Alternative view of reality: Cultural Values

1. Alternative view of reality: Cultural Values Book 1, Ch. 5 Your beliefs become your thought. Your thought become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny (Mahatma Gandhi)

2. Objective

3. Perception • A process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory data in a way that enables us to make sense of our world (Gamble & Gamble) • A process whereby people convert the physical energy of the world outside of them into meaningful internal experience (Samovar)

4. Perception & Culture [1] • When you hear ‘lontong’ what is the first thing come into your mind? • Perception is culturally determined • We learn to see the world in a certain way based on our cultural background • The way a person perceive something is affected by its culture

5. Perception & Culture [2] American Japanese • Credible: • articulate & outspoken • direct, rational, & confident • social status is modest importance • Credible: • quiet and spend more time listening to others • indirect, sympathetic, & humble • social status as a major indicator

6. Beliefs • Shaped by the individual’s culture • Reflected in your action and communication behavior • Eg. How people from Balisee “checkered fabric” Values Not only individually but collectively • Beliefs forms the basis of your values • Values aresharedideas about what is true, right, and beautiful that underlie cultural patterns and guide society in response to the physical and social environment

7. Culture values • Hofstede’s Value Dimension • The Kluckhons & Strodtbeck’s Value Orientation • Hall’s High- Low- Context

8. HOFSTEDE’S VALUE DIMENSION • Individualism vs Collectivism • Uncertainty Avoidance • Power Distance • Masculinity vs Femininity • Long vs Short term Orientation • A Guru of cultural values • Model based on survey to more than 100,000 managers in multinational organizations, 50 countries, geographical regions

9. Individualism vs Collectivism [2] Individualism Collectivism • Individual is the single most important unit in any social setting • Independence rather than dependence is stressed • Individual achievement is rewarded • Uniqueness of each individual is of paramount value • Views, needs and goals of the in-group rather than one-self • Social norms and duty defined by the in-group rather than behavior to get pleasure • Beliefs shared with the in-group rather than beliefs that distinguish self from in-group • Great readiness to cooperate with in-group members

10. Individualism vs Collectivism [2] Individualism Collectivism • Encourage competition than cooperation • Personal goal over group goal • Tend not to emotionally dependent on organization • Every individual has the right to his/her private property, thoughts and opinion • Stress individual initiative and achievement • Value individual decision making • Harmonize and cooperative learning over competition • Negotiation attends by a group of people • Decision making takes longer

11. Individualism vs Collectivism [3] Individualism Collectivism • Use of space • More remote and distant proximally • Family context • Self-determination, self-reliance & emphasis on privacy • Business setting • Going it alone • Communication • Indirect communication, saving face, concern from others, group cooperation are linked

12. Uncertainty Avoidance [1] • The extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situation • Use strict codes of behavior and a belief in absolute truths to avoid the uncertain

13. Uncertainty Avoidance [2] High uncertainty Low uncertainty • Risk averse • Establishing more formal rules, not tolerating deviant ideas & behavior, seeking consensus, believing in absolute truths • Strong need of written rules, planning, regulations, rituals, ceremonies, protocols • Eg. Portugal, Greece, Peru, Belgium, Japan • Risk taker • Easily accept the uncertainty in life • Tend to be tolerant of the unusual • Are not as threatened by different ideas and people • Eg. US, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands

14. Power Distance [1] • The extent of human inequality to which the less powerful members of institutions and organization within a country expect and accept that power is distributed equally

15. Power Distance [2] High Power Distance Low Power Distance • Greater centralization of power • More importance placed on status and rank • Larger proportion of supervisory personnel • In Class: teacher centered • Eg. Malaysia, Guatemala, Phillipines • Guided by laws, norms, and everyday behavior that make power distance as minimal as possible • Business context: decision being shared, subordinates being consulted, bosses relying on support teams, status symbol being kept to a minimum • Eg. US, Israel, Denmark, Norway

16. Masculinity vs Femininity [1] MAS FEM • Society in which social gender role are clearly distinct • Men: assertive, tough and focus on material issue • Women: tender, modest, concerned with quality of life • Promote career success • Emphasized on acquisition of money & things • Eg. Ireland, Japan, Korea • Society in which social gender roles overlap • Men & Women: tender, modest, concerned with quality of life • People and environment are important • Eg. The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark

17. Long vs Short term Orientation • The extent in which people value past, present or future time • Long-term: valuing tradition • Eg. Taiwan, China, HK, Japan • Short-term: concerned on short-term result • Eg. US, Great Britain, Canada

18. THE KLUCKHONS & STRODTBECK’S VALUE ORIENTATION

19. Human nature • Evil • Human are evil; But through constant hard work, control educating, self-discipline, goodness can be achieved • Eg. US based on Christianity “we are rational beings , we have self-consciousness, we have free choice” • Good & Evil • Yin & Yang in Taoist • Sometime we can be bad, sometime can be good • Good • Confucianism & Buddhism “Human nature is originally good”

20. Humankind and nature • Human being subject to nature • The most powerful forces (eg. God, fate, magic) of life are outside their control • Eg. India and parts of South America • Cooperation with nature • People should live in harmony with nature • Nature is part of life, not a hostile force waiting to be subdued • Eg. Japan, Thailand • Controlling nature • Conquer the forces of nature to our advantage • Valuing technology, change and science • Eg. North America

21. Sense of time • Similar to Hofstede’s long- & short-term orientation

22. Activity • Being • Spontaneous expression of the human personality • Current activity is the one matters the most • In business: several customers helped at the same time, different business negotiation be managed at one time • E.g.. Saudi, Mexico • Being-in-becoming • Stress the idea of growth and development • Emphasize on activities contribute to the development of all aspects of the self as an integral whole • E.g.. Hindu & Buddhism • Doing • Accomplishments are measurable by standard external to the individual • E.g.. America, Philippine

23. Social relationship • Authoritarian (Hofstede’s MAS) • There are some individuals who are both to lead while others must follow • Collective • E.g.. India, Latin America • Individualism • People should have equal rights and complete control over their own destiny

24. HALL’S HIGH- LOW- CONTEXT [1] • Examining cultural similarities and differences in both perception and communication • High Context: communication is mostly done in physical context / internalize in the person, less frequent in the explicit, transmitted part of the message • Low Context: in reverse

25. HALL’S HIGH- LOW- CONTEXT [2] High Low • Collective • People value indirectness, politeness, ambiguity and group membership • Use more symbol • E.g. China, Korea, Japan • Individualist • Value direct confrontation and clarity • Prefer written form than verbal communication • E.g. US, Scandinavian countries

26. FACE AND FACEWORK • Face  self-image • Individualist  maintaining personal face • Collective  maintaining group’s image • School, family, clan are primary sources of identity & status

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