American Cross Jobs
Cross National Differences
Cross National Differences
* Dr.Shanmukha Rao Padala & ** Dr.N.V.S.Suryanarayana
Introduction:
According to Peter Drucker, if management is an organ of society, culture is its very nature. Therefore, for organizational excellence management must take care of the sensitivities of societal culture. This extends to setting of objectives, formulation and implementation of strategies, designing organization structure and communication or displaying type of leadership roles or reward systems. Human behaviour, in organizational settings is conditioned apart from other factors by societal and organizational culture which in turn influence all other areas of business processes like communication, decision-making, diplomacy, negotiations and so on. The overwhelming success of Japanese companies in the eighties is primarily attributed to its unique national culture. In fact, every national culture can contribute something unique to the field of management and business.
Globalization, which is said to be the ‘second industrial revolution', is fast changing how our society conducts business and trade. Global trade has increased from US $55 billion in 1974-75 (GOI, Economic Survey) to more than US $ 6,000 billion in 2000. The foreign exchange market has growing at a rapid pace too, reflecting a general growth in the volume of cross-border trade and investment. In March 1986, the average total value of global foreign exchange tradeing was about US $ 200 billion per day. By April 1998 it had reached US $ 1490 billion per day. There are more than 80,000 multinationals operating around the globe. There are several global corporations, like GE, Shell, IBM and GM with sales exceeding the GDP of some nations. Increasing global interaction in business, sports, arts and culture demands that international managers be thoroughly groomed in the study and practice of cross-culture.
Concept of the culture:
What then, is the concept of culture? George Peter Murdock in the article, ‘The science of Human Learning, Society, Culture and Personality' makes some profound observations. He emphasizes that except in the case of man, what the ‘individual' of a species learns dies with it. There is no consolidation and transmission of behaviour excepting in the broad context of genetic biological evolution. But in man, however, he says, ‘most of the behaviour acquired by any individual, in whatever part of the world or period of history he may live, has been previously learned and found adaptive by other and older members of his own society, and he in turn transmits this behaviour, together with any adaptive by other and older members of his own society, and he in turn transmits this behaviour, together with any adaptive modifications acquired through his life experience, to other younger members of his social group. The interaction of learning within a society, thus produces in every human group a body of socially transmitted behaviour, which appears super-individual, because it is shared, because it is perpetrated beyond the individual lifespan, and because in quantity and quality it so vastly exceeds the capacity of any single person to achieve by his own efforts. The term ‘culture' is applied to such systems of acquired and transmitted behaviour. Since cultures change with the varying and cumulative experience of individuals in social groups, it is possible to say of man, as of no other species, with the hereditary capacity to learn, that societies as well as individuals learn. Social learning is synonymous with cultural evolution.
To the question, why do men organisse themselves into societies? Plato answers, ‘To give the members of society (all the members)', the best chance of realizing their best selves.' Thus, culture is the process of social lerning and a society's adaptation to its changing environment- because human society is an open system. Human society becomes more social in order that individuals may become more individual.
Determinants of culture:
National cultures are constantly evolving. Factors that influence the evolving pattern are prevailing political and economic systems, the social structure of society, dominant religion, language, aesthetics and education.
Religion may be defined as a system of shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred. Most ethical systems which guide and shape human behaviour are the product of religion. The relation between religion, ethics and society is subtle, complex and profound. While religion have different values (which are the bedrock of culture), yet countries with the same religion have different cultures, for example, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Hence, religion is a weak determinant of culture. What is important for management is how religion shapes the attitude of a society towards work and entrepreneurship. In this regard, the Bhagavad Gita, a holy book of the Hindus propounds a unique philosophy towards selfless work, which suggests a way of life. Different religions send different messages, which create values and moral standards in a given society.
Social Structure:
A society's social structure refers to its basic organization. Although social structure consists of many aspects, for study of cultural differences, two aspects of it are more important. The first is the degree to which the basic unit of social organization is the individual, as opposed to the group. An individual is the basic unit in western societies and therefore individual achievement gets primacy. In most other societies the group is the basic unit of social structure and an individual considers himself first as part of his family or the company for which he works. It is the degree relative importance to individualism or group that differentiates different cultures.
Social Mobility:
This refers to the extent to which individuals can more out of the strate, caste or class in which they are born. The class system is less rigid than the caste system which is prevalent in India. While most societies have a class system, social mobility within it varies from society to society. For example, Britain has a more rigid class system than certain other western societies. Britain has three classes: the upper class which is associated with power and wealth, the middle class which consists of professionals and clerks, and the working class. The division of society into class or caste creates disharmony and industrial strife.
Language:
Language is an essential element of culture for it reflects its nature and riches. It is language which distinguishes one culture from another. In countries such as Canada and Switzerland, two or more languages are spoken. In countries like China, India and Nigeria with a diversity of populations, several languages are spoken. Although language could be said to reflect the nature and value of a culture, this is not always the case. English is the official language of many countries, such as Australia and Singapore, but the two countries are culturally diverse. English tends to be the business language, while French is seen as the language of diplomacy.
In business communication, the translation from one language to another can result in inaccuracies. A literal translation may change the meaning. For example, some of the more famous translation blunders are ‘Body by Fisher' which is translated as ‘Corpse by Fisher' or ‘Rendezvous lounge' translated into Portuguese as ‘Meet your mistress lounge'. The same language may have different terms for the same word, for example, in American English, petrol (British English) is called gasoline and biscuits as cookies. An Indian generally would not understand the word ‘downtown' frequently used by Americans for city centre.
Communication goes beyond the formal written and oral structure of language. Language is also symbolic communication in terms of space, time and friendship, and marketers need to be aware of these ‘silent languages'. In the UK, a person with a large office is important in the hierarchy. But in Japan, many high executives share offices. Much business communication also depends on non-verbal messages. Body language differs from culture to culture. For example, nodding of the head one way may mean ‘yes' in one culture and ‘no' in another.
Education:
Learning and sharing cultural values happens through the education system. The educational system can take many forms and it is important to understand the differences because it can indicate the type of consumer market available the quality of human resources available for employment and training.
Aesthetics:
The aesthetics of a culture refers to designs forms, colours shapes, sounds- things conveying the concept of beauty and good taste. These are reflected in the music, art, and architecture of a society. The aesthetics of a culture can affect a firm's marketing strategy, diplomacy and management of human resources.
Colours, for example, are often used to identify brands and for product differentiation. Colours tend to have different connotations and more symbolic value in international than domestic markets. Red, for example, is a good-luck colour for may oriental cultures, whjile white is associated with death in Islamic countries. The design of products and packaging should take into consideration local preferences.
National culture:
National culture influences the extent to which leadership, teams and employee activities are socially valued and supported. Studies suggest that directive styles of leadership appear culturally inappropriate in northern Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. An employee participation programme failed in Russia, perhaps because of the national culture's disbelief and distrust in participatory programmes. On the other hand, the cultures of Sweden and Japan strongly support employee involvement in organizational activities.
Trompenaars, and Charles Hampden-Turner have studied the impact of national culture on organisationsal cultures by distinguishing corporate cultures along two axe's: equality, hierarchy and orientation to the person- the task. This gives broadly four types of cultures depending on how they think and learn, how they change and how they motivate, reward and resolve conflicts. The four types can be described as follows: the family, the Eiffel tower, the guided missile and the incubator. Each of these types of corporate culture is the ‘ideal' type. In practice, the types are mixed or overlaid with one culture dominating.
Family Culture:
Family culture is one, which is personal with face-to-face relationships, as well as hierarchical (power-oriented). The leader is not threatening but benevolent. The leader regarded as caring father-mother who knows better than his/her subordinates what is good. Work in this type of culture is usually carried out in an atmosphere that in many respects mimic the home. The Japanese recreate the family in their corporate culture. The main business virtue is amae, a kind of love between persons of different rank, with indulgence shown to the younger and respect to the older. To please your superior is reward in itself. Pressure is morale and social rather than financial or legal. Relationship with the company is for the long term and one of loyalty. Many corporations with family-styles cultures are from nations like Greece, Italy, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Eiffel Tower Culture:
In this culture a bureaucratic division of labour roles and functions is prescribed in advanced. These allocation are coordinated from the top of the hierarchy. This hierarchy is very different from that of a family. You obey the boss because it is his/her role to instruct you he/she has legal authority to tell you what to do. The role of boss is confined to the office. If you meet him/her on the golf course, you have no obligation to let him/her play through and he/she probably would not expect it either. Careers are much assisted by professional qualifications. The bureaucracy is depersonalized and a rational-legal system is very much prevalent in Austria and Germany.
Guided Missile Culture:
This culture is egalitarian, impersonal and task focused. Project-oriented culture is oriented to tasks, typically undertaken by teams or project groups. It differs from pure role culture found in most organizations in that the jobs members do, or not fixed in advance. They must do ‘what ever it takes' to complete a task and what is needed is often unclear and may have to be discovered.
Incubator Culture:
This culture is based on the existential idea that organizations are secondary to the fulfillment of individuals. If organizations are to be tolerated at all, they should be there to serve as incubators for self-expressions and self-fulfillments. The purpose of this culture is to move individuals from routine to more creative activities and to minimize time spent on self-maintenance. The incubator is both personal and egalitarian. Indeed, it has no structure at all and just some services like word-processing, coffee, heat and light provided by the organization and so on. Cultural incubators are seen not only in small innovative companies in the Silicon Valley and on Route 128 around Boston, but also in groups of doctors, lawyers, consultants and Charted Accountants.
About the Author
Dr. Shanmukha Rao Padala : Isworking as Faculty in the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Andhra University Campus, Vizianagaram. He participated in several National and International Seminars, Workshops, Symposias, FDP Programmes and published rich number of articles in reputed journals. E-Mail: [email protected] and Mobile : +91 94403 23606.
Dr. N.V.S.Suryanarayana : The author is an eminent person in the field of Education. Presently he is working as Faculty in the Department of Education, Andhra University Campus, Vizianagaram. He has rich experience in the field of Teacher Education about a decade at Post Degree and PG level. E-Mail: [email protected], Mobile : +91 94403 48609,
Is it ok to cross the American Border with just a Alien Green Card? Or do you need a passport, ?
My boyfriend is not a US citizen yet, and when we went to Canada for the holidays and tried to come back home to Seattle, he was almost interrogated, and it was very embarrassing and annoying, so what is up with that?
He has worked and lived in the States for 12 years, no criminal record,
has a great job, so why are they doing that,?
It probably was not an interrogation as much as it was a thorough, very careful inspection. However, border officers do have the power to interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or to remain in the Unites States. INA Section 287(a)(1).
As for crossing the border, legal permanent residents may present an alien registration card when they return to the U.S. A passport is not required. The alien registration card is an acceptable WHTI document.
American Cross Jobs
British airmen bombed Benghazi and the Red Cross jobs
5 Mistakes of Cross-Functional Teams
Most people if asked, would like to do away with the idea of cross-functional teams. Just let my department handle it one might say. It would be easier than having to worry about conflict and drama, that is only created because we have teams. Well, as much as we'd like to do without them, they aren't going away because they are strange and uncomfortable. They exist because we need cross-functional teams to achieve tasks like creating systems that cross boundaries, to produce complex products like cars (well maybe not so many cars these days), or for sustained coordinated efforts.
In addition, in a world where the only constant is change, the ability to manage change is a very desirable skill or ability for anyone on a team. Research was done in schools North West of England using the results of extensive interviews conducted with teachers at levels from Heads of Departments to trainee teachers. The researchers were able to conclude that team building is an effective methodology for managing change. Furthermore, the top five organizational barriers to facilitating change voiced by those in the study include: (1) Poor working relationships (91%), (2) Insufficient authority to get my job done effectively (87%), (3) Unclear understanding of my roles (75%), (4) Insufficient resources to get my work done effectively (64%), (5) No support for updating my skills (42%)¹
I've managed a few high performing teams and it is extremely rewarding to work with such a group. A team can produce much more than an individual on that team could produce on their own, unless a person was doing something routine like getting dressed in the morning for work. But if that same individual was dressing for an evening event and was female trying to get into a long, tight gown, they might just need a team. Synergy or the ability to accomplish more together than you can as individuals is often at work in a high performing team environment. When teams are not in sync or not playing nice together, they often make five mistakes. Working on these mistakes can turn a situation around, if focused attention is given to these key areas.
(1) Allowing Attitudes to Run Wild – When you see posters about attitude they say it is the little things that make a big difference. However, most of us don’t even know whether they have a good attitude or not. That is why measurement is key in this area. Having members of the team measure attitude of the other group members periodically and report back on the results, then develop action plans to address any deficiencies is a healthy exercise for any team, but especially for cross-functional teams. Learning how to focus on the positive aspects of issues, change negative energy into positive during meetings, finding humor in the situation and learning to tolerate people you don’t like are all valuable skills for people who perform well on cross functional teams. You may not want to poll team members as often as the American people are polled during elections, however, providing feedback on a key metric like attitude can prevent potential conflict issues and unnecessary drama in teams.
(2) Misguided Power Moves - There are all types of power beyond the traditional garden variety position power we all know and love so well. There is interpersonal power, influence power, leadership power, and social power. Each of these can have an impact on the team dynamics of a cross functional team, due to the variety of departments and personalities involved. Understanding how to maximize the positive uses of power and minimize the negative uses of power in cross-functional teams creates better team dynamics for all involved. If you think of a Chess set where each piece has different values or a role to play in the game, understanding each one’s power, moving the pieces to use that power and playing them at the right time allows the chess player to win the game. Similarly when in a team, appropriate use of and respect for power makes team experiences much more productive.
(3) Lack of Expectations or ground rules for working together - When different areas of an organization work together, ideally, high level people in the organization should develop a set of ground rules of how the groups will work together. These ground rules set the tone for how the groups will accomplish the tasks outlined for the group. When the group veers off-task, these expectations or ground rules make it easier to provide authoritative reasoning for that group to get back on track and stay focused on achieving the end result of the group. Similar to a compass used when orienteering, if ground rules are set, revisited and honored, they help the team, stay on track and on point in reaching their desired destination.
(4) Tunnel Vision – Being able to solve a problem while considering the agendas and resources of all departments in a cross functional team is a critical skill in making the concept work for an organization. Just as a scientist looks at a specimen under a microscope from a lot of different angles to determine if the hypothesis is correct, considering different points of view on cross functional teams, assures a richer solution in the end, making sure the organization has made a thorough decision. A scientist could not come to a conclusion looking at one angle, nor would an organization want to look at one department’s view of the situation to make a decision. Looking at all the perspectives, using the resources of all departments, considering the impact of decisions on all involved, assures buy-in from the other departments and improves the quality of the decisions made.
(5) Playing Without the Full Team – If you played volleyball in school you may recall the tense dynamics that centered around picking a team. Especially if you had no skills and your friend was a team captain. If your friend was playing to win, they picked the people most likely, that had the best skills. For example, they wanted someone who could spike the ball, play the net and someone good at serving. They probably wanted to pick you to avoid hurting your feelings, but wanted to win more. In the end, the kids with the best skills who already knew how to play well often got picked and that team won.
Playing favorites or only working with people you like is another bad habit some members of cross-functional teams fall into. They erroneously believe they are making their job easier by working with people they like. Studies show however that teams that have competent members perform much better and proper use of the skills of the members play a key role in how productive the team is in achieving results. In some cases it may take longer for the team to gain momentum. However, in the long run, it is advantageous for team leaders of cross-functional teams to do a skill inventory early in the project and assign tasks to the members according to skill levels. It is win/win—individual team members will be able to improve their skill levels and a skilled team will accomplish much more than one that only has good camaraderie.
Organizations are made up of small groups of teams that form one big team. As people learn better teaming skills, the true value of cross-functional teams can be maximized to make organizations better as a whole. Two heads are better than one, three heads are better than two and if those three heads are from different departments, and they set good expectations, respect power, measure attitude, value skills over personality, and listen to each other, perhaps real productivity can be improved in organizations.
Share your comments & Star Performance Stories about teams on my blog at www.starperformanceteams.com
Sheri Betts is a trainer, facilitator, coach & consultant in her own company, Maximum Impact, specializing in team building who has developed successful teams in corporations, not-for-profits, universities and government. She gained expertise in this capacity as Division Manager for Avon, Managing Director for INROADs, Project Manager for NIH, Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins and President of Maximum Impact. Ms. Betts provides insight on Star Performance from many different perspectives to offer practical, real world skills to help individuals navigate the complex world of government agencies. She can be reached through her website www.4maximumimpact.com or by calling 301-233-6905.
¹Hughes, C.,” Managing Change in Design and Technology. This is a conference paper that considers some of the issues that effect the management of design and technology in an ever demanding change environment. A number of models are examined which relate design and technology to the external and internal pressures. The work then goes on to propose a change model for design and technology. This emphasizes the need to focus on team building as a methodology to manage change.(MANAGEMENT, CHANGE, MODELS, TEAM BUILDING, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY) © DATA. 2007. OAIster Search. 10 Feb. 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/2134/2834
About the Author
Sheri Betts is a trainer, facilitator, coach & consultant in her own company, Maximum Impact, specializing in team building who has developed many successful teams. She gained expertise working with & for Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits, government agencies, & as Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins MBA Fellows Program. She can be reached via website: www.4maximumimpact.com, blog: www.starperformanceteams.com or phone: 301-233-6905.
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