with force brutality, unethical behavior, manipulation, connivance, and subjugation.

Most people do not think their family has a culture. They associate culture with countries and ethnic groups. But the family for most people is just a group of family people who do what they always do. Directly and subtly, children are shaped by the family culture in which they are born. At the stage of growth, their assumptions about what is right or wrong, good and bad, reflect the beliefs, values, and traditions of the family culture. Most take their family manners for granted and bring into adulthood numerous attitudes and behaviors acquired in childhood. Even those who later reject all or part of the family culture often find that they are not totally free of their early influences. 1

Power/Distance (PD), “refers to the degree of inequality that exists- and is accepted- among people with and without power. A high PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal distribution of power, and that people understand “their place” in the system. Low PD means that power is shared and well dispersed.” (www.mindtools.com) As an example from the article, Myers goes on to say, “there were basically four levels: VP, director, manager, and worker bee. You only talked to people at your level.” SK Telecom boasted that

Take the typical division of the east and the west. Research has shown that people from western cultures think differently from people in the eastern cultures. Westerners tend to see themselves as individuals.

For this paper, a comparison between my culture; the Indian culture; specifically the Hindu culture and the culture of the largest ethnic group in Malaysia; the Malay

What are the reasons that hierarchies emerge in organizations? What about the roles and the nature of this emergence? Does this aid in structuring these organizations/work areas? In this essay, I will be relating the description of activities that take place in an early industrial pin factory from Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations to the organizing and structuring of work. The relation will be described done by examining the division and specialization of labour, requirements that lead to the need for coordination, Horizontal and Vertical Differentiation required for coordination and how structure/hierarchy arises and if it is in fact needed.

1. Power distance index (PDI): The degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.