Cultural Differences and People Management - Assignment Example

Reflective Report on Cultural Differences and People Management Introduction This is a reflective report on some important elements and thoughts of cultural matters in the taught course. This include a critique of important elements and aspects of my cultural views of some important elements and aspects of the modules taught in this course. I would therefore examine and critique four questions and ideas relating to the topic at hand. Topic 1: Chinese Business Culture: Personal connections (Guanxi). Guanxi literally means relationship and it stands for any type of relationship in the business world which involves networking and the creation of long term relationships to support one another (Gellerstam and Wiesner, 2011). Guanxi is about the creation of personal relationships and connections which are reciprocal in nature (Wong and Yeung, 2009). Guanxi is a central element and aspect of business in China and most businesses operate on the principle of Guanxi. This is because of some inherent elements of the Chinese and Asian culture. A British business seeking to operate in China would need to set up the right framework and systems in order to survive in China. This would rely heavily on Guanxi and there must be the creation of long-term relationships in China. This is because the Chinese society and the British cultures are very different and distinct. Hence, a British business has one major chance of survival and that is the building and maintenance of long term relationships. Figure 1: Comparison the Cultures of China and the United Kingdom: Hofstede Scale From the diagram above, it is apparent that there are major cultural differences between the United Kingdom and China. This means that a business approach in one country would not necessarily work in another. There is a high power distance in China than in Britain. There is also a high degree of individualism in the UK whilst masculinity and uncertainty avoidance are the same. However, it appears that there is an extremely high long term orientation in China when compared to the UK. Based on this, it is in the best interest of a business operating in China to build and maintain long-term relationships in order to survive and attain and retain competitive advantage. Without long-term relationships a British business is not likely to be taken seriously and it is likely to meet obstacles in its operations. This is because most stakeholders might not really have a genuine desire to work with them even though they might be willing to work with them. Since China is just opening up to Western businesses, a British business would need to use Guanxi to build a network that would help them to learn the culture of doing business in China. This is likely to save the excessive costs of having to work hard and spend too much to no avail. Thus, Guanxi would help them to boost their learning opportunities. Guanxi would also help a British business to build relationships with potential supporting firms. This can help them to gain roots and survive in China. Guanxi is important and useful because it helps to build trust and strong working relationships that spans over a long period of time. This can be helpful and enable parties to share their strengths and weaknesses. Guanxi can promote long-term business practices and responsible attitudes. However, Guanxi can be a tool for corruption in a nation like China. This can have a negative ethical implications on a business. Topic 2: Teams and Cultural Differences: (Forest Fire group exercise). From the forest fire group exercise, it is apparent that different people have different views of how things must be done this varies on the grounds of culture and values. This is steeped in the fact that a person in one culture might hold something important and another might not have the same feeling or expectation. In the forest fire exercise, there were four people from four nationalities, an American representing the liberal New World, an Italian representing the old European system, a Pakistani with an Islamic view of things and a Thai who had a mainstream Asian cultural orientation. There were differences in views of how the people in the fire had to be saved from the fire. One cultural group, based on an ancient honour system argued for men to be saved first because they could help coordinate further saving activities. To them, men are important because they are the 'stronger sex' and once they are in the right position, they can support other people. This is rife in male-dominated societies, especially in the southern continents. Another cultural group argued for the saving of women because they believed that when women are saved, they can have more children, raise them appropriately and regenerate. So to these thinkers women are the most significant group in the social structure. I was of the view that children should be saved from the forest fire because children are the backbone of society in my culture and they have a longer life. What occurred to me in the study is that culture is a major element of the formation of groups and teams. The effectiveness of every group and team is based on how well the members of the group put aside their differences and build a team with the right mechanism and the right people. First of all, in order for the group to work well, the elements of group dynamics proposed by Tuckman are necessary (Wilson, 2010). This include, forming, storming, norming and performing. A team is normally formed and when it is formed, each member comes in with his own unique cultural and social orientations and beliefs. Just as the forest fire group was formed with people from different countries, it is apparent that members of the group have to storm and interact to begin to understand and appreciate different view points about each other. Through this, the group would begin to adjust to each other and norming would proceed. This would be followed by a period of adjustment where the members would begin to perform at their optimum best. In the process of adjusting and becoming a strong cohesive unit, there is the need for some elements of Belbin's three role players to be present: 1. Mental Roles: Plant, Monitor and Specialist. 2. Social Roles: Resource Investigator, Coordinator and Teamworker 3. Action Roles: Shaper, Implementer and Completer. (Belbin Associates, 2010) These different people would play various roles to get the team members to adjust to each other and prepare for effective work. Topic 3: The Importance of the historical context on Cultural Differences From my examination of cultural differences, I think the best linkage between culture and history are the political and economic trends that occurred and it influences on the social lives of the people (Peng, 2010). This is because politically, the events that occurred in the definition of the governance systems and structures of a nation and the nation's role in international politics defines the kind of leadership structure in the country. Economically, a nation is defined by the kind of goods and services that it produces to the international community. This defines the kind of working life in the nation and it impacts on the culture of the people. I have personally grown to appreciate a system of interacting with people from international cultures and backgrounds. The first thing everyone has in common is the Second World War. Most people you meet have stories that link up to the War in one way or the other. Those who do not have links to the Second World War have some link to the First World War. Through the World War, their national histories and lifestyles are written and clarified. Most people have grandparents who were directly involved in the wars. After that, people either became liberal and Westernised or they came under the influence of Socialism. That defines the way people think and how people link up to cultures of the past. In the Twenty First Century, Britain is identified with a particular geographical zone and the people who live in that zone. Britain is much more of a multicultural society with some Native White Anglo-Saxon, a growing number of Europeans from the continent, Indians and Pakistanis, sub-Saharan Africans and other White people from the former Dominions of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada living in the cities. Britain is more of a melting point of different cultures rather than a cultural group. The stereotypical British individual which was traditionally linked to a blue-eyed White British now fits the definition of an Australian better than a British. And Britain is made up of people who are more outspoken and opinionated rather than the Victorian era polite and ethical kind of person. The main elements of the cultural change that the 1997 death of Princess Diana presented include the fact that British people are more outspoken about their views than they were in the past. It was unthinkable for people to go out into the streets to demonstrate as they did. The effect of multiculturalism was also felt in the whole scandal. This is because the family of Dodi Al-Fayed was foreign and people suspected the death to be a murder rather than an accident. Also, the role of the press and the paparazzi indicate that the power of the media is strong in Britain and it is more global now than ever. This shows that the British people have changed significantly and they are more of a liberal people who express themselves better now than ever. Topic 4: My Learning Styles. Colfield et al (2008) noted that Kolb identified four main types of learning styles which include: 1. Concrete experience. 2. Reflective observation 3. Abstract conceptualisation & 4. Active experimentation. I think I am learn through the first two pointers. First of all, I learn best through concrete experience. These concrete experiences provide a strong impression on my mind in such a way that it remains with me for a very long period of time. Through the things I learn from experience, I am able to sit down later, reflect on them and build a strong conceptualization of the ideas and concepts. Based on Honey and Mumford's advanced learning style, I can say that I am a theorist and a bit of a reflector. This is because I am able to reflect on things and come up with a critical view that defines and captures it in an abstract manner. My experiences in the module indicates that I am more of a person who learns through my own preferences and styles of learning and examining ideas and concepts. This is because I get to examine things in a way that invokes other things I had reflected on in the past. This include activities I read about and diagnosed many years ago. The module enabled me to revive them and provide the right labelling to it in order to understand and conceptualize them. This has been my way of learning all the years in the past. And now, in my older days, I am able to examine things and critique them in order to build a theory around it. I think I would go through this in the future to build a strong view of other people's culture and this would be increased as time goes on. Conclusion: The studies of the module has enabled me to bring many bits and pieces of things I knew about culture, organizations and business systems together. Most of the knowledge I applied in this module can best be described as knowledge brought forward. This was knowledge I had in a very unstructured way and manner. The course has been able to bring those thoughts and ideas into life and this has provided a practical view of how to deal with problems in the real life. The study has also allowed me to build skills in cultural knowledge and cultural advancement. This has developed my transferable skills and would reflect in different disciplines and areas of studies that I would involve myself in. In future, I am going to have a strong knowledge and understanding of how people behave and the framework within which they think. This would enable me to know and predict their moves and ways of deciding and carrying out their activities. This would also enable me to have a strong ability to interact with other people and undertake fruitful social activities that would bring results to me and people I would meet in the work environment. References Belbin Associates (2012). Belbin Team Roles. [Online] Available from: [Accessed 25 Febuary 2013] Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E., & Ecclestone, K. (2008). Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: A systematic and critical review. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre. Geerte Hofstede Website (2013) Country Comparison [Online] Retrieved: http://geert-hofstede.com/china.html Accessed: April 1, 2013. Gellerstam, M. and Wiesner, J. (2011) The Impact of Guanxi in Chinese Business: A Study of Swedish SMEs in Beijing Stockholm: University of Gothenberg Press. Peng, W. (2010) Global Business Mason, OH: Cengage. Wilson, C., (2010). BRUCE TUCKMAN’S FORMING, STORMING, NORMING & PERFORMING TEAM DEVELOPMENT MODEL. [Online] Available from: [Accessed 25 Febuary 2013]. Wong, Y. K. and Yeung,T. K. P. (2009) Guanxi: Relationship marketing in a Chinese Context London: Routledge Read More