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Cultural Analysis What Values, Attitudes

Last reviewed: August 2, 2013 ~12 min read

Cultural Analysis

What values, attitudes and behaviors of yours (that is -- your culture) might clash with the chosen culture?

Butler (2012) in his investigation directs out the subsequent aspects about Indian civilization and attitude and the errors one should keep away from. One should keep away from arrangement of meetings on or close to a national vacation in India. Timeliness for meetings is not a main concern of Indians. If you are fifteen minutes not on time, it will be barely noticed.

When going inside a meeting, a handshake is suitable for greeting a male associate. Handshake with a woman is not suggested unless it is started by the woman. If you feel as if shaking hands is inappropriate, it is secure to make use of Namaste.

This is a conventional Indian greeting where the person brings the palms jointly at the chest with a small bend over of the head. The conferences should primary start off with some kind of discussion. Do not anticipate getting directly into business. Indians are fond of taking the time to get to be acquainted with you.

When calling an Indian you should use the suitable title with the last name. When you become acquainted with them on an individual level is when you can use their first name. They do normally do business with people that they recognize and trust, which include building an association with you initially. When having "little talk," keep away from private questions.

Discuss the chosen culture applying the Values Orientation Dimensions found in Table1-3 on page 22 in Adler as they apply to your chosen culture?

As far as the individuals are concerned they are more inclined towards good and evil as both the kinds persist in the Indian culture as any other culture and they are more towards the subjugation as there society can be thought of more as a suppressed one. But these days we can see them coming towards the dominating side of the world as they slowly make progress towards it. Human relations are more of hierarchical as power plays a very important role in their society and social status, they people in India are very particular about the level of hierarchy and that is the reason it is a good idea to call them with the appropriate salutation or the designation one holds so that they do not get offended (Alder and Gundersen, 2007).

Also another major factor as far as human relations are concerned and they have more of a controlling nature and there is a lot of male dominance in the society as females does not the equal amount of rights as compared to the male members of the society (Alder and Gundersen, 2007).

They are more concerned about the future as plan a lot of things ahead. Plus they focus on the past as well. The gatherings at atmosphere are more of a public one but in some places or regions it can be private too, mostly the upper class (Alder and Gundersen, 2007).

What would be the most appropriate managerial/leadership style to utilize in this culture and why?

Indians find it extremely hard to say, 'no' and they actually feel that to do so will be unpleasant and direct towards hard ongoing relationships plus they pay a lot of attention towards interpersonal relationships. According to the theory of contingency by Fiedler there can be no single management style that can be most suitable for this culture as far as the leadership is concerned (Doh and Luthans, 2009).

Different situations can be handled by using different approaches and styles. For instance, in an extremely mechanistic setting where recurring tasks are the standard, a relatively ruling leadership style may result in the best outcome by the people, however, in an active setting a more supple, participative approach may be necessary (Doh and Luthans, 2009).

Fiedler investigated three settings that could describe the state of a managerial task (Doh and Luthans, 2009):

Leader member relations: How good do the manager and the employees get along?

Task structure: Is the job extremely prearranged, fairly unstructured, or somewhere in between?

Position power: How much power does the manager possess?

What stereotypes might one have of this culture (as a person from the U.S.A.) that would hurt one's effectiveness, and what stereotypes would help one's effectiveness?

As far as the acceptance is concerned being a foreigner woman will make it difficult for you to being accepted by Indians especially if you are somewhere in the middle or higher management. The society is more inclined towards the inequalities of the power and wealthy people as compared to social equality (Mahoney, 2001).

Then on top of it there are gender inequalities in the nation, they are more inclined towards the concept of value of a group as compared to individuality. The most appropriate and acceptable public behavior is to do Namastay and it is also the safest way to get along plus shaking hands with women is not considered appropriate as it includes physical touch. The business attire of a visiting business associate or business woman is more appropriate to be traditional, however not formal, dress is sensible (Shabshelowitz, 2007).

Pant-suits or long skirts, under the knees, are good enough. Neck lines of blouses should be high. To wear an Indian business dress recognized as a salwar-suit is pleasing and seen as a sign of acquaintance. Since cows are thought of to be holy, it is best to abstain from use of leather belts or handbags etc. As far as business lunch is considered one should be very careful due to the religious variety, it is always good to check the dietary limits of the attendees. As a universal guideline the Muslims do not eat pork, Hindus do not eat beef, the Jains do not eat onions, garlic, potatoes, and other things grown beneath the ground and drinking alcohol is satisfactory only on very few occasions and is not a broad norm (Shabshelowitz, 2007).

If there are specific words or ideas that one would not be wise to use or address in that culture, include this information.

Even though Hindi is the administrator language of India, English is normally used in business, education, and politics. Some civilizing differences in communication include (Shabshelowitz, 2007):

Avoiding the utilization of the word "no" due to its unenthusiastic and cruel implication.

As an alternative Indians prefer responses like "maybe" or "I'll try"

Don't use the word "Thank you" after a feast

Always use designations as chain of command is very significant

Naming fluctuates by district and custom so a name may comprise of a family title, centre name, or neither.

In an industry setting little talk is thought to be a way of making relationships and trust

Indians are very open and it is not infrequent for unknown people to start up a talk or to ask very individual questions.

Asking about one's relatives is always delightful

Open difference is circumvented so it is significant to look for more circuitous methods of argument

Topics that must be avoided comprise of Pakistan and slums or deficiency

Popular topics of chat include, habits or inheritance, family, cricket, films, and Indian economic reforms (Shabshelowitz, 2007).

Politics is an additional popular topic and Indians are very well-informed and fervent about politics although they will also differ by region, so only enter a discussion on politics if you are well knowledgeable (Butler, 2012).

What techniques for motivating the employees in the chosen culture would be most appropriate and why?

It is extensively understood that inspiration of employees is gainful for companies, but it is difficult to attain something in practically than to state it in presumption. That is why; both hypothetical and realistic approaches have to be evaluated.

By bearing in mind diverse motivational theories, barely can be illustrious which one is the mainly advantageous.

Almost certainly the answer is to take out the most precious features of each one and unite them. Starting with Maslow's famous theory of hierarchy of needs, who suggests that a human being has five levels of needs- psychological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem and self-actualisation on the top (Boddy, 2008).

Beginning with pleasing the basic psychological needs as food and water, the propensity is to continue pleasing the second set of needs after that. This run through continues in anticipation of the top of this hierarchy. Consequently, to inspire an individual Maslow suggests that it is essential for managers to be acquainted with where within the ladder each employee is located so that these points can noticed and dealt with. This dispute can be difficult because it needs a close inspection for managers to find out where precisely are their employees located and decide how in fact they are going to encourage them (Boddy, 2008).

An additional presumption used in practice is the goal setting theory of Edwin Locke who says that demanding goals lead to superior levels of presentation than easy or straightforward goals but it is required for them to be set obviously, or else employees might get confused or unenthusiastic which in most cases will effect in reduced performance (Boddy, 2008).

Also reception of criticism and feedback is necessary since it contains information that can assist people to achieve the necessary goal.

What is further important is that, by giving subordinates feedback will make them feel that they are part of the work process; consequently they fight back to complete the job systematically (Boddy, 2008).

In my view this is the mainly sensible theory but its disadvantage is that every so often bosses tend to set too hard goals which are unclear or out of employees' strength and capabilities.

The theory is vital of course, but extra hands-on approach is essential to encourage employees in the work procedure. For example, programs like Forrest hills done in the Lancaster University can be helpful for organizations to apply if they want to motivate their employees to the most (Boddy, 2008).

How might your own culture's version of ethical behavior clash with the ethical standards of the chosen culture (assume your culture is the U.S.A.)? How should/could one deal with this?

India is a very conventional country, and it was first recognized almost about more than the five thousand years before. India has a long heritage of food shortage, and that is why the Indian feel such pleasure in food at any time they be given the opportunity. The Indian consider that it is a form of disregard if you do not rejoice this occasion of the year with a diversity of brilliant and delicious foods. Whenever it comes to acquaintances, Indian citizens do not usually go out looking for relations with individuals (World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, 2008).

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References
7 sources cited in this paper
  • Adler, N. and Gundersen, A. (2007). International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior 5th ed. Cengage Learning Publications.
  • Butler, P. (2012). India Business Etiquette, Manners, Cross Cultural Communication, and Geert Hofstede Analysis. International Business Etiquette and Manners. Cyborlink http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/india.htm
  • Boddy, D. (2008). Management: An Introduction. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
  • Doh, J., and Luthans, F. (2009). International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behavoir. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
  • Mahoney, D., Trigg, M., Griffin, R & Pustey, M., (2001). International Business, A Managerial Perspective, 2nd edn, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
  • World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. (2008). Doing Business 2009 – Country Report: India, Washington.
  • Shabshelowitz, E. (2007). Opening for business in India: retailers' options. Suffolk Transnational Law Review.
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