International differences in work-related values - Essay Example

International differences in work-related values Introduction Academic learning and various methodologies of the same are hugely important factors that empower people. In the current environment, diversity has evolved as vital part of transforming society across the globe. Imperatives of effective communication require cross cultural understanding for more fruitful interaction amongst people. Thus, education is seen as the most powerful platform that helps people to develop cross cultural understanding and adapt to environmental changes for personal and professional growth. The current class module deals in cultural differences and people management. Cultural differences are important issues that describe different values and beliefs of people coming from different socio-cultural background. This necessitates development of distinct capabilities of people management. People management primarily helps develop understanding the values and beliefs of different culture. It facilitates in building constructive relationship amongst people coming from diverse background based on mutual respect. The paper is a reflective journal/ diary based on cultural dynamics. With five different diary entries, it would reflect the readings on five teaching sessions on the module: week 2 (Culture shock); week 7 (Chinese culture);week 8 (multicultural team);week 9 (cultural difference);and week 10 (Culture and leadership). Reflection on week 2 readings Cultural dynamics play hugely critical role in human interaction. Hofstede’s dimensions of culture emphasise collective programming of mind. This is interesting because it simultaneously stresses the differences and at the same time calls for integrated efforts to achieve common goals. It highlights the cultural competencies that can be judiciously exploited for shared goals. My knowledge of Chinese and Chinese culture was utilized in plays that were staged for collecting donation for cultural centre for foreign students in the university campus. It had shown their adaptability to change and their strong will to conquer the barrier of knowledge by inviting foreigners and sharing knowledge for mutual gain. Indeed, it shows that differences need to be interpreted within the broader context of goals and the way they can become tools for growth and development across various stages of life. Culture shock is inevitable when one is in a foreign land. Culture shock broadly refers to the considerable sense of discomfort that a person encounters when he/she is in a state that is different from his/her native place or place of origin (Guanipa, 1998). It has increasingly become important issue in the current environment of fast globalization and needs to be addressed for making one’s stay in foreign country more fruitful and productive. As a Chinese student, I have been faced with some major cultural differences that have necessitated important changes. The culture shock was predominant in its language barrier and differences in socio-cultural values which influence behaviour and attitude towards various issues. They can be overcome through concerted efforts like learning the language and developing cross cultural understanding. Making new friends through social networking and interacting with people from one’s culture helps to reduce homesickness whereas, taking cues from them helps in getting adjusted faster within the new environment. When I had applied for higher studies in UK, I was prepared for new experience and different socio-cultural environment. I had already equipped myself with good knowledge of English and was quite fluent in it. But I was very much surprised by the huge diversity of race, colour and nationality and the vernacular English which was quite popular amongst the immigrant population. While language barrier was not a major issue, effective communication remained a key factor because of the diversity of culture and values. Attending workshops, taking parts in cross cultural debates and joining communication seminars became important linkages that strengthened my communication skills. It also helped me widen my area of social activities and make new friends from across the cultures. These were important stages of learning that expanded my knowledge of human behaviour and made little interludes of life more interesting and memorable. My most memorable moment till date has been the college debate on friendship and learning. In order to emphasize the great role of friends in one’s life, I took up the debate in Spanish because of my friend was from Mexico. The speech was written in Spanish by the friend which I had learnt by heart. The translated script was already distributed amongst the audiences, which unfortunately I had not read. So the moment I started, the people started laughing and it turned into riotous laughter. My friend had told me that he had put amusing anecdotes to make it interesting. So I found nothing amiss. It was only later I found out that the so called speech was actually giving humorous tilt to the various professors’ eccentricities. The moment I read the script, I was also in splits. I believe that I had conveyed my message that friendship is all about trust. I was much appreciated by my teachers and peer population for the confidence that I had showed for my friend and his friendship. Reflection on week 7 readings The migration of people to different geographical places has always been in search of better prospects. The distant places, especially Western countries have always been attractive destination for personal and professional growth. For a student, they offer huge opportunities for specialized higher academic qualification and fulfil their ambitions and long term goals of life. For professionals, it has huge potential for career advancements and gaining knowledge on plethora of new issues and areas that significantly expand the horizon of opportunities and development. Indeed, today, while China has emerged as major world economy with fastest growth, developed countries of the West remain attractive for the huge potential in the area of education and higher academic qualifications. I am very proud of being Chinese. I believe that the fundamental reason that China has become a reckoning power in the world politics is that it has judiciously exploited its strength and cultural competencies of its people to make significant difference to the world at large. Indeed, despite being the most populated country with huge ethnic diversity, the country has overcome the challenges of population dynamics, Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the recent recessive trend in the world economy mainly due to its strong history of resilience and power to turn obstacles into new opportunities. Its heterogeneous culture with 55 different recognized ethnic minorities is integrated within the broad framework of development issues. It also exhibits universal values and has created facilitating environment for foreign direct investment. Indeed, today, it has become a major hub for international corporate firms who have established their regional offices and manufacturing units in the country. Zheng and Lamond (2009) assert that its unique people management approach encourages proactive participation of people and communities. The approach is commendable because it understands and exploits human knowledge to the wider development of communities and society at large. It is for this reason that major cities of China showcase modern China with skyscrapers juxtaposed against traditional monuments of Chinese heritage. This sends very strong message of powerful cultural dynamics that shape Chinese growth. Its cultural roots are based on the philosophies of Confucian, Tao and Buddhism which promote hierarchical relationships based on defined powers and moral and religious considerations within the social structure. It also corroborates with the Marxism philosophy that proposes development of classless society and grants equality (Tucker, 1978). The urban and rural China, though diverse in their changing socio-economic status and opportunities, nevertheless promotes a culture of diversity of views and exploits the same for growth. In the changing environment of advancing technology and globalization, contemporary Chinese values have considerably altered. They encompass international values and evolving perspectives on socially relevant issues like marriage and divorce, family, new business compulsions and market imperatives, technology etc. The modern China is now more class conscious and success is often linked to the physical possessions like owning homes, cars and latest technology gizmo. But I believe that despite the advances in science and technology, the basic nature of Chinese still gives credence to the family and traditional values. Guanxi or fruitful relationships are still considered major aspects of building trust among people and social hierarchal status is considered as important power players in the negotiations (Sheer, 2000; Chen & Starosta, 1998). The business negotiations therefore become complex and require understanding of Chinese culture to succeed in doing business in the country. Reflection on week 8 readings In the current times, multicultural environment and diversity within workplace and across the place has become a norm. Business has become more competitive and requires dynamic strategies to meet the challenges of time. The organizations therefore promote teamwork to compete projects high efficiency and timeliness. In fact, I strongly believe that effective team work is hugely important constituent of social structure and competitive advantage because it brings together innovative ideas and uses collective approach to exploit them for optimal results (Ghauri, Pervez and Cateora, 2010). The diversity within the team work intrinsically links the performance with the cultural competencies of individuals. It highlights participatory approach and encourages cross cultural understanding to develop mutual respect and build relationship build on trust. This is very important aspect of teamwork that fosters close bond amongst members who become more inclined towards reaching common goals. Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture create facilitating framework for effective teamwork (1984). The various facets of culture vis-à-vis power distance, collectivisms and individualism, masculinity/ feminism, uncertainty avoidance, and long and short term orientation. I think that these are crucial elements that need to be addressed for best team outcome. Strong belief in collective goals, well defined roles of team members, gender equality and understanding of cross cultural values and changes enhance communication and help in the efficient delivery of goals and objectives of the team. Belbin (2007) has described roles for team members that help the teams to remain focused on the objectives and exploit talents of each member to achieve shared goals. In the play that we had conducted for collecting donations, team work was hugely pertinent issue because each actor had come from different cultural background. The understanding of cross cultural values helped us to coordinate and perform with higher efficiency. In the contemporary times, one needs to become more flexible and adopt approach that can incorporate the environmental changes easily (Johns & Saks, 2010). More importantly, success of team relies on the collective responsibility of the team members and therefore encourages collaborative efforts amongst members to resolve conflicts and reach consensus through brainstorming and evaluating pros and con of the situation without individual biases. For greater performance outcome, team should be well structured with defined roles for members. Multicultural teams are highlighted by varying cultures which are linked through common goals and hierarchy of roles and structure. The trust building within team promotes coordination of activities where ideas, skills and knowledge are shared for higher output. Another important element of team work is group dynamics that promotes a culture of constant learning. The conflict management becomes vital issue that impacts the performance and therefore supports transparency and decision making based on informed choices. In a multicultural team, dissemination of important information is important factor that inculcates confidence. Moreover, it endorses cross cultural understanding, mutual respect, shared vision and common goals so that collective actions and collective decision making becomes easier. The class discussion on rescue operation is interesting because it calls for moral and ethical considerations for rescuing select number of team members. Team leader’s role becomes important in deciding the names of the persons to be rescued. I believe that each member is important and therefore each should be given equal opportunity to be saved. Hence, random drawing of names should be used to decide the persons who should be given the first opportunity to go with helicopter rescue team. Reflection on week 9 readings If we evaluate Hofstede’s cultural dimensions with the cultural dynamics of UK as a whole, we find that it upholds many of its dimensions like strong individualism, low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance and high masculinity. Interestingly individualism is fine but high masculinity is deceptive because it projects itself as one that promotes equality of gender. More interesting is the fact that a nation that’s monarchy is headed by Queen for decades or rather centuries as Queen Victoria could be considered as most popular of them all, still boasts very high masculinity in Hofstede’s dimensions! That apart, I believe that in the current times, the national cultures have increasingly adopted changes. Through the ages, British culture had highlighted a unique class hierarchy with large public space but very private space that is hard to penetrate. They have been less open to public display of emotions. I believe that it is a myth. Cultural is inherently linked to human interaction and human behaviour. While the British may not disclose their emotions, they are not immune to reflect the same in extreme situations. Princess Diana was hugely popular figure on the British politics and common people identified with her, especially her work which was totally committed to the wider welfare of the people. Her death was therefore felt more personally by people which cut across culture, race and nationality. Thus, it would not be correct or justified to link people’s reaction to the culture paradigms. The British culture, per se, is different not in its value but in its display of values which are at odds with the national culture which promotes equality and takes pride in its monarchy. The industrial revolution was important landmark in the history of UK that had started the wave of development and growth at unprecedented speed. It had created distinct class differences with working class which were educated, labour which relied on their skills and owners who reaped maximum profit. But through the times, migration of people and development helped evolved a national culture which was reflected in their social class, distinct hierarchy. In the current times, it exhibits universal values and promotes diversity to ensure that people, irrespective of class, race, colour and nationality are treated equally and provided equal opportunities for growth. Most importantly, it increasingly believes in issues which impact people at large. Thus, social and environment paradigms have become huge concerns which are taken up zealously by different action groups across the nation. In business and commercial activities, the cultural pluralism and cultural dynamics play vital role. Cultural pluralism broadly refers to the social structure that is distinct in its diversity and includes culture, race and color within its umbrella. The cultural differentiation in the fast changing environment of socio- political system has become a certainty. Consequently, the empowerment of individuals cutting across color, race and culture is not only desirable but hugely critical issue that needs to be incorporated within the socio-cultural and legal parameters of the system. Equal rights, freedom of speech and actions etc. have emerged as vital ingredients of societal norms. The states must encourage these values for peaceful co-existence. Eminent philosophers, Rawls (1993) says that state should not interfere in personal choices of individual with regard to their religion, culture etc. The rational approach of individual would promote actions that are not harmful. Moreover, cultural pluralism highlights the different ideologies of various cultures that may view their actions differently thus, necessitating wider perspectives with flexible approach. The organizations exploit cultural pluralism and competencies for gaining leverage in the market. Thus, cultural aspects, both national and acquired, lend credibility to the response in human interaction which must be tempered with strong sense of responsibility and accountability of actions. Reflection on week 10 readings The role of culture and cultural paradigms within work environment are important issues that have significant impact on the performance of the organization. The changing socio-cultural environment necessitates changes within the broader strategies of business so that it can exploit the potential of people coming from different culture, race and colour. Scholars claim that flexible approach and dynamic strategy become important factors that can incorporate the changing paradigms of the times (Montgomery, 2008; McCarthy et al., 1997). Thus, organizational leadership emerges as major asset that helps exploit the competencies of the workforce for improved performance outcome. I also think that organizational leadership becomes important as traditional role of managers is confined to the constraints of administrative and managerial guidelines. Leaders create dynamic visions and goals which are achieved through managers and administrators. They anticipate changes and understand the importance of people’s participation achieving collective goals. Thus, leaders inculcate stability, confidence and mutual respect amongst the workforce and motivate them for higher performance. More importantly, they create facilitating environment for integration of diverse ideologies and resolving personal and workplace conflicts through discussions and by gaining understanding of cross cultural values and pros and con of the issues. McShane (2003) says that leader has vision, perseverance, and the capacity to inspire others to adapt to changes and possibly exploit them for new opportunities. The various traits of leaders are critical elements that lend credibility to the leadership. Traits such as visionary, effective communication skills, honesty and integrity, ethics, strong sense of responsibility and accountability, positive attitude and commitment are few of the characteristics that make leaders hugely popular and admired. Bill Gates, Jack Welch, MacLaurin of Tesco are exemplary examples of dynamic leaders whose leadership initiatives have overcome the challenges of fast changing technologies and dynamics of economy. Furthermore, leaders are responsible for advocating and nurturing a high standard of ethics and encourage constructive relationship amongst the workers. In fact, I have seen these qualities in my professors who inspire confidence in us to excel and assume leadership traits to become effective leaders. Conclusion The reflections on the readings have really been of great help. They have given critical insight into the complexity of culture and its importance in the changing environment of fast globalization. They have also revealed that dynamics of multicultural society and need to understand cultural values in order to work together for common goals. Indeed, changing dynamics of socio cultural and political variables have emerged as the most influential factors that have considerable impact on the social fabric of society and performance at workplaces. Thus, myriad aspects of culture and cultural competencies need to be understood and exploited for personal, professional and organizational growth. (words: 3021) Reference Belbin, Meredith. (2007). Discovering Team Role. Available from: [Accessed 29 October, 2009]. Chen, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (1998) ‘Chinese conflict management and resolution: Overview and implications’, Intercultural Communication Studies, vol.7, pp.1-16. Ghauri, Pervez N. and Cateora, Philip R. (2010). International Marketing, 3rd edition, London: McGraw-Hill. Guanipa, Dr. Carmen. (1988) Culture Shock, Department of Counseling and School Psychology, San Diego: San Diego State University, Available from: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/cguanipa/cultshok.htm [ December 2, 2012]. Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Johns, Gary & Saks, Alam M. 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