Cross Cultural Management National Culture

This document discusses the concept of cross cultural management and its impact on business. It analyzes the national culture differences between the USA and Tanzania using Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The document also includes a reflective essay on a group project related to the case study. Subject: Cross Cultural Management, Course Code: 1

Cross cultural Management -
National Culture
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
PODCAST..............................................................................................................................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................5
REFLECTIVE ESSAY..........................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Cross Culture Management can be referred to as the concept whereby management is
analysed in context of cross cultural scenario. This consists of the study of impact of culture of
society over business manager as well as their managerial practices. It also encompasses the
analysis of cultural orientation of business manager as well as the representatives of the
company. Cross culture management provides assistance to an entity in reconciling the
differences underlying between the national cultures of the host and domestic nation. Cultural
training is a way that can be adopted by organisations to equip the employees with knowledge of
the ways through which they can effectively deal with the differences lying amidst both the
regions.
The below mentioned report is based upon the analysis of a case study. The case study focuses
upon the company named Hydro Generation which is coming up with a dam construction project
within the confines of Tanzania. HG is based in USA which has a culture quite different from
that of Tanzania. The following project seeks to explore the national culture differences lying
between both the nations and the ways through which the company can deal with the same.
Further, the project also contains reflective account of the experiences drawn by an individual in
the group project.
PART 1
PODCAST
Hydro Generation is a business based in United States. The entity intends to facilitate
expansion within the confines of Tanzania by way of a carrying out a dam construction project
there. In this regard, it has been recognised that there were a number of issues that were
encountered by the company while carrying out activities in the new nation. One of the most
crucial issues in this regard was identified to be National Culture. The cultures of USA and
Tanzania are distinct which creates issues for the entity as well as the project manager who was
assigned the duty of looking upon the dam project within Tanzania.
Hofstede model of cultural dimensions is used to gain knowledge of the various aspects of
the national cultures of Tanzania and USA.
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Figure 1: Hofstede Culture Dimensions of US and Tanzania
(Source: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/tanzania,the-usa/)
PD: This can be defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions
and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
Tanzania having a score of 70 upon this aspect indicates that people of this nation require a
hierarchical order whereby everyone has placement and that requires no additional justifications.
This means that hereby the power is unequally dispersed. On the contrary, US scoring 40 in this
aspect reflect that the people hereby cannot tolerate the unequal distributions of power in
businesses or society.
Individualism: This aspect demonstrates the extent of interdependence that a society tends
to maintain within its individuals. Tanzania having a score of 25 indicates that the people of this
nation prefer to work in a collaborative manner. As opposed to this, US having a high score as 91
imply that people hereby like to work in an individualistic manner. They do not likelihood to
work in groups and prefer to give their individual motives and working patterns more importance
than the group objectives.
Masculinity: This aspect of national culture seeks to ascertain the driving factor for the
country, intending to become the best (Masculine) or possessing likelihood towards what is
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done. Tanzania scoring 40 upon this dimension indicates that it is a Feminine society. On the
contrary, US scoring 62 in this respect, is an indication of masculine features within the people
belonging to this nation.
UAI: This determines the extent to which the individuals belonging to a nation are
threatened by uncertain situations. Tanzania having a score of 50 upon this indicates that it is a
moderate country in respect of this dimension. Against this, US possessing 46 as the score
indicate that there is a moderate degree of acceptance in the individuals for new ideas, concepts
or thoughts.
LTO: This defines the ways through which society can maintain link with past while
tackling the issues of present time as well as future time. US having a score of 26 indicate that
Americans are prone to analyse new information to check whether it is true. On the other hand,
Tanzania scores 34 on this dimension, making it a normative, short-term oriented culture.
Indulgence: This defines the extent to which people try to exercise a control over their
desires and impulses. Having a low score of 38, it is determined that the culture of Tanzania is
characterized by Restraint. US possess a score of 68 on this dimension which imply that it is an
indulgent culture.
PART 2
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Below mentioned is the continuation of podcast assignment done upon the dam project of
Hydro Generation. It is the reflective account presented upon the group project done on the
podcast presentation. The overall gained by me as a result of going through the module and
thereby carrying out this assignment is presented beneath. For this purpose, I have made use of
Gibbs Reflective cycle that consists of a number of stages. These phases tend to provide an
overall explanation of the experiences gained and skills developed during the project.
Description:
This is identified to be the first phase of the model whereby an overview of the exact
situation is provided so as to develop an estimated idea of the experience that would be driven by
the individual. In this relation, I was given a group project to make a podcast upon certain topics.
This assignment was based upon the reading and analysis of a case study. The case study was
based on Hydro Generation which is an American organisation that intended to construct a dam
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in Tanzania. For this purpose, the entity sent one of the business managers to Tanzania so that he
could look upon all the tasks related to the dam project.
The topics upon which the podcast was to be made were actually issues that were
encountered by the concerned business manager within the confines of Tanzania. A number of
differences were recognised by the manager within the culture of USA and Tanzania. Amongst
all the topics or issues which to be covered within the podcast project of the group, I was allotted
to conduct study of the issue named “National Culture”. My tutor assigned me the role of team
leader and thus I was given to deal with the most important and crucial issues highlighted within
the case study, by my team members. My tutor considered me appropriate for making the team
leader of the group looking upon the tremendous networking and relationship I possessed with
my batch mates. Also, my effective leadership and soft skills made me compatible as being the
team leader for this project. Being the leader for the group project, I ensured that everyone in
team understood their roles in relation to the development of podcast. I assigned them the
timeline within which they were individually supposed to complete the work so that the
information could be compiled to make a single project and submit it to the tutor.
Feelings:
This is acknowledged to the second phase of the reflective cycle whereby an explanation
of all of the different types of feelings undergone by an individual are covered in an effective
manner. In relation to my overall experience during the collection and analysis of case study to
write down about the issue of national culture, it can be said that I was a bit nervous at the start.
This is so because my tutor displayed immense trust and thus placed the responsibilities of team
leader over me. In case I was not able to collect or analyse the information of my section, it
would disappoint my tutor and I did not want that to happen in any case. Thus, the burden of
team leader roles and responsibilities made me a bit restless and tensed at the beginning of the
project. However, as the time passed by and I read the case study, I observed that I could
comprehend the case study in the very first chance. This boosted my overall morale and instilled
a sense of self confidence within me in relation to my ability to collect and jot down things
related to the issue of national culture.
Furthermore, I had to arrange meetings of the group members in every 3 days to discuss
about any issues that the members encountered. This put some level of pressure upon me in
relation to ensuring that all the activities take place in a coordinated and synchronised manner.
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The overall group task tested my patience at a number of times. I could enhance my leadership
skills as a result of undergoing the whole project within a group and being the person responsible
for managing the things as whole. I kept the morale of my team members high at all the times so
that they do not become apprehensive regarding the submission of project by us before the time
of deadline.
Evaluation:
This is considered as the third phase whereby the critique of the overall experience driven
by an individual is done. In other words, it can be said that this stage includes the good as well as
the bad things related to the execution of the project. With respect to my experience in the
overall project, it can be said that I had an overall good experience. I learned a number of things
while conducting this project. I recognised the importance of interpersonal and public speaking
skills. Another good aspect related to the project was that I was able to meet the expectations of
my tutor within me by being a good leader and exercising absolute control and command over
the things taking place in the group. This project provided me with an opportunity to inflate my
existent skill set and make it compatible as per the group project requirements. However, amidst
so many of the positives, I even acknowledged certain negative aspects. The first one was the
emergence of conflicts within the members of the group during the second meeting. Also, there
were come coordination issues between some of the members due to past class clashes between
them. Being a leader, it was important for me to reconcile their differences in order to make sure
that the group project could be completed in a timely manner without any kind of difficulties. I
talked to the members personally and sorted their differences so that the group could work
effectively in a collaborative manner for the group project.
The overall experience of working as a team leader helped me in enhancing my soft
skills. I was the one responsible for managing all the activities and prioritising them as per their
importance. This helped me in inculcating time management skills. Further, by reconciling the
differences underlying between my team members, I could develop conflict resolution and
problem solving skills. One negative experience drawn by me related to my skill set was my
ineffective technical skills. Due to this, I faced difficulty in collecting information by way of
internet. But I sought help from one of my team members regarding the same and he informed
me how to surf the internet and the sources which could be used to collect information related to
the podcast project based on the case study of Hydro Generation. As a result of this, I was able to
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develop technical skills which would provide aid to me in carrying out future assignments in an
effective manner.
Conclusion:
This being the fourth phase gives an overall conclusion of the experiences and learning
drawn by an individual owing to the execution of an event or an activity. In accordance with my
experience with the project, I can say that it helped me to develop some skills such as time
management, critical thinking, problem solving, conflict resolution, technical and leadership.
Further, it can be inferred that I developed as a leader owing to the overall experience of working
in a team. This would provide aid to me in acing all the group tasks in future course of time. The
project made me realise that communication and coordination are the key to working in a group.
Action Plan:
This being the last phase of the reflective cycle is concerned with the stipulation of an
appropriate plan for undergoing a similar situation or activity in future course of time. In relation
to my experience, I can say that the project gave me the opportunity to develop my technical,
problem solving and conflict resolution skills. Whenever I will get a group project in future
course of time or during my employment, I would leverage these skills to attain success and
accomplish the milestones set at the start of the activity. Further, I will make efforts to remain a
little strict with the members of my team in future so that the work can be executed in a
disciplined manner without any kind of discrepancies.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above discussion, it can be said that cross culture management is crucial
for each and every organisation. This is because the prime intent of every corporation is to attain
growth and development by seeking entry into maximum possible number of countries. The
differences underlying between the host and domestic nation need to be reconciled by the
company in an effective manner so as to ensure that there are no discrepancies or adversities
faced by the organisation in the new location. Further, the employees need to be provided with
cultural training in order to equip them with knowledge about the culture of new nation, the
differences underlying between both the national cultures and the ways through which such
differences can be reconciled by staff. In addition to this, it is acknowledged that the entity
should hire employees in the new country on the basis of their skills and competence rather than
by giving importance to their acquaintances or family members.
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REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Bird, A. and Mendenhall, M. E., 2016. From cross-cultural management to global leadership:
Evolution and adaptation. Journal of World Business. 51(1). pp.115-126.
Dietz, J. and et. al., 2017. Cross-cultural management education rebooted. Cross Cultural &
Strategic Management.
Gelfand, M. J. and et. al., 2017. Cross-cultural industrial organizational psychology and
organizational behavior: A hundred-year journey. Journal of Applied
Psychology. 102(3). p.514.
Lifintsev, D. S. and Canavilhas, J., 2017. Cross-cultural management: obstacles for effective
cooperation in multicultural environment.
Mahadevan, J., 2017. A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about cross-
cultural management. Sage.
Romani, L. and et. al., 2018. Cross-cultural management studies: state of the field in the four
research paradigms. International Studies of Management & Organization. 48(3).
pp.247-263.
Romani, L., Mahadevan, J. and Primecz, H., 2018. Critical cross-cultural management: outline
and emerging contributions. International Studies of Management &
Organization. 48(4). pp.403-418.
Tenhiälä, A. and et. al., 2016. The Research‐Practice gap in human resource management: A
Cross‐Cultural study. Human Resource Management. 55(2). pp.179-200.
Thomas, D. C. and Peterson, M. F., 2016. Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts. Sage
Publications.
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