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Organisational Processes
UNIT 20 CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES
Objectives
After going through this unit, you should be able to:
- understand cross-cultural differences in individual behaviour, managerial responses and attitudes;
- pinpoint how rewards, leadership, and communication acquire different perspectives across culture;
- appreciate the importance of cross-cultural orientation and training programmes in global context.
Structure
20.1 Introduction 20.2 Cultural Differences and Similarities 20.3 Behaviour in Global Perspective 20.4 Cultural Shock 20.5 Managerial Responses 20.6 Decision Making Across Cultures 20.7 Motivation Across Cultures 20.8 Rewards Across Cultures 20.9 Leadership Across Cultures 20.10 Power and Conflict Across Cultures 20.11 Communication Across Cultures 20.12 Environment Across Cultures 20.13 Organisation Structures and Technology Across, Cultures 20.14 Cross-Cultural Training 20.15 Summary 20.16 Self-Assessment Questions 20.17 Further Readings
20.1 INTRODUCTION
In a global village, human resource management and organisational behaviour are expected to play crucial role in the process of internationalisation of business. Gobalisation has its impact on people management. The management is required to cope with problems of alien cultures, unfamiliar laws, languages, attitudes, practices, competitors, managerial styles, work ethics, and so on. Human resource function such as hiring, maintaining and remunerating must acquire global perspective. To face this challenge, the management must be flexible and proactive. By helping the best qualified people execute the company's strategy on a global scale, the management can become a source of competitive advantage for the company.
Cross-cultural Issues 20.2 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
For understanding cultural issues in organisational setting against international perspective, it is essential to understand employee behaviour. Five basic conclusions can be drawn about cross-cultural impact on employee behaviour:
First, individual behaviour in organisational setting varies across cultures. Thus, employees based in India, Japan, U.S. and Germany are likely to have different attitudes and patterns of behaviour. The behaviour patterns are likely to be widespread and pervasive within an organisation.
Second, culture itself is an important variable for this variation. There are also other factors like differing standards of living and varied geographical conditions which cause variations in behaviour. However, culture is a significant factor.
Third, although behaviour within organisational setting remains quite diverse across cultures, organisations themselves appear to be increasingly similar. Hence, managerial practices at a general level may be alike, but the people who work within organisations differ markedly.
Fourth, the same manager behaves differently in different cultural settings. A manager may adopt one set of behaviours when working in one culture, but may change those behaviours when moved into a different culture.
Lastly, cultural diversity can be an important source of energy in enhancing organisational effectiveness. More and more organisations are realising the virtues of cultural diversity, but surprisingly, little do they know how to manage it.
Cross-cultural management literature is replete with studies examining cross-national differences in individual behaviour, managerial attitudes, values and beliefs. Behaviour variations can be studied in terms of individual differences, managerial responses, motivation, and rewards across cultures.
20.3 BEHAVIOUR IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Individualism and Collectivism: Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose. Collectivism as its opposite pertains to societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups.
People in a culture characterised by individualism, tend to put their careers before their organisations and usually assess how situations will affect them personally. People in a culture dominated by collectivism tend to place organisation needs before their own needs. Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.A. are some of the countries characterised by individualism. Collectivism is said to dominate in India,, Japan, Germany, Peru, Columbia, Greece, Mexico, Pakistan, and Singapore. India and Japan are characterised by a high level of collectivism.
Power Distance: Power distance is defined as "the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed inequally" (Hofstede, 1991).
Power distance refers to the acceptance of the idea by employees that in an organisation people will have different levels of power. In a high-distance culture, boss is supreme and s/he along can make decisions. Others cannot question but simply follow orders and instructions. In a low-power distance culture, employees accept the boss as long as s/he is right.
Cross-cultural Issues able to answer any question s/he is asked. On the other hand, Swedish managers have the least concern for knowing all the answers. In France, the manager's role is thought to be that of an expert, whereas in the U.S. the manager is viewed as a problem solver.
Managerial behaviour is rapidly changing, particularly among European managers. In general, these managers are becoming better educated, career-oriented, more willing to work co-operatively with labour, more willing to delegate, and more cosmopolitan.
20.6 DECISION MAKING ACROSS CULTURES
Even if people were to follow the same basic steps when making decision, there exists widespread differences in the way people from various cultures may go about doing so.
There exist cultural differences with respect to who is expected to make decisions. In Sweden, for example, it is traditional for employees at all levels to be involved in the decisions affecting them. However, in Pakistan, where autocratic decision making is expected, it would be considered a sign of weakness for a manager to consult his subordinate about a decision.
Another cultural difference in decision making has to do with the amount of time taken to make a decision. For example, in the U.S. one mark of a good decision maker is that s/he is "decisive", and make it without delay. On the other hand, in some other cultures time urgency is downplayed. In Egypt, for example, the more important the matter, the more time the decision maker is expected to take in reaching a decision.
20.7 MOTIVATION ACROSS CULTURES
Motivation theories and approaches are mainly developed in America. Nevertheless, some of the theories and techniques do apply to other societies as well. For example, equity theory has takers in Korea, Japan and the U.S. Maslow's theory too has found itself applicable but with changes in the needs priorities. In Greece and Japan, for example, security needs are more important, whereas social needs tend to dominate in Norway and Sweden.
Employees in different cultures perceive work differently, For Indians, work is not just an economic reward, but it also deems to confer status and dignity. But for Americans, work is equated just with economic rewards.
20.8 REWARDS ACROSS CULTURES
Employees' expectations from their jobs depend on respective cultures. Naturally, rewards also vary across cultures. For example, job security is more valued in some cultures than in others. In certain societies like the U.S. for example, individual rewards like recognition, promotion and merit pay increase are more valued. On the other hand, in Japan, employees place a higher value on group rewards and recognition. It is essential that a manager must understand the varying expectations and rewards of employees and provide them accordingly.
20.9 LEADERSHIP ACROSS CULTURES
Cultural factors influence the effectiveness of specific leadership actions, and determine varying leadership styles in different countries. In a society with a high power-distance, employees routinely expect the leader to make decisions, solve
problems, and assign tasks. In such a culture, any effort by the1leader to promote participative style of management will be opposed. On the other hand, under conditions of low-power-distance any directive behaviour by the leader will not be tolerated. Employees expect empowerment from the leader.
Organisational Processes
We must note that leaders play different roles in various cultures. For example, in Europe, managers go beyond the boundaries of formal managerial roles. In China, leaders are expected to remain formal and function within the formal roles assigned to them. Whereas in Japan, the role of a leader is more of a facilitator to group performance and less as control mechanism.
20.10 POWER AND CONFLICT ACROSS CULTURES
Power and conflict area part of organisational life in certain countries. For instance, in the United States power and conflict are accepted and attempts are even made in organisations to create and sustain moderate level of conflict. Such a level of conflict is perceived to be beneficial for organisational effectiveness. In Japan, the focus is on conformity, group harmony, and the like.
20.11 COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURES
Different words may mean different things to different people. In addition to different vocabularies, cross-cultural communication is made difficult by the fact that in different languages even the same word can mean different things.
Communication problem will arise because of alien language and unfamiliar body gestures. In international perspective, two issues namely, language and coordination are relevant.
Language: Some words are understood differently in different countries. An example is that Japanese managers rarely come out with direct "no" to mother's request. The manner in which they avoid saying "no" is to say "yes" and then follow the affirmative answer with a detailed explanation which in effect means "no". General Motors produced a car called the Nova, which did not sell well in Italy where "no va" means "does not go". In China, Coco-Cola means "bite the head of a dead tadpole".
Even nonverbal communication varies across cultures. Colours and body language, for example, can convey quite a different message in one culture than in another. Thus, managers should be forewarned that they cannot take everything for granted while dealing with people from another culture. They must acquire familiarity with verbal and nonverbal languages of that culture.
Coordination: Communication across countries has another dimension namely, the need for coordination. For example, when an Indian executive talks to his or her counterpart in Gerrnany, he must not only contend with differences in language, but also with a time difference of several hours.
Studies suggest that even when both persons in an international transaction know each other's language, communication may still suffer. In addition to the most basic verbal communication skills, non-verbal communication may create serious misunderstandings. Even though we share many values, beliefs and attitudes, we misinterpret and misunderstand each other. This is so even when we are dealing with our own people. The problem simply becomes accentuated when we deal with persons of foreign origin.
In brief, we are left with three cross-cultural communication options: (a) stick to one's own language, (b) rely on translators, or (c) learn the local language.
Organisational Processes (^) The extent of responsibility and risk in performance.
Activity 1
Do you have any personal experience in cross-cultural dealings? If so, what lessons have you learned?
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20.15 SUMMARY
For more than one reason companies are expanding their horizon of operations. Globalisation of business has come to stay. It is essential for any manager to understand the dynamics of cross-cultural issues and needs. Cross-cultural impact on an organisation includes such aspects as individual behaviour, group dynamics, leadership, environment, technology and organisation structure. Culture differences influence perception of people about work, group harmony, discipline, and other aspects of life, Ample evidence points to how cultural differences in values, beliefs, traits, and decision styles influence different management practices. For instance, the individualistic performance appraisal, compensation and reward practices characteristic of the U.S. human resource system are not the norm in more collectiveness Asian cultures.
20.16 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
What are some of the cross-cultural issues in an organisational setting?
"Cross-cultural behaviour influences individual and organisational behaviour". Discuss.
20.17 FURTHER READINGS
Aswathappa, K., Organisational Behaviour - Text and Cases, Himalaya Publishing House, 1997.
Nelson, L.D., Quick, C.J., Organizational Behaviour-Foundations, Realities and Challenge, South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2000.
