GLOBE: A twenty-year journey into culture and leadership

Culture

Different countries or regions around the world tend to be characterized by different shared values, beliefs, norms, and practices (Dorfman et al., 2012). Simply, culture differs from country to country, or region to region. These differences mean that behavioral tendencies often differ from culture to culture. Indeed, the underlying national or societal culture significantly influences how individuals behave (Dorfman et al., 2012). It dictates how people interact and communicate with one another. For instance, Anglo-Americans tend to behave differently from Africans or Asians. Generally, Anglo-Americans are characterized by low power distance in the sense that recognition is informed by one's accomplishments as opposed to their authority or status. This is unlike Africans or Asians, where there is clear recognition of status and power (high power distance). Accordingly, a leader or a manager in an Anglo-American culture would tend to forge a more participative and democratic style of leadership or management, often giving subordinates an opportunity to participate in decision-making. Nonetheless, a leader in an African or Asian setting would interact with subordinates in a more autocratic style. The leader would expect subordinates to follow instructions without questioning. This clearly shows how culture shapes relationships, interactions, and behavior.

Question 2

Culture also influences interpersonal behavior (Dorfman et al., 2012). It may influence the extent to which individuals value interpersonal harmony, or have emotional involvement with others around them. In an African setting, for example, a great deal of premium is placed on human interdependence, meaning that individuals strive to maintain harmony with one another in every instance of social interaction (Dorfman et al., 2012). Simply, people tend to identify with groups such as family, clan, and tribe. As a result, individuals tend to be more emotionally involved in the lives of their group members. In the workplace, for instance, individuals have a tendency of wanting to know how their colleagues or business partners are doing in their non-work lives, such as family and relationships. Moreover, there is a tendency of avoiding conflict as harmony is valued more than anything else. Interpersonal relationships in an individualistic society, however, tend to be different as individuals rarely identify with groups. In an Anglo-American workplace, for instance, an individual would expect colleagues to only discuss matters relating to work. They will rarely engage in conversations about family and other emotional aspects. Additionally, the tendency to avoid conflict is less as interpersonal harmony is not given much premium.

Question 3

Though cultural behaviors tend to be deeply embedded in people's or groups' lives, they can be changed. For instance, contact with individuals from a different culture can cause one's behavior to change. The Ecuadorian government initiated a campaign to eliminate the tendency of lateness in meetings and social events. Like in most non-Western cultures, arriving late for a meeting or a social event is a widely acceptable norm. Nonetheless, simply because it's a norm, it does not necessarily make it right. Not everyone may subscribe to cultural norms, especially when the norms have no place in today's world. Lateness is a behavior that cannot be tolerated in a world where agility is important. Therefore, the campaign was intended to change the attitudes of the Ecuadorian society towards time. The importance of punctuality in today's world cannot be overemphasized. The campaign is an example of a relational mental model. The campaign would permit the Ecuadorian people to develop shared expectations about the character of social interactions and appropriate behaviors. It is not right to assume that simply because a behavior is acceptable in one society it will be acceptable in another, or universally. Thus, with altered relational mental models with respect to punctuality norms, individuals now understand the importance of punctuality.

Question 4

Communication styles may generally be classified as low-context or high-context. In the latter, communication tends to be implicit in the sense that most things may be left unspoken. Individuals are expected to make sense of communication by attending to interpersonal and contextual cues. The use of implicit communication in high-context culture is often informed by the fact that some things are expected to be universally known to all members of a certain group or society. In such a culture, interpersonal relationships are highly valued. China is an ideal example of a high-context culture. Here, the use of implicit communication is common. This is unlike in a low-context culture such as the U.S. In a low-context culture, assumptions are rarely made in communication. Since individuals do not identify with groups, it is generally not expected that there are cues known to everyone. As a result, communication tends to be explicit, straightforward, and to the point.

Question 5

The continuum of high-context and low-context communication brings to the fore the continuum of direct and indirect communication. In a high-context culture, communication can be said to be indirect. It is implicit. Indirect communication means that individuals are usually not expected to be assertive, aggressive, or confrontational when communicating. Indeed, yelling and other negative expressions may often be interpreted as rudeness or impoliteness. This explains why saying "Yes" may not necessarily mean agreement with an idea. One may say so for the sake of harmony or avoiding conflict. Direct communication on the other hand tends to be explicit, precise, and honest. In a direct communication culture, it is common for people to express assertiveness when communicating. In addition, saying "Yes" strictly means agreement with an idea. These differences can present a major challenge in a cross-cultural setup. Without an understanding of the differences, communication between individuals from the two conflicting cultures may not be effective.

Reference

Dorfman, P., Javidan, M., Hanges, P., Dastmalchian, A., & House, R. (2012). GLOBE: A twenty-year journey into the intriguing world of culture and leadership. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 504-518.