MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT

FOR TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

Learning Outcomes
Understanding Hofstedes Culture.

Overview of Management

What is Culture?
Culture is a set of beliefs or standards,
shared by a group of people, which help
the individual decide what is, what can be,
how to feel, what to do and how to go
about doing it

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What is Culture? From a

Business Point of View

Culture is about different ways of doing

business and different client expectations
in different business communities .

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Hofstedes Framework for

Assessing Culture
Hofstedes studies of the interactions
between national cultures and
organizational cultures demonstrated that
there are national and regional cultural
groupings that affect the behaviors of
societies and organizations, and that are
very persistent across time.
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Hofstede Cultural Framework

1. Power Distance
2. Individualism vs.
Collectivism
3. Masculinity vs.
Femininity
4. Uncertainty
Avoidance
5. Long Term
Orientation
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Power Distance
...the extent to
which the less
powerful members
of institutions and
organizations within
a country expect
and accept that
power is distributed
unequally.
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Power Distance at Work

Hierarchy
Centralization
Salary range
Participation
Ideal Boss
Privilege & status
symbols

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 Low PD (Austria, Israel, Denmark,

New Zealand) expect power
relations which are more
consultative or democratic. A
sense of equality as human beings
prevades
High PD (Malaysia): autocratic and
paternalistic structures. Power is
centralized

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Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualist societies:
ties are loose and
everyone looks out for
himself or herself
Collectivist societies:
people integrated into
strong, cohesive
groups; protection is
exchanged for loyalty

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Individualism / Collectivism
Work
Employee-employer
relationship
Hiring and
promotion decisions
Managerial focus
Task vs. relationship
priority

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at

 In individual societies people tend

to be motivated by personal
preferences, needs and rights;
personal goals and rational
analysis take precedence
In collectivist societies people tend
to be motivated by norms and
duties imposed by the group;
ingroup goals and relational
analysis takes precedence.
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Masculinity vs. Femininity

Masculine societies:
social gender roles
are distinct (men
focus on material
success; women on
quality of life)
Feminine societies:
social gender roles
overlap (both quality
of life)
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Masculinity / Femininity at Work

Centrality of work
Ways of managing &
decision making
Fem: equality,
solidarity, quality of
work life
Mas: equity,
compete,
performance
Conflict resolution
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 Masculine cultures:
competitiveness, assertiveness,
ambition, personal achievement
accumulation of wealth(US)
Feminine cultures: caring for
others, nurturing roles, quality of
life. ( Japan)

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Uncertainty Avoidance
the extent to
which the members
of a culture feel
threatened by
uncertain or
unknown situations.
NOT the same as
risk avoidance
Presence of rules
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Uncertainty Avoidance at Work

Necessity of rules
Time orientation
Precision &
punctuality
Interpretation of
What is different
Appropriateness of
emotional displays

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 High UA societies: avoidance of

ambiguous situations, preference of
known stable situations, uncertaintyreducing rules and procedures ( Latin
America, Japan)
Low UA societies: ambiguity is more
accepted. Uncertainty = opportunity.
People as individuals are the engine
of change
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Long term orientation

The newest
dimension
three universal
dimensions and two
fourth dimensions
Truth vs. Virtue:
What one believes
vs. What one does

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Confucian Dynamism
Short-term orientation
Social pressure to
keep up with the
Joneses
small savings
expect quick results
concern with
possessing Truth

Long-term orientation
Thrift: being sparing
with resources
large savings
perseverance toward
slow results
concern with
respecting the
demands of Virtue

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Traits of Long Term

emphasis on
persistence.
relationships ordered
by status.
personal adaptability
important .
face considerations
common but seen as
a weakness.
leisure time not too
important

Short Term
emphasis on quick
results.
status not a major
issue in relationships.
personal
steadfastness
protection of ones
face is important
ability important.
leisure time important

Overview of Management