Culture

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Culture
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What Well be Looking At

• Introduction to culture
• Language and customs
• Religion
• Models of cultural differences
• Practical implications

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1. Introduction to Culture
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What is Culture?

• A system of values and norms that are shared
  among a group of people and that when taken
  together constitute a design for living.
• Collective mental programming
• Values and norms?
• Values Abstract ideas about what a group
  believes to be good, right and desirable OR
  shared assumptions about how things ought to be.
• Norms social rules and guidelines that prescribe
  appropriate behavior in particular situations.

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Basic Principles of Culture

• What is logical and important in one culture may
  seem irrational and unimportant in another
• In describing cultures, people tend to stress the
  differences and overlook the similarities
• Stereotyping may be inevitable for people who
  lack frequent contact with another culture
• Cultures are not homogenous differences exist
  due to gender, age, socioeconomic status,
  education
• Understanding another culture is a journey, not a
  goal

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Barriers to Cross-Cultural Understanding

• Corporate imperialism
• Ethnocentrism
• Stereotypes (positive and negative)

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But.

• The ethical dilemma
• Are there common factors / values?
• Basic idea of social organization, goal
  orientation
• Personality structure (Big 5)
• What about cultural convergence?
• Cultural evolution
• Cultural diffusion
• Resistance to culture diffusion (Mecca Cola,
  Islamic Barbie)
• Immigration and acculturation

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Cultural Convergences

• Indonesian and US managers
• Significantly different on power distance and
  individualism in 1991
• By 1996, differences no longer statistically
  significant
• Much influence from West in management education

• US, PRC and Hong Kong managers
• Several studies (1993, 1997,1999) indicate some
  cultural convergence
• HK managers (and now, younger Chinese managers)
  have become more individualistic, but have not
  given up Confucian values

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On the Other Hand

• According to Hofstede
• Practices may change
• But values dont
• Why?
• We learn values as children
• And, deep value change in adulthood is not easy
• Dont rule out the possibility of long-term,
  gradual change

Japanese weddings
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The Effects of Cultural Blunders

• The Nova didnt sell well in Mexico
• Gerber placed a picture of a baby on jars of baby
  food to be sold in an African country, not
  understanding that, in that country, the picture
  told the buyer what was in the jar.
• KFCs finger-lickin good slogan translated
  into Chinese as Eat your fingers off
• Liquor in Saudi Arabia

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Some Sources of Differences

• History
• Russian paranoia
• South America vs. Brazil
• Influences from other countries
• Multiple influences on U.S. culture (Africa,
  Asia, Europe, Native American)
• Africa and colonialism
• Geography
• The case for geography as a determinant of
  long-term economic development
• Arabs and trading
• Temperature and political violence (curvilinear
  relationship)

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Elements of Culture
Values and Attitudes
Language
Culture
Religion
Social Structure
Communication and Customs
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2. Language, Communications and Customs
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Language Issues
Bilingual Street Signs

• U.S. one of few countries where we dont learn a
  second (or a third) language
• Languages learned in school often do not
  translate to business usage
• Do you try?
• Not in France, not unless you can pronounce it
  right !
• Other countries, yes its a gesture of goodwill
• But, even if the language is the same, will we
  understand? (Britspeak)
• And.shouting doesnt make you any more
  comprehensible!!!

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Languages of the World
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Languages Students Study in the US (2002)
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But, in Defense of English...

• English is perceived as being the universal
  business language
• Estimates vary widely, but as many as 2 billion
  people worldwide speak at least some English
• For example, must be fluent in English to work
  for Renault (French automaker)
• A number of former British colonies continue to
  use English as an official language

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English Language Fluency in Europe

• However, theres English and English
• Baseball terms
• The French problem

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Mexico
China
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Moving Beyond Language
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Forms of Nonverbal Communication

• Hand gestures
• Facial expressions
• Posture and stance
• Personal distance and touching

• Architecture and interior design
• Artifacts
• Dress
• Use of time
• Silence

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Low and High Context
Latin America in the middle

• Low context
• Words specifically and clearly convey message
• Where? Anglo countries
• High context
• The setting and situation matter just as much as
  the actual words
• Japan, Arab countries
• For example
• Low context doesnt matter who the sales rep
  is, just the product / company
• High context to sell, build a personal
  relationship

Rely on textbook here
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Customs

• Dress
• Time
• Addressing other people
• Food and drink
• Humor
• Gifts and bribes
• Colors and numbers
• Business practices

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Dress

• Casual Days are a U.S. custom
• Very conservative dress for women in Islamic
  countries
• Removing ones shoes
• Across Asia
• Russian homes

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Time

• Time fluid in Latin America, Spain, Italy
• Manaña
• Lateness (half hour, hour) accepted and expected
• Time off work
• Germany, France, Scandinavia 6 weeks vacation,
  August in the country
• Africa everyone attends funerals (then, add in
  the impact of AIDS)
• India in upper levels, many take time off work
  for family
• Working hours and pace
• Europe (esp. Germany) isnt open 24/7 WalMart
• Latin America, Middle East, Japan take time to
  establish relationship before getting down to
  business

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Addressing Other People

• Formality
• Herr und Frau, not first names in Germany
• Titles (Dr., Professor, Assistant Vice
  President, etc.) very important everywhere but
  U.S.
• Be careful, if you know language, with formal and
  informal pronouns
• Business cards essential in Mexico, Europe, Japan
• Personal space much smaller in Latin America,
  Spain, Italy

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Food and Drink (First Course)

• General perception is that Americans are timid,
  unadventurous eaters
• Drinking
• Beer with lunch in the UK (though not so much any
  more)
• Russia and vodka
• Japan and tea
• Egypt and coffee

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Food and Drink (Second Course)

• Late dining
• Spain, Italy, Latin America
• Business dinners, but dont discuss business
  until after dinner
• In the Arab world
• The guest eats first
• Avoid using the left hand
• Muslim dietary restrictions (pork, alcohol)
• India no beef

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Humor

• First rule Humor rarely translates
• Second Rule Humor is often seen as inappropriate
  in business context

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Gifts and Bribes

• Small gifts (wine, flowers) often appreciated
• Especially in cultures where personal
  relationships important
• But avoid implication or impression of bribery

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Colors and Numbers

• Not every language distinguishes colors in the
  same way as English for example, most African
  languages do not differentiate blue and green
• Colors
• Red Celebration and good luck in China
• Green Sacred in Islam
• Green Danger in Malaysia
• White In many Asian cultures, a color of
  mourning
• Numbers
• In Russia, a gift of flowers is acceptable if it
  is an odd number an even number of flowers is
  for a grave
• Four unlucky in Japan (sounds like word for death)

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Business Practices

• Small, yet important differences
• British spelling and vocabulary
• Paper size (A4 paper is 210mm 297mm, or 8.3
  inches x 11.7 inches)
• Keyboards (those pesky àöÐ characters)
• Date / time formats
• Number formats
• Invoices, letters, etc.

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3. Religion
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Religion Does it Matter?

• Political stability
• Middle East
• Northern Ireland
• Fundamentalist Islam
• Practical issues
• Gender
• Work accommodations
• Moral values in the work setting
• Work values and religion

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World Religions
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However.Percentage of Regular Attendees
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The World of Islam
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Practical Issues with Islam

• As a multinational businessperson
• Women on overseas assignments?
• Haji or Hajjah as a title for one who has
  made the pilgrimage to Mecca
• For your employees
• Ramadan fasting
• 5 daily prayers (15 minutes or so), even at work
• Modest dress for women (including head scarf)
• Friday, not Sunday (noon prayers on Fridays)

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Moral Values in the Work Setting Islam

• Prohibition on charging interest
• Lending fees
• Leasing
• Share of a banks profits rather than interest
• Investment (Syariah principles)
• operations based on riba (interest) such as
  banking or finance companies
• Gambling
• Manufacture and/or sale of haram (forbidden)
  products such as liquor, non-halal meats and
  pork and
• Elements of gharar (uncertainty) such as
  conventional insurance

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Work Values and Religion

• How does religion affect attitudes towards work
  and its place in life?
• We know about...
• Protestant
• Catholic
• Islamic
• Confucian
• We dont know much about..
• Jewish
• Zoroastrian
• Buddhist
• Hindu

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What is a Work Ethic?

• Work centrality
• Work goals
• Societal norms about working
• Is work interesting or valuable in and of itself?
• Do we live to work or work to live?

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Sources of Work Ethics

• Overall culture
• Hofstedes dimensions
• Schwartzs dimensions Achievement, Openness to
  Change values
• Relationship of man to nature (do we control our
  own destinies?), preferred mode of activity
• Economic factors (developed vs. underdeveloped
  nations)
• Generational factors (Gen X)
• Religious values

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Protestant Work Ethic

• Identified by Max Weber
• What is the PWE?
• Respect and admiration for hard work and
  achievement
• Self-denial, frugality, saving for the future
• Avoid leisure or idleness
• Working is inherently virtuous and meaningful
• Issues With the PWE
• Linkage with rise of capitalism ????
• Secularization of PWE
• Does it still exist?
• Is it exclusive to Protestants?

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A Culture as a Whole

• Within a culture, will individual religious
  values or the dominant religious groups values
  most affect work values ?
• This depends on...
• Relative numerical dominance of one religion over
  another
• Extent to which members of different religions
  interact

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4. Models of Cultural Differences
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Characterizing Cultures Hofstede and Beyond

• Hofstedes original work
• Criticisms and responses

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Hofstedes Basic Work

• Based on survey of IBM employees worldwide
• The dimensions
• Collectivism - Individualism
• Power Distance
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Masculinity / Femininity (quality of life)

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Collectivism - Individualism

• Identification with group vs. identification as
  an individual
• Collective cultures
• Think in terms of in-groups and out-groups
• Life decisions made by group
• Look after ones in-group, no matter what
• Individualistic cultures
• Concern for self and immediate family
• Individual privacy
• Association with level of economic development

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Collectivism - Individualism Where
Collective...Individualistic

• Venezuela
• Pakistan
• Taiwan
• Portugal
• Greece
• Brazil
• India
• Japan
• Arab countries

• Spain
• Israel
• Austria
• Germany
• Norway
• France
• Canada
• Great Britain
• U.S.

Hikikomori phenomenon
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Power Distance

• The extent to which a culture accepts that power
  is distributed unevenly
• High power distance
• People have a place in society, high or low
• Superiors are to be respected
• Less trust and cooperation more likelihood of
  corruption
• Low power distance
• Equal rights for everyone
• Hierarchies are established for convenience
• Power can be judged to be legitimate or not

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Power Distance Where
High......Low

• Philippines
• Mexico
• Italy
• Brazil
• Hong Kong
• France
• Turkey
• Pakistan
• Japan

• Argentina
• U.S
• Canada
• Australia
• Germany
• Sweden
• Ireland
• Denmark
• Israel

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Terms to remember Social stratification and
social mobility
Caste and Class
No Movement between Castes
Movement between Classes
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Class and Status

• Where are there class differences?
• India
• France
• Where are the differences less?
• UK (not classless, but less stratified also
  mobility easier)
• US
• Scandinavia

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Caste in India
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Power Distance and Corruption

• Best predictor of corruption is economic (GDP)
• Next
• Power Distance
• Also, some influence from Uncertainty Avoidance
  and Masculinity

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Legal CompliancePerceptions of Corruption (2008)