Cultural Comparisons and Management Functions This Paper

Cultural Comparisons and Management Functions

This paper examines cultural comparisons and discusses how an American manager carries out management functions in the process of supervising German employees. With respect to individualism vs. collectivism, both Germany and the U.S. score high in individualism, that is, the degree to which individuals further their own interests. However, according to Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions, Germany's score of 67 ranks far enough below the U.S. score of 91 that the manager should expect differences in their approaches to working together in teams for instance. German employees would have only a moderate amount of group cohesion, with only a moderate amount of interpersonal connection and sharing of responsibility.

For the American manager, the two country's respective scores indicate that the manager should expect his or her German employees to be less individualistic than their manager. The manager should place a relatively high value on people's time and need for freedom and should acknowledge accomplishments. The manager should also respect the employees' privacy, and should expect that employees will enjoy challenges and rewards for hard work. The manager should also encourage debate and expression of ideas.

For Hofstede's power distance index, Germany rates 35 while the U.S. rates 40. This index measures the extent to which less powerful members of an organization accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The U.S. shows a more unequal distribution of wealth as compared with Germany, although the two indices are not that far apart. The American manager should recognize that German employees expect flatter organizations, and that supervisors and employees are nearly considered equals. Hofstede's analysis shows that the manager should use a team approach, and involve as many people as possible in the decision making process.

As for risk-taking and risk averse behavior, the U.S. And Germany rate 46 and 65 respectively for uncertainty avoidance. This index concerns the amount of anxiety that a society's members feel when dealing with uncertain or unknown situations. Germany's higher score, which is still near the middle, indicates that they are more governed by rules and order and tend to avoid ambiguous situations when possible.

Hofstede's analysis indicates that German employees are used to formal business conduct with lots of rules and policies, and that they need and expect more structure than their American manager is used to working with. German employees are less likely to value differences and are less inclined to take risks. The American manager should be clear, specific, and concise when discussing expectations and parameters and should not expect German employees to feel particularly comfortable with taking on high-risk projects. The manager should know that employees expect more in the way of planning and preparation and communication from their manager, and in providing them with detailed plans that focus on the tactical aspects of their job or projects.