Chapter 16

What are the 9 cultural dimensions?

-Uncertainty avoidance -Power distance -Institutional collectivism -In-group collectivism -Gender egalitarianism -Assertiveness -Future orientation -Performance orientation -Humane orientation

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Anglo?

Charismatic/ Value-Based Leadership Reflects the ability to inspire, to motivate, and to expect high performance from others based on strongly held core values. This kind of leadership includes being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing, trustworthy, decisive, and performance oriented

What is culture?

Culture is defined as the learned beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions that are common to a group of people It is these shared qualities of a group that make them unique Culture is dynamic and transmitted to others In short, culture is the way of life, customs, and script of a group of people

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Sub-Saharan Africa?

Humane-Oriented Leadership Emphasizes being supportive, considerate, compassionate, and generous. This type of leadership includes modesty and sensitivity to other people

What is diversity?

Diversity refers to the existence of different cultures or ethnicities within a group or an organization

What is ethnocentrism?

Ethnocentrism is the tendency for individuals to place their own group (ethnic, racial, or cultural) at the center of their observations of others and the world People tend to give priority and value to their own beliefs, attitudes, and values, over and above those of other groups Ethnocentrism is the perception that one's own culture is better or more natural than the culture of others It may include the failure to recognize the unique perspectives of others Ethnocentrism is a universal tendency, and each of us is ethnocentric to some degree Ethnocentrism is like a perceptual window through which people from one culture make subjective or critical evaluations of people from another culture Ethnocentrism can be a major obstacle to effective leadership because it prevents people from fully understanding or respecting the viewpoints of others Skilled leaders are able to negotiate the fine line between trying to overcome ethnocentrism and knowing when to remain grounded in their own cultural values

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Latin America?

Charismatic/ Value-Based Leadership Reflects the ability to inspire, to motivate, and to expect high performance from others based on strongly held core values. This kind of leadership includes being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing, trustworthy, decisive, and performance oriented

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Latin Europe?

Charismatic/ Value-Based Leadership Reflects the ability to inspire, to motivate, and to expect high performance from others based on strongly held core values. This kind of leadership includes being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing, trustworthy, decisive, and performance oriented

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Nordic Europe?

Charismatic/ Value-Based Leadership Reflects the ability to inspire, to motivate, and to expect high performance from others based on strongly held core values. This kind of leadership includes being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing, trustworthy, decisive, and performance oriented

What is multiculturalism?

Multicultural implies an approach or a system that takes more than one culture into account It refers to the existence of multiple cultures such as African, American, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern Multicultural can also refer to a set of subcultures defined by race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or age.

What is prejudice?

Prejudice is a largely fixed attitude, belief, or emotion held by an individual about another individual or group that is based on faulty or unsubstantiated data It refers to judgments about others based on previous decisions or experiences Prejudice often is thought of in the context of race (e.g., European American vs. African American), but it also applies in areas such as gender, age, sexual orientation, and other independent contexts Both ethnocentrism and prejudice interfere with our ability to understand and appreciate the human experience of others A skilled leader needs to find ways to negotiate with followers from various cultural backgrounds.

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Middle East?

Self-Protective Reflects behaviors that ensure the safety and security of the leader and the group. It includes leadership that is self-centered, status conscious, conflict inducing, face saving, and procedural

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Southern Asia?

Self-Protective Leadership Reflects behaviors that ensure the safety and security of the leader and the group. It includes leadership that is self-centered, status conscious, conflict inducing, face saving, and procedural

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Confucian Asia?

Self-Protective Leadership Reflects behaviors that ensure the safety and security of the leader and the group. It includes leadership that is self-centered, status conscious, conflict inducing, face saving, and procedural

9 Cultural Dimensions What is humane orientation?

The ninth dimension refers to the degree to which a culture encourages and rewards people for being fair, altruistic, generous, caring, and kind to others Humane orientation is concerned with how much a society or an organization emphasizes sensitivity to others, social support, and community values For example: Switzerland is a country that is often cited for its high humane orientation, based on the Swiss people's helpfulness to others during and after World War I and World War II The country espouses tolerance and responsibility as its central educational goals

What are the strengths of the research on culture and leadership?

1. Although the GLOBE research has resulted in a multitude of findings about perceptions of leadership in different cultures, this research does not provide a clear set of assumptions and propositions that can form a single theory about the way culture relates to leadership or influences the leadership process 2. A second criticism, more narrow in scope, concerns the way researchers have labeled and defined certain cultural dimensions and leadership behaviors -Because the meanings of these terms are somewhat vague, it is difficult at times to interpret or fully comprehend the findings about culture and leadership 3. Another criticism concerns the way in which leadership was conceptualized in the GLOBE studies -Research on how people from different cultures view leadership is valuable, but there is a need for further research on how leadership functions in different cultures 4. A related criticism concerns the way in which researchers in the GLOBE studies measured leadership -However, the subscales represented a very broad range of behaviors, and as a result compromised the precision and validity of the leadership measures 5. The GLOBE studies provide a provocative list of universally endorsed desirable and undesirable leadership attributes - The GLOBE studies tend to isolate a set of attributes that are characteristic of effective leaders without considering the influence of the situational effects

What are the criticisms of the research on culture and leadership?

1. The scope of this study is a major strength -For this study, data were collected by 170 social scientists, representing 62 countries from all regions of the world, and included responses from 17,300 managers in 951 organizations -The GLOBE project has been a massive undertaking 2. The findings from GLOBE are valuable because they emerge from a well-developed quantitative research design -The strength of the GLOBE project is that researchers used a quantitative design and administered standardized instruments to assess leadership and cultural dimensions in 62 countries 3. The GLOBE studies provide a classification of cultural dimensions that is more expansive than the commonly used Hofstede classification system -The GLOBE studies provide a broader and more elaborate way of describing dimensions of culture 4. The GLOBE studies provide useful information about what is universally accepted as good and bad leadership -These lists of positive and negative attributes provide a useful portrait of how people around the world conceptualize leadership 5. The study of culture and leadership underscores the complexity of the leadership process and how it is influenced by culture -There are many ways to view leadership and the integration of culture; studies of leadership help us to expand and develop a richer understanding of the leadership process

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Eastern Europe?

Autonomous Leadership Refers to independent and individualistic leadership, which includes being autonomous and unique

IDEAL Leadership Profile What is the ideal leadership profile for Germanic Europe?

Autonomous Leadership Refers to independent and individualistic leadership, which includes being autonomous and unique

What is the purpose of the GLOBE project

These studies are called the GLOBE studies, named for the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness research program The GLOBE studies have generated a very large number of findings on the relationship between culture and leadership The primary purpose of the project is to increase our understanding of cross-cultural interactions and the impact of culture on leadership effectiveness GLOBE researchers have used quantitative methods to study the responses of 17,000 managers in more than 950 organizations, representing 62 different cultures throughout the world GLOBE researchers have collected data in a variety of ways, including questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and content analysis of printed media GLOBE researchers identified nine cultural dimensions

9 Cultural Dimensions What is future orientation?

This concept refers to the extent to which people engage in future-oriented behaviors such as planning, investing in the future, and delaying gratification Future orientation emphasizes that people in a culture prepare for the future as opposed to enjoying the present and being spontaneous For example: Many Middle Eastern countries are "past-oriented," concerned with traditional values and ways of doing things They tend to be conservative in management and slow to change those things that are tied to the past Americans, on the other hand, believe they can plan and control the future and idealize change for the sake of changing

9 Cultural Dimensions What is institutional collectivism

This dimension describes the degree to which an organization or a society encourages institutional or societal collective action Institutional collectivism is concerned with whether cultures identify with broader societal interests rather than with individual goals and accomplishments For example: North Korea is an example of a culture with high institutional collectivism The people are ruled by a Supreme Leader who oversees the development of the country's values, which place a premium on collective efforts and nonmaterial incentives As a result, group cohesion and loyalty is strictly required. This adherence may come partly through fear: Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il has placed the military at the center of the efforts to instill these values throughout North Korean society

9 Cultural Dimensions What is performance orientation?

This dimension describes the extent to which an organization or a society encourages and rewards group members for improved performance and excellence Performance orientation is concerned with whether people in a culture are rewarded for setting and meeting challenging goals For example: Again, the United States is very high in performance orientation One only has to look at how the country's education department ranks schools as thriving or failing based on the results of standardized testing of students. If schools are not making the mark, there are interventions and programs to try to bring the scores up The United States also compares its academic success with that of other countries to see where it is falling short or succeeding

9 Cultural Dimensions What is gender egalitarianism?

This dimension measures the degree to which an organization or a society minimizes gender role differences and promotes gender equality Gender egalitarianism is concerned with how much societies deemphasize members' biological sex in determining the roles that members play in their homes, organizations, and communities For example: Sweden is considered to be one of the world's most gender-egalitarian countries, based on a firm belief that men and women should share power and influence equally An extensive welfare system makes it easier for both sexes to balance work and family life Contrast this with countries like Afghanistan where many girls are not allowed to go to school and are often killed for defying their families' wishes

9 Cultural Dimensions What is power distance?

This dimension refers to the degree to which members of a group expect and agree that power should be shared unequally Power distance is concerned with the way cultures are stratified, thus creating levels between people based on power, authority, prestige, status, wealth, and material possessions For example: India, which still operates under the caste system, is a good example of a country that has high power distance in that it sees power and authority as facts of life and that everyone has a "rightful place"

9 Cultural Dimensions What is in-group collectivism?

This dimension refers to the degree to which people express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organizations or families In-group collectivism is concerned with the extent to which people are devoted to their organizations or families For example: Many Middle Eastern cultures, such as Pakistan and Iran, are high in in-group collectivism They regard family and religious affiliation above all else; there are often honor killings of family members who have done something to disgrace or defy the paternal leader of the family

9 Cultural Dimensions What is assertiveness?

This dimension refers to the degree to which people in a culture are determined, assertive, confrontational, and aggressive in their social relationships Assertiveness is concerned with how much a culture or society encourages people to be forceful, aggressive, and tough, as opposed to encouraging them to be timid, submissive, and tender in social relationships For example: Germany is high in the assertiveness dimension In a study on upper-level managers in Germany, Brodbeck, Frese, and Javidan (2002) found that German managers used straightforward and direct language and that conflict and confrontational debate were acceptable approaches in a work environment

9 Cultural Dimensions What is uncertainty avoidance?

This dimension refers to the extent to which a society, an organization, or a group relies on established social norms, rituals, and procedures to avoid uncertainty Uncertainty avoidance is concerned with the way cultures use rules, structures, and laws to make things more predictable and less uncertain For example: Cultures that have a high tolerance for uncertainty, such as the United States, are more likely to have a thriving entrepreneurial culture, where individuals are willing to take risks and make quick business decisions