Cross-cultual Managment - Essay Example

How important are organizational status, prestige and level in the organizational hietrarchy What rights to make decisions are given to managers as function of their positions To what degree should employees automatically defer to the wishes and decisions of their managers Power distance refers to the belief that strong and legitimate decision-making rights separates managers and employees; this custom is frequently observed in Asian and South American countries. By contrast, employees in the United States and Scandinavian countries subscribe to beliefs of lower power distance and are less likely to believe that their managers are automatically correct.

Therefroe, many employees in the United States and Scandinavia do not blindly defer to their manager's wishes. Cultures that emphasize individualism tend to accent individual rights and freedoms, have very loosely knit social networks and place considerable attention on self-respect. Strong emphasis is placed on the person's own career and personal rewards. Collectivism heavily accents group and values harmony among members. Individual feelings are subordinated to the group's overall good, and employees are more likely to ask, "What is the best organization" Face-saving (maintaining one's self-image in front of others) is highly important in collectivistic cultures.

When face-saving is accomplished, then one's status in the group can be maintained. The United States has an individualistic culture; Japan is collectivistic, with a culture that can be characterized by the proverb "The nail that sticks up gets pounded down." The Chinese culture accents the importance of quaxi or relationships.Femininity versus masculinity Masculine societies define gender roles in more traditional and stereotypical ways whereas feminine societies have broader viewpoints on the great variety of roles that both males and females can play in the workplace and at home.

In addition, masculine societies value assertive behavior and the acquisition of wealth; feminine cultures trasure relationships among people, caring for others and a greater balance between family and work life. The Scandinavian countries have the most feministic cultures; Japan has a markedly masculine one; and the United States has a moderately masculine culture.Uncertainty avoidance Employees in some cultures value clarity and feel very comfortable receiving specific directions from their supervisors.

These employees have a high level of uncertainty avoidance and prefer to avoid ambiguity at work. Employees elsewhere react in an opposite manner since ambiguity does not threaten their lower need for stability and security. These employees may even thrive on the uncertainty associated with their jobs. Employees in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Belgium have high uncertainty avoidance characteristics and often prefer structure, stability, rules, and clarity. Countries lower in uncertainty avoidance characteristics include China, Ireland and the United States.

Long-term versus short-term time orientation Some cultures accent values such as the necessity of preparing for the future, the value of thrift and savings and the merits of persistence. Members of these cultures exemplified by Hong Kong, China, Japan