Culture's impact on a leader - Essay Example

CULTURE’S IMPACT ON A LEADER + Culture comparison Introduction Every leader whether appointed or elected strives to achieve the best results possible. Often, leaders engage in various activities such as workshops and even improving on their academic status all in a bid to increase their effectiveness. However, culture plays an integral role in almost every leader’s effectiveness or lack of it thereof. A leader’s upbringing coupled with the environment around tends to shape their styles and decisions hence the eventual outcome. Using Geert Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions, this paper analyses the impact of culture on a leaders effectiveness specifically in both Venezuela and Germany. Analysis Teamwork is likely to occur more in Germany than in Venezuela, and this could have tremendous results on the leader. According to Baker, Day and Salas (2006), teamwork in any organization acts as the backbone for sustained success. In Germany, the power distance is pretty low at only 35 in Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension. This means that people in Germany do not necessarily perceive leaders or other people to be unequal to them. As a result, employees and subordinates can freely interact with their leaders thus boosting working relations. Conversely, the power distance in Venezuela stands at 81 implying that the society here holds the attitude that individuals are not equal. Thus, unless a Venezuelan leader realizes this cultural barrier and works on it, their effectiveness will be hampered. Notwithstanding this observation, Venezuela could also benefit from being a collectivistic society compared to Germany’s individualistic. In the interview conducted with the colleague from Venezuela, people in this country tend to measure success based on the quality of life as opposed to personal achievements. The results from this interview were confirmed by Hofstede’s results whereby the level of individualism in Venezuela is a low 12, meaning it is more of a collectivistic society. As a result, a leader in Venezuela understands that their success will be determined mainly by the impact they cause on others. In contrast, Germany is individualistic and tends to elevate competition. Being a German, the result is factual and has been backed by Hofstede’s 67 scores. Mostly, a leader in Venezuela could be limited if they do not understand that the power distance is high, meaning employees might not freely relate with them. Consequently, the concerns and opinions raised by the workers might not be taken seriously. On the other hand, the Germans can help their leader because of the interaction boosted by the culture of equality. Nonetheless, the Germans’ tendency to be individualistic might be detrimental to teamwork when competition becomes a norm. A high individualistic society tends to care primarily for close relatives alone specifically parents and spouses compared to a collectivistic one (Aydin, 2014; Hofstede, n.d.). Therefore, the level of success for leaders in both Venezuela and Germany will significantly depend on their understanding of how culture influences effectiveness. Venezuelans have higher levels of indulgence than Germans, and this could be a detriment to a leader’s success. In the interview, the colleague conceded that the Venezuelans tend to be welcoming of foreigners and happy to be with them. While this does not necessarily translate to high levels of indulgence, it is not the case with the Germans. Indulgence has to do with “the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses” (Hofstede, par 11). Being a social and a collectivistic society, it means Venezuelans could easily indulge with others thus affecting a leader’s capacity. For that reason, it is imperative for a Venezuelan leader to be in control when it comes to indulgence lest this cultural value ends up affecting their performance. In Venezuela, a leader could easily get away with abuse of power or even embezzling unlike in Germany. A couple of things informs the assertion. First, is the disparity in power distance between the two countries. As said, Venezuelans believe people are not equal, and the interviewee confirmed this observation. On the other hand, Germany is a country where a leader has to take responsibility for their decisions irrespective of their positions or powers. The Venezuelan colleague expressed helplessness at the high levels of corruption in the country. In contrast, a German involved in corruption would face severe implications including jail time. In light of this fact, it means a leader based in Venezuela could be abusive of power because of the power distance, but the same cannot be said of a German, and this could explain different results in leadership. In Venezuela, a leader could easily get away with abuse of power or even embezzling unlike in Germany. The reason for this assertion is because of the leadership styles adopted by Venezuela in comparison to Germany. While the latter is a democratic society, Venezuela’s leaders used authoritarian style of leadership. Authoritarian leadership style is characterised by dictatorial tendencies unlike democratic styles where equality is upheld. This fact is confirmed in Venezuela where President Hugo Chavez who ruled from 1999 to 2013 seized power in key areas of administration. For instance, when the president survived a coup in 2002, the aftermath was seizure of control of the Supreme Court and harassment of journalists and human rights groups (Sunkara, 2013). Quite contrary, a German leader would never engage in any of the activities in Venezuela. Because the leadership style employed is democracy, a German leader, unlike a Venezuelan, would withstand criticism. Subsequently, a German leader could have a higher possibility of success because they are not immune to criticism. A Venezuelan, on the other hand, who resents criticism, would hardly understand the will of the people. Nonetheless, there has to be a balance in the two styles. Often, democratic societies derail own progress because of needless complaints while an authoritarian could still achieve results so long as plans are people-oriented (Martindale, 2011). Both Germans and Venezuelan leaders could achieve great success by embracing the cultural value of masculinity. Contrary to the earlier-held perception about Venezuelans being feminine, the interview revealed that these are indeed masculine just like the Germans. Typically, a society with high levels of masculinity expects its leaders to be both assertive and decisive. Performance in such societies is highly valued, and only leaders who deliver this expectation are respected (Hofmeister, 2014). In the Hofstede chart, Germany and Venezuela score relatively the same in this area hence the assertion that both could see their leaders succeed. This statement is underscored by some observations involving the two countries. For instance, the current Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel has been hailed for remaining productive and unique in the midst of crises. While countries such as Greece are struggling economically, Germany is blossoming courtesy of excellent leadership of Merkel (Jérôme, and Lewis-Beck, 2013). Here, the Germans judging from their culture will keep supporting the leader as long as performance remains high. In the case of poor performance, the Germans will still raise their concerns thus challenging the leader to improve. Evidently, a German leader- where performance is imperative and power distance low- will be compelled to remain productive at all times. Apparently, this occurrence is tightly intertwined with the culture, meaning cultures do indeed influence a leader’s effectiveness. In the case of Venezuela, the values remain highly valued despite the high corruption cases surrounding the country. According to Galvão (2011), though the country’s leadership seems nonchalant about fighting corruption, the people of Venezuela still demand their leaders be accountable. Besides, the interviewee confirmed this to be true by stating that the citizens remain patriotic and committed. While corruption has threatened the country, the people remain vocal on the issue, meaning performance cannot be compromised. Hence, a Venezuelan leader tasked with any assignment clearly understands that the society is masculine thus both competitive and demanding results. For that reason, the cultural value that is the same with Germany will see a leader from either country succeed. Effective leaders whether in business or political positions plan especially in the world where uncertainties are rampant. Unforeseen circumstances tend to affect adversely a leader who fails to put in place mitigating measures (Qu and Yang, 2015). Again, the issue of culture comes in on this issue as well. Uncertainty avoidance deals with how a society tolerates and plans for ambiguity and uncertainty (Hofstede, n.d.). Both the Germans and Venezuelans have almost the same score on this topic, meaning their approach to uncertainty avoidance is positive. Hence, given a leadership position, a leader from either side would have a high likelihood of succeeding. Culture is formed by regular practices that people to tend to embrace. Often, whenever faced with problems, some cultures consult their traditional way of doing things. In the Hofstede cultural dimension, this approach is called long-term orientation. On this one, high disparity exists between Germany and Venezuela. While the Germans tend to score high on this one, 83 to be precise, their Latin American counterparts’ score is a low 16 (Hofstede, n.d.). The implication of a normative society, as is the case with Venezuela, is that societal changes tend to be viewed with some suspicions. In contrast, a high score in this area as is Germany’s case takes a pragmatic approach. Efforts and thrift are embraced in preparation for the future, and the previous important traditions are considered (Hofstede, n.d.). For instance, a society might view education as the best way to prepare for the future. Kessler has shared the observations mentioned above and Wong-Mingji (2009) who noted that a society that has used some traditions to succeeding in a particular area would apply them again if need be. In fact, such a society exhibits tremendous tenacity in using these traditions since there is a perceived effectiveness of those strategies. It is for that reason that in societies where education proved integral in achieving success that people will invest more in the same. This explanation best defines Germany where instead of viewing change suspiciously, the people, the government and even corporate employ the stated tactics. A case in point entails the approach by Germans whereby some professions such as carpentry are still practiced. Anyone willing to pursue this profession has to undergo a three-year apprenticeship before being allowed to engage in it. Therefore, it could be said that whenever dealing with current challenges, Germany consults its previous links. Self-worth is a substantial additional value that is significantly influenced by culture and one that tends to impact the overall results of every leader (Batciun, 2015). In comparison to Venezuela, one notices that the Germans are more likely to perform better than Venezuelans. Though it is not being implied here that Venezuelans have a poor self-image, other cultural values are likely to hinder this quality from being evident. For instance, Germans are individualistic, highly competitive and esteem outstanding performances. Conversely, the Venezuelans, though somewhat competitive, are collectivistic, meaning individual brilliance is not necessarily envied. Rather, the quality of life makes one outstanding. While the interview and analysis using Hofstede show the Venezuelans are masculine, the power distance score could impact their self-worth. In a society where the people are in authority are perceived to be greater than the rest, there is a high likelihood of self-worth being negatively affected. Sadly, this is the exact situation with Venezuela, and it is significant in determining self-worth. Another important factor that tends to impact a person’s self-worth is the success around. Batciun (2015) reported that humans’ confidence and ultimately their self-image tend to be influenced by the levels of success occurring in their surroundings. Germany prides itself for a number of achievements that put it in the global limelight, unlike Venezuela. For instance, the cars made in Germany, the football team and Merkel’s success. This point is best understandable when the issue of the Second World War is mentioned. During the war, the Germans lost, and their confidence plummeted; devastation settled in, and patriotism dwindled down. However, with the recent success as the ones mentioned above, most Germans, as already indicated in the interview, have regained high confidence levels. It is no longer uncommon to see many Germans using their surnames and listing their academic qualifications on business cards. Notwithstanding all the facts provided herein, this issue is not without methodological concerns. While everything listed above remains factual, other occurrences in the two countries threaten the veracity of the claims. For instance, according to the interview and the Hofstede guide, Germans are individualistic yet some present circumstances challenge this notion. Presently, Germany is the only European country that has generously welcomed the Syrian refugees (Shubert, 2015). Surprisingly, this is in direct contradiction of an individualistic society that focuses primarily on its family members. Conclusion In summation, the level of success any leader attains is significantly interwoven with their culture, whether they know it or not. Cultures where competitiveness is rife, leaders tend to work tenaciously to achieve such expectations. However, other factors such as the power distance play a role in the attainment of these expectations. Germany and Venezuela perform differently in some areas while retaining similarity in others. For instance, a German leader could realize effectiveness when teamwork is embraced since power distance is low unlike in Venezuela. Germany is likely to apply traditional tactics when faced with difficulties. In contrast, the power distance in Venezuela could affect teamwork, and the tendency for looking at change suspiciously does not help the situation. Nonetheless, a Venezuelan leader could work well with others since personal achievement is hardly idolized. Bibliography Aydin, N. (2014). Pareto efficiency in individualistic vs. altruistic society. Humanomics, 30(4), pp.304-304. Baker, D., Day, R. and Salas, E. (2006). Teamwork as an Essential Component of High- reliability Organizations. Health Serv Res, 41(4p2), pp.1576-1578. Batciun, N. (2015). Competitive Factors of Success Of Business: Image and Financial Appeal. Theoretical & Applied Science, 24(04), pp.131-134. Galvão, T. (2011). 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