Module 1– Case Mgt 501 Management and Organization Behavior
Module 1– Case
MGT 501 Management and Organization Behavior
14 January 2013
“Culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. Statements about culture do not describe “reality”; they are all general and relative”. So depending on the person, everyone see things in a different view. According to the case study the question is asked: How does culture and environment affect institutions and their management? I will define the problem of what went wrong during Ms. Myers tenure from my point of view. I will explain the problem Ms. Myers is encountering using Hofstede's five dimensions of culture to compare Korean and American assumptions about interpersonal relationships and management. I will propose a solution by making a recommendation of three specific changes Ms. Myers could have made to her management style to accommodate the Korean environment. When it comes to cultural differences Geert Hofstede created five dimensions of national cultures, exemplifying cultural difference and behaviors. Hofstede geared his study on the multinational corporation IBM. He concluded his analysis with the following five values: 1. Power Distance 2. Uncertainty Avoidance 3. Masculinity vs. Femininity 4. Individualism vs. Collectivism 5. Long vs. Short Term Orientation
For each of these values you have to know the cultural in order to discover the distinct behaviors that an individual will have.
• Power Distance: in low power distance the people expect that power will be distributed unequally, as in families.
• Uncertainty Avoidance: “referring to a lack of tolerance for ambiguity and a need for formal rules and policies” businessmate.org.
• Masculinity vs. Femininity: “a masculine culture emphasises status derived from wages and position; a feminine culture emphasizes human relations and quality of life” provenmodels.com
• Individualism vs. Collectivism: Individualism our
MGT 501 Management and Organization Behavior
14 January 2013
“Culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. Statements about culture do not describe “reality”; they are all general and relative”. So depending on the person, everyone see things in a different view. According to the case study the question is asked: How does culture and environment affect institutions and their management? I will define the problem of what went wrong during Ms. Myers tenure from my point of view. I will explain the problem Ms. Myers is encountering using Hofstede's five dimensions of culture to compare Korean and American assumptions about interpersonal relationships and management. I will propose a solution by making a recommendation of three specific changes Ms. Myers could have made to her management style to accommodate the Korean environment. When it comes to cultural differences Geert Hofstede created five dimensions of national cultures, exemplifying cultural difference and behaviors. Hofstede geared his study on the multinational corporation IBM. He concluded his analysis with the following five values: 1. Power Distance 2. Uncertainty Avoidance 3. Masculinity vs. Femininity 4. Individualism vs. Collectivism 5. Long vs. Short Term Orientation
For each of these values you have to know the cultural in order to discover the distinct behaviors that an individual will have.
• Power Distance: in low power distance the people expect that power will be distributed unequally, as in families.
• Uncertainty Avoidance: “referring to a lack of tolerance for ambiguity and a need for formal rules and policies” businessmate.org.
• Masculinity vs. Femininity: “a masculine culture emphasises status derived from wages and position; a feminine culture emphasizes human relations and quality of life” provenmodels.com
• Individualism vs. Collectivism: Individualism our
References: Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing, 2010. Cultural Awareness. Retrieved on January 14, 2013 from http://www.culturaldiversity.com.au/practice-guides/cultural-awareness Five Dimensions of Culture-Geert Hofstede. Provenmodels.com. Retrieved on January 10, 2013 from http://provenmodels.com/11 Green, S.. The would-be pioneer, 2011. Harvard Business Review. 89(4), 124-126. Retrieved on January 10, 2013 from http://www.cdad.tridnet.edu/CourseHomeModule.aspx?course Longatan, N..Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Culture (2008). Retrieved on January 10, 2013 from http://suite101.com/article/hofstedes-five-dimensions-of-culture-a86385 What are Geert Hofstede’s 5 Cultural Dimensions? BusinessMate.Org. Retrieved on January 10, 2013 from http://www.businessmate.org/Article.php?Artike1Id=4