Cultural Values

7 Key excerpts on "Cultural Values"

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  A Global View on Intercultural Management

  Challenges in a Globalized World

  • Jürgen Rothlauf(Author)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • De Gruyter Oldenbourg

    (Publisher)

  Genesis, looking to this burgeoning sector of the consulting business to reverse a string of losses, drums up business by holding roundtable discussions with small and medium-sized firms interested into the Chinese market. From those roundtables, companies eventually come forward with business proposals for China. It can take a while, though. Take Custom Biologicals, a Boca Raton firm that makes biological agents for environmental cleanup. Company officials went to China 18 months ago and had meetings that Genesis arranged with Chinese businessmen. Custom Biologicals is still waiting for a deal to materialize, but Chief Executive Clarence Baugh is not giving up. “Chinese business is quite different. It is slower paced,” he said. Viragen, a Plantation-based biotechnology firm, began working with Genesis in January 2003 to find Chinese distributors for a disease-fighting drug called Multiferon. After a year of meetings with Genesis and prospective Chinese partners and a slight interruption form the SARS outbreak, Viragen is close to forging distribution agreements, said Viragen Executive Vice President Mel Rothberg. “They go through a certain protocol of consensus. They will retest their thinking to validate it,” Rothberg said. “If you can identify the best person to champion your program, you’ll get the fastest track. You have to be patient.” In China, business mannerisms make a difference. A premium is placed on politeness and process, even down to the presentation of a business card. “If you don’t have a business card in Chinese, you are immediately recognized as unknowledg-able,” Rothberg said.

    In: The Herald, Miami, 1 March 2004, p. 9

  4.1 Values and responsibilities

  As technology continues to transform national and international working environments, involving more people from different cultural background, the values, beliefs and ideologies of individual employees, consumers and other “constituents” have gained assumed added importance for the management. In order to understand cultural groups, the centrality of Cultural Values is vital. The word “value” has different meanings in English, depending on the context in which it is used (McEwan, 2001, p. 45). It may describe a thing’s worth, desirability, usefulness, or qualities which influence these judgements.

  Four different types of values can be distinguished (Rokeach, 1973, p. 17):

  • Moral values – concern interpersonal behavior, e.g. being honest is desirable.
  • Competence values – concern one’s own valuation of one’s own behavior, e.g. behaving imaginatively is desirable.
  • Personal values – concern the goals or terminal states that are desirable for oneself, e.g. peace of mind.
  • Social values – concern the goals that one would desire for the whole society, e.g. world peace is desirable.

  The first two types in this list concern instrumental values that are about how a person should live and behave. The latter two are terminal values that concern the goals or purposes that we should be striving for.

  In economics, value refers to the purchasing power of goods or services to acquire something else. In general, values are described as ideas how people should live and the goals they should seek. They are shared by a majority of people within a community or society. They are simply expressed generalities, often no more than single words such as peace and honesty. As they are very broad, they do not give guidance on how particular things should be evaluated (Fisher/Lovell, 2003, p. 111). In other words: values are the most deeply felt beliefs shared by a cultural group; they reflect a shared perception of what ought to be, and not what is. Equality, for example, is a value shared by many people in the United States. It refers to the belief that all humans are created equal, even though we must acknowledge that,

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  Cross Cultural Competence

  A Field Guide for Developing Global Leaders and Managers

  • Simon L. Dolan, Kristine Marin Kawamura(Authors)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Emerald Group Publishing Limited

    (Publisher)

  Summarized from Managing by Values (2006). 166 Cross Cultural Competence EXERCISE Influences on Your Organization ’ s Values (30 minutes) Purpose: To describe how organizational values are formed from a complex set of interweaving national/societal-, industry-, and firm-level variables, reflecting on how they have influenced the type of organizational culture and set of values you perceive exist in your firm For this exercise, pass out the following handout and ask participants to write down answers to the questions. HANDOUT Nation and Society The cultural tradition of each society: • What are the mainstream culture(s) and tradition(s) of the society in which your firm ’ s headquarters is located? Identify them, and then attempt to characterize each with three phrases. • What significant rules or guiding principles are associated with the country ’ s primary culture and tradition? To what extent do they enter organizational life? How do they guide people ’ s behavior in organiza-tions? In families? In relationships? The prevailing social values of the period: • What social values or practices strongly influence your organization, work behavior, and time right now? Explore the social values involved in the following areas: Technology/information Relationships and family ( Continued ) Knowing and Aligning Cultural Values 167 ( Continued ) Money and materiality Communication and expression Work/life balance The existing legislation: • Gather this information from the previous exercise when participants were asked to explore the constitution of their country of origin. The Industry Rules of the game in particular markets: • In what industry (or industries) does your organization compete? • What forces drive competition and change in the industry? 8 For each area, describe some of the rules of the game or practices that provide evidence for your answer.

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  Global Collaboration: Intercultural Experiences and Learning

  • Martine Cardel Gertsen, A. Søderberg, M. Zølner(Authors)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • Palgrave Macmillan

    (Publisher)

  This influence manifested itself by a way of functioning that associates intense mutual assistance with a high identification with the company, which contrasts sharply with the way Mexican companies usually work. However, in the specific way in which it established its relationships both within the company and between the company and its environ- ment, its way of working was typically Mexican. The company between values and cultures Values, national cultures and company cultures In countries whose culture significantly differs from the parent company’s culture, the difficulty in understanding how the values of a company can be welcomed in its subsidiaries originates in the most common representation of the way culture, values and practices relate to each other. According to this representation, a culture, be it corpo- rate or national, corresponds to common behaviours based on common values. Therefore, one may assume that when a company settles in a country, both culture types are in competition, bringing about the ques- tion of which will prevail: the local culture, with its specific behaviours and values, or the corporate culture? According to this common repre- sentation, the clash will be more or less harsh depending on the extent of the culture gap. The greater the gap in behaviours and values, the greater the difficulty in bridging it (Kostova & Roth, 2002). Hence it is supposed that Western companies must choose between assuming the role of conqueror and imposing company values, and a more concilia- tory approach that respects local values. But, as a matter of fact, what is specific to a company and what is specific to a country are very different Cultural Translation of Corporate Values 133 in nature. A culture cannot be assimilated into values and practices. One culture is compatible with very diverse values and practices, and one value is compatible with very diverse practices, depending on the culture.

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  Corporate Social Entrepreneurship

  Integrity Within

  • Christine A. Hemingway(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Cambridge University Press

    (Publisher)

  part ii Personal values and corporate social entrepreneurship 4 The relationship between personal values and behaviour Personal values have been acknowledged as important components in the process of human perception (England 1967), not least because of their connection to our our emotions and our social norms (Jacob, Flink and Schuchman, 1962). This indicates the significance of values as an integral facet of human decision making (March and Simon, 1958: 11). In what follows, a value is defined as a cognitive struc- ture which combines with our emotion and plays a pivotal role in our decision making and subsequent actions. Here we see parallels with personality characteristics, although personal values are defined by scholars as standards of conduct. This connects the study of value with ideas about morality, including virtue ethics theory. Moreover, some scholars differentiate between a personality characteristic or trait and a personal value on the basis of what is thought to be the more enduring nature of personality compared with values. This is a moot point, however, with relatively little empirical investigation of values in business and management compared with the vast literature on personality. Furthermore, a personal value, or standard of conduct, is thought to function as part of our survival mechanisms, driving behaviour as an expression of the self and also in the interest of the wel- fare of the group. Hence the notion of individualistic and collectivistic values emerges in both psychology and sociology. However, whilst the individual is likely to possess a combination of values, the idea of either dominant individualistic or collectivistic values that emerge in particular circumstances has significant support in the social psy- chology literature.

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  Communicating in Global Business Negotiations

  A Geocentric Approach

  • Jill E. Rudd, Diana R. Lawson(Authors)
  • 2007(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications, Inc

    (Publisher)

  83 4 Influence of Cultural Goals and Values T he foundation of who we are as individuals and as members of a group is initiated at birth and continues to be developed through-out our lives. This foundation is our culture. It guides how we think, what we believe, how we behave, and how we react. It is one of the main ingredients in our development as a member of our local as well as the global society. What complicates cultural understanding is its stealthlike nature; we know it is there, because it manifests itself in our behaviors, but we can’t see the internal workings or engine that creates those behaviors. Cultural learning occurs at a subconscious level. Norms and behaviors are absorbed through subconscious interaction with others within one’s environment. In most cultures, families are the initial and primary teachers of culture. From an early age, we learn appropriate behaviors for interacting with others, what is considered to be right or wrong, and how to behave in a variety of situations. Unless consciously challenged to cognitively think about the “whys” of our behaviors, most people do not question them. ❖ ❖ ❖ From a business perspective, our behaviors are guided by the country’s cultural behaviors as they are interpreted and manifested by the culture within a business organization. Individuals who work within an organization usually adapt their business-related behaviors to fit the organization’s culture. Thus, when dealing with culture as it affects business interactions, two levels of culture must be considered: the individual’s culture and the organization’s culture. Within a country, cultural adjustment takes place primarily at a subconscious level—we imitate others. Crossing cultural boundaries, however, creates a more complicated challenge and requires cognitive understanding, aware-ness, and flexibility at both levels.

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  Management of Organizational Culture as a Stabilizer of Changes

  Organizational Culture Management Dilemmas

  • Ibrahiem M. M. El Emary, Anna Brzozowska, Dagmara Bubel(Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  The condition for employing the methods of organizational management that are adequate to new situations is fundamental cultural change, which involves a shift from an organizational culture that promotes uncertainty avoidance to a culture that facilitates high tolerance of uncertainty. An organization can be expected to be able to cope with uncertainty and not treat it as something highly stressful or paralyzing its activities. It is claimed that cultural stereotypes can be a significant obstacle in implementing desirable changes. It is important to make sure that the shift in culture towards high tolerance of uncertainty does not result in new stereotypes established in place of the old ones, but in a critical approach to stereotypes generally. Organizational culture, even one undergoing change and transformation, should constitute a relatively stable anchor for an organization defining the area and style of its functioning (Bruhn, Meffert, and Hadwich 2019, pp. 945–1016).

  The processes of organizational culture formation take place through acceptance of solutions that allow the organization to better cope with difficulties. When the proposed solutions are effective, the group consciously accepts the values related to them. Perceived successes determine acceptance and assimilation of the successful elements of culture. Over time, such values are accepted as natural and gradually removed from the consciousness. They become well rooted in the subconscious of the organizational members. Thus, the elements of culture that have been confirmed by experience achieve the status of its real components. This is experience gained during group problem-solving.

  3.2 Diversity of Cultural Values in Organizations In the Context of Changes

  The diversity of preferred social, economic and political values definitely has implications for management, in both homogeneous and heterogeneous environments. Cultural diversity, which also determines organizational culture in organizations, focuses around economic issues, such as the attitude to wealth and the approach to entrepreneurship, profit or unemployment, analyzed from the perspective of religion. Preferred social, economic and political values espoused by the followers of different religions are also very important. Therefore, it is necessary to create a concept of cultural diversity management in organizations that allows them to maximize the benefits of diversity and minimize the burdens. The idea of diversity management is, as it were, a response to the requirements of the environment, when organizations operate in a global environment. Cultural diversity is a double-edged weapon for an organization, as it can help it to gain a competitive edge, but it can also be a factor leading to numerous failures. It can be a precious resource contributing to an organization’s success, and at the same time a source of many conflicts, caused, among other things, by misunderstandings during contacts between members of differing groups.

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  Humanistic Business

  Profit through People with Passion and Purpose

  • Todd Hutchison, Carl Lyons, Gary de Rodriguez(Authors)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • A&C Black Business Information and Development

    (Publisher)

  The current exter-nal pressures in our society are therefore helpful in changing our perspective. Real change will only come about by leaders at every level in the organisation recalibrating the culture that pervades every activity. This is not about just realigning visions and mission statements, although that will be part of the wider change process, it is about a fundamental change in the prevailing behaviour so it aligns with our 36 Humanistic Business values. Part of the challenge of this process is that the current leaders often thrived in the old order. But the move towards authenticity eventually becomes the main strength of an organisation that devel-ops in this way. By defining, guiding and developing culture through behaviour and clear leadership, it will provide a uniqueness that is difficult to replicate. Even if a competitor sets out to model and copy your systems and methodology, the result will be entirely different because success is built upon values, behaviour and cultural integrity rather than proce-dures and mechanical methods. A humanistic business approach brings the people and life to otherwise stagnating policies, procedures, information systems and processes. KEY LESSONS 1. Brand energy is the demonstration of organisational values and gives the company a non-replicable competitive edge in the market. 2. Values are the foundation to everything that drives us. 3. When our values, strategies and actions towards our purpose are aligned, we are operating with integrity. 4. Corporate purpose is defined by values and must be strong enough to attract and align everything and everyone to that purpose. 5. A business that is not evolving and changing is stagnating and dying. 6. When organisations evolve beyond survival thinking, they become concerned with questions of meaning, purpose, impact and legacy. 7. When alignment of values is created between all stakeholders, profits soar.

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