Unit 5

Management and Cultural Diversity

Body Language

In your country or culture, is it considered acceptable to:

Gesticulate (make hand and arm movements) while you talk?

Move very close to someone as you talk to them?

Touch someone on the arm as you speak to them?

Blow your nose in public? Look at someone in the eye for a long time

while talking to them? Look at someone in the eyes for a long time

while they are talking to you? Laugh loudly at work, and in meetings?

Corporate Culture

In your company, is it acceptable to: Show that you are emotionally involved in

your work? Make eye contact with hierarchical

superiors? Wear fairly casual clothes to work? Make jokes in meetings? Disagree with superiors in meetings?

Occasionally arrive late for work or meetings?

Socialize with superiors and/or subordinates?

What nationality could the managers below typically be?

1.I want to get this contract signed fast and get the plane home.

2. If I go on selling like this, I’ll earn more than the boss! I can’t let that happen!

3. What an awful idea—reporting to two different bosses!

4. There’s no hurry! Tonight, you can come and eat at my house, and tomorrow we’ll play golf!

5. He looks much too young to be doing a major deal like this!

Warm-up Questions

Have you got any experience of working in a multinational company?

What’s the difference between working in local and in foreign-founded enterprises?

There is the culture conflicts between Eastern and Western countries. Could you give some examples?

2 different cultures

Individualists (Universalists): North Atlantic cultures, including North America and Northwest Europe, such as Canada, the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, etc.

Collectivists ( Particularists): Latin and Asian cultures, including South America, Southern Europe, such as Japan, Chili, Greek, Italy, Singapore, Indonesia, etc..

Types of culture North Atlantic culture Latin and Asian culture

countries North America and Northwest Europe, such as Canada, the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, etc.

Latin and Asian cultures, including South America, Southern Europe, such as Japan, Chili, Greek, Italy, Singapore, Indonesia, etc..

Names Individualists（个人主义者） /Universalists（普遍论者）

Collectivists （集体主义者） /Particularists(具体论者 )

Status acquired by good work performance Working experience

Age young Old but with a long working experience

Characteristics Young, inexperienced, dynamic, aggressive, well-educated (with MBA)

Seniority, experienced

Matrix Management suitable unsuitable

Ways of doing business Fair to everyone Friends first

Pay-for-performance popular unpopular

Management based on Analysis, rationality, logic and systems Personal relations, intuition, emotion and sensitivity

Questions

Which culture do you think is the best? How glocalization (=globalization +localizati

on) can be achieved? If you were a manager in the MNCs (multi-n

ational companies), how would you manage the company ?