This report aims at studying cross-cultural differences in the roles of hierarchy and power within East and Western enterprises. Cross-cultural differences stem from the different backgrounds of each culture. Cultural varieties may be witnessed in the workplace, and there are other factors introduced such as reaching sales targets, meeting deadlines, working on ight budgets, which may cause conflict. Because of the differences in cultures, there might be some kind of misunderstanding among people working in the same organization due to their different values, beliefs, on hierarchy and power. This will be addressed by looking at culture, eastern culture versus western culture, the dimension of hierarchy and equality, dimension of power distance and other dimensions influencing these two dimensions mentioned above. Culture Many definitions have been proposed to explain culture.
One definition that has been widely used states that the culture of a collective is formed by the norms, roles, belief systems, laws and values that form meaningful wholes and that are interrelated in meaningful ways (Schein, 1992; Triandis, 1972).
The Research paper on Cultural Differences Literature Review
Cultural differences between John and Ahmad are a source of conflict between the two parties; the misunderstanding arises from the individual perspectives on their culture. Based on the case study, the ability of John and Ahmad to apologize to each other yields the bargaining power between the parties involved, and enable them to come to an agreement. Appreciating the cultural diversity between ...
Several studies have contributed to our understanding of culture. Four wellknown cultural value dimensions were first identified by Hofstede (1980) and received considerable attention from other researchers (e. g. Dorfman and Howell, 1988; Smith and Bond, 1993).
In addition to these four dimensions (power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity and uncertainty avoidance), paternalism and Confucian work dynamism have been shown to describe cultures (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987; Hofstede, 1983; James et al. , 1996).
2 TISHYA WICKREMESINGHE – WITND12 Eastern culture versus western culture Following the difference in expressing cultures, let’s let Asia represent the East. Asians focus very much on respect and personal distance very strongly.
For example, in Asian cultures people would bow or tilt their heads as a sign of “hello,” “thank you,” or “goodbye,” whereas in Western culture, a handshake or even a hug is considered to be normal. For example, in Asian cultures people would bow or tilt their heads as a sign of “hello,” “thank you,” or “goodbye,” whereas in Western culture, a handshake or even a hug is considered to be normal. Asian culture strongly values the hierarchy system in which they very much respect their superiors and anyone above them in the social hierarchy.
Rank or status is evident especially in the business culture of Asian countries because the attitude of an employee to their employer shows the at most respect, loyalty, and politeness. Treating every person the same way in Asian culture can be considered rude at times because what may be acceptable in the western culture may not be acceptable in Asian cultures. For example, the eldest son in a family will not be permitted to talk to his parents or grandparents the same way he talks to his younger siblings. This social hierarchy is apparent in Asian schools where people in younger schools act very polite to their upperclassmen.
The Western culture; in contrast to Eastern or Asian culture. The quality of life is strongly valued in western culture where families should be prioritized before work. Western cultures such as the US are much more laid back compared to Eastern cultures regarding human interactions. Western cultures are not as reserved and stand closer together when having conversations. In Western cultures, they consider life as a form of service, whether it is toward your business, family, belief, and so on. In Eastern cultures, life is viewed as a never ending journey, although of course this depends on which Eastern cultural belief we are focused on.
The Term Paper on Reasons For Vladimir I's Conversion To Christianity And How It Changed The Culture Of Eastern Slavs
What Motivated Vladimir I to convert to Christianity and how did the new religion change the culture of Eastern Slavs? Paganism was a mental mindset of the Eastern Slavs living in a world where a majority of the European countries surrounding them had already converted to a monastic religion. Vladimir I, a great prince of Kiev, reigned from 980 till 1015 and succeeded in the mass conversion of the ...
Eastern cultural tend to have a more spiritual approach to their goals where they encourage each individual to lead a virtuous life while striving towards their success, while Western culture is more materialistic which refers to the concrete elements you have in your life such as money and strives towards success through ethical analysis and actions. 3 TISHYA WICKREMESINGHE – WITND12 Power Distance Index (PDI): Geert Hofstede PDI refers to the degree of inequality that exists, and is accepted, especially by the less powerful members of a group, organization, institution or the society.
High PDI – Most Eastern societies accept an unequal distribution of power and people understand “their place” in the system; concern is more for hierarchy and a reluctance or fear to speak-up. In a high PDI workplace, employees perceive managers as less approachable, communication flows downward and respect upward. Low PDI – In most Western society’s power is shared and well dispersed and people view themselves as equals. In a low PDI workplace, employees perceive managers as peers and are more willing to share ideas. Hierarchy and Equality: Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner
In the workplace, the level of power is emphasized in cultures which are oriented to hierarchy (Eastern).
The employees implement the directions of their manager and the role of the manager is to take decisions and distribute the work for employees. Mostly in eastern cultures, inequality is accepted and there are no attempts taken to change the situation. While in most western cultures, inequality is considered as something undesirable and therefore it requires reform. Equality oriented cultures do not emphasize hierarchy although it exists in order to facilitate relations within the organization.
The Essay on Comparison the difference between eastern and western advertisement
With the fast development of globalization, economical communications become more frequently, which brings more inter-cultural advertisements. The purposes of the commercial advertisements are to persuade customers to buy those products and to earn great interests trough describing the products lively and specifically. English, as the most wildly used commercial language, becomes more and more ...
As a result, managers are involved in the work itself rather than people whose role is to give directions. Also, managers are not the ones that take the decision on their own; the decision making is done at the level of all employees involved in the issue. 4 TISHYA WICKREMESINGHE – WITND12 PDI and Educational level Regarding Power distance (PDI) differences between countries, Hofstede commented, “Impressionistically at least it seems that dependence on the power of others in a large part of our world has been reduced over the past two generations.
We have seen that Power distance (PDI) scores within countries decreased with increased educational level. This does not mean, however, that the difference between countries should necessarily have changed. Countries could all have moved to lower Power distance levels without changes in their mutual ranking” (Hofstede, 2001).
It can be said that irrespective of the culture of origin, Eastern or Western, roles of power can be changed by other factors such as education. Conclusion Traditional eastern and western views continue to influence the management practices in today’s global workplace.
Based on these views, several dominant theories have emerged on how to best manage in the international work environment. This research illustrates contradictions in these theories and extracts a new perspective from the dynamic literature stream. This innovative perspective provides an opportunity to leverage cultures and relationships holistically for effective knowledge transfer and cross-cultural understanding, and hence for effective management in eastern and western enterprises.
