mod mba 614 3 journal

Cross Cultural Management

MBA 614 CHAPTER 7 SPECIFIC VS. DIFFUSE

CHAPTER 8 HOW WE ACCORD STATUS

OUTLINE

MODULE 3

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Learning Outcomes

Involvement:  Specific Vs Diffuse Cultures

 Specific-oriented Cultures (segregate task relationship)

 Diffuse-oriented Cultures (involves in close relationships)

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Specific Vs Diffuse

 How far we get involved?  Whether we show emotions in dealing

with other people?  We engage others:

 Specific areas of life and single level of personality  Diffusely in multiple areas of our lives and at several

levels of personality at the same time

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Specific Vs Diffuse Cultures  Specific-oriented Cultures:

 A Manager segregates (isolate) out the task relationship she or he has with a subordinate and insulates this from other dealings.

 Diffuse-oriented Cultures:  Every life space and every level of personality tends

to permeate all others.  Reputation always leaks to some extent into other

areas of life. The extent is what we measure for specificity ( small) vs. diffuseness ( large)

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Specific vs. Diffuse

 When the whole person is involved in a business relationship there is a real and personal contact, instead of the specific relationship prescribed by a contract.

 In many countries a diffuse relationship is not only preferred, but necessary before business can proceed.

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Cultural Context  Specific and diffuse cultures also

known as Low and high context cultures

 Context has to do with how much you have to know before effective communication can occur

 How much shared knowledge is taken for granted by those in conversation with each other

 How much reference there is to tacit common ground

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High and Low context cultures

High context culture  Japan and France  Strangers must be ‘filled

in’ before business can be properly discussed

 Tend to be rich and subtle but carry a lot of “baggage”

 Never really be comfortable for foreigners who are not fully assimilated

 Tend to look at relationships and connections

Low context culture

 America and Netherlands

 Each stranger should share in rule-making

 Tend to be adaptable and flexible

 Tend to look at objectives, specifics and things

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CCC 8

Effect of specific-diffuse orientation on business

 Americans prefer MBO (Management-by- objectives) & Pay-for-performance to motivate employees as part of their specific orientation

 Diffuse cultures approach the issue from the opposite direction.

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Effect of specific-diffuse orientation on business

 Japanese cultures speak of “acceptance time” : the time necessary to discuss proposed changes before they are implemented  Pay –for-performance concept not popular as it

ignores role of superiors / team mates

 Diffuse cultures do have lower turnover and employee mobility because of importance of “loyalty” and the multiplicity of human bonds.

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Effect of specific-diffuse orientation on business

 Pitfalls of evaluation and assessment  Specific cultures easily criticize people without

devastating the whole life space of the target of that criticism

 Example : “stealing”  “Frank discussion”

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Reconciling Specific – Diffuse cultures

 Specific extreme can lead to disruption  Diffuse extreme to a lack of

perspective  Collision between them results in

paralysis  Interplay of the two approaches is

good:  Recognizing the privacy is necessary  Complete separation of private life leads to

alienation and superficiality  Business is a business but stable and

deep relationship mean strong affiliations

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MBA 614 Cross-Cultural Communication

HOW WE ACCORD STATUS. ACHIEVED STATUS VS. ASCRIBED STATUS.

Achieved vs. Ascribed Status

 Achieved status refers to DOING  Ascribed status refers to BEING

Achievement oriented and ascription oriented in the organization

 Achievement-oriented organizations justify their hierarchies by claiming that senior people have “achieved more” for the organization; their authority justified by skill and knowledge benefits the organization.

 Ascription-oriented organizations justify their hierarchies by “power-to-get-things-done” .

 This may consist of power over people and be coercive, or power through people and be participative.

 Ascribed status simply “is” and requires no rational justification, although such justification may exist.

What Power has to do with it . . .

 This may consist of power over people and be coercive, or power through people and be participative.

 Ascription has been seen as a feature of countries either late to develop, or still underdeveloped.

The USA is a culture in which status is mainly achieved. Americans disagree that status depends mainly on family background.

Important aspects to consider:

 The translator’s role

 The role of titles

 Relationship with mother company (mediation)

The Translator’s Role

 The translator from an ascriptive culture behaves “unprofessionally”

 The translator is supposed to be neutral, a black box.

 In other cultures, the translator is doing something else.

The role of titles . . .

 It depends: only if it is relevant to the task at hand.

Relationship with mother company

 In achievement-oriented: authority to use personal judgment.

 In ascriptive cultures: extensive consultations.

References

 Trompenaars, F. & Hampden-Turner, Ch. (2013), Riding The Waves of Culture