Business Culture of Singapore
Write a brief report on the nature of Singapore business culture – imagine that you are trying to explain Singapore culture to an American Expatriate who has recently arrived in the country; identify practices which are central to Singaporean culture and also those practices which would be unacceptable or inappropriate for people in Singapore. You should primarily focus on organizational issues but a treatment of broader issues may be beneficial
Danielle, my friend, is an Indonesian who has lived in Singapore for more than two decades. She was born in Singapore, spent some years studying in America during her childhood, and back to Singapore to continue living with her family. Every now and then, I would be reminded by her of how repressed Singaporeans are, about my government, the stringent rules, the strong influence of Confucianism, etc., and how she is going to move to America in time to come. She believes in freedom of speech, independence, individuality, something which perhaps, Singapore is not strong at.
When I reflect on her views, I do agree with her, but perhaps, I have gotten used to it like every other Singaporeans. It has been instilled in us since young and in our educational system, to follow rules, to be followers rather than creative idea generators. Therefore, for an American who has come from a country with one of the highest ranking in individualism among the rest of the countries in the world, I am uncertain if he or she will be able to get used to Singapore’s culture. According to a study conducted by Geert Hofstede to study the workplace culture, the United States of America (USA) scored 91 on individualism versus Singapore who scored 20, an indication that Singapore is a collectivist or group dependent country. Although so, Singapore is highly ranked when it comes to business competitiveness and economic growth, ranking well above countries like the United States. According to IMD World Competitiveness Scoreboard 2010, Singapore
Danielle, my friend, is an Indonesian who has lived in Singapore for more than two decades. She was born in Singapore, spent some years studying in America during her childhood, and back to Singapore to continue living with her family. Every now and then, I would be reminded by her of how repressed Singaporeans are, about my government, the stringent rules, the strong influence of Confucianism, etc., and how she is going to move to America in time to come. She believes in freedom of speech, independence, individuality, something which perhaps, Singapore is not strong at.
When I reflect on her views, I do agree with her, but perhaps, I have gotten used to it like every other Singaporeans. It has been instilled in us since young and in our educational system, to follow rules, to be followers rather than creative idea generators. Therefore, for an American who has come from a country with one of the highest ranking in individualism among the rest of the countries in the world, I am uncertain if he or she will be able to get used to Singapore’s culture. According to a study conducted by Geert Hofstede to study the workplace culture, the United States of America (USA) scored 91 on individualism versus Singapore who scored 20, an indication that Singapore is a collectivist or group dependent country. Although so, Singapore is highly ranked when it comes to business competitiveness and economic growth, ranking well above countries like the United States. According to IMD World Competitiveness Scoreboard 2010, Singapore
Bibliography: IMD 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook rankings. Singapore, Hong Kong and the USA come out on top! 19 May 2010. http://www.imd.org/news/IMD-World-Competitiveness-Yearbook-2010-Rankings.cfm Geert Hofstede. http://www.geert-hofstede.com/ Amruta P. Work Culture in Singapore. Buzzle.com. Intelligent Life on the web. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/work-culture-in-singapore.html. 1/7/2010 Guide to Singapore Work Culture for Newcomers. Guide me Singapore. http://www.guidemesingapore.com/blog-post/singapore-life/singapore-work-culture-for-newcomers. 1 April 2009.