Dr. Greg Waddell
Director of Institutional Improvement
Mid-South Christian College
Memphis, TN
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Why different
groups think and
act so differently
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“A pattern of shared basic assumptions
that the group learned as it solved its
problems of external adaptation and
internal integration”
‒ Schein,1992, p. 12
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4
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4
Conflicts over goals
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4
Conflicts over goals
Impatience or lack of time
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4
Conflicts over goals
Impatience or lack of time
Conflicting values
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4
Conflicts over goals
Impatience or lack of time
Conflicting values
Ambiguous structure
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4
Conflicts over goals
Impatience or lack of time
Conflicting values
Ambiguous structure
Lack of a Framework
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Power Distance
1
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
Uncertainty Avoidance
3
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
Uncertainty Avoidance
3
Time Orientation
4
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
Uncertainty Avoidance
3
Time Orientation
4
Human Nature
5
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
Uncertainty Avoidance
3
Time Orientation
4
Human Nature
5
Being-Doing
6
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Power Distance
1
Individualism-Collectivism
2
Uncertainty Avoidance
3
Time Orientation
4
Human Nature
5
Being-Doing
6
Verbal-Contextual
7
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Power Distance
1
“The extent to which the less
powerful members of institutions and
organizations within a country expect
and accept that power is distributed
unequally.”
―Geert Hofstede
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2
For Latin
Americans …
the group is more
important than
the individual.
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2
For Latin
Americans …
the group is more
important than
the individual.
“In a collectivist society a relationship of trust should
be established with another person before any
business can be done” (Hofstede, 2005, pp. 102-103).
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2
For North
Americans …
the individual is
more important
than the group.
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2
For North
Americans …
the individual is
more important
than the group.
“To know that you prefer, instead of humbly saying
Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer,
is to have kept your soul alive”
─ Robert Louis Stevenson
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3 Lessons for the Manager
working in Latin America

3 Lessons for the Manager
working in Latin America
• Relationships
• Relationships
• Relationships

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).
Latin American culture
avoids uncertainty by . . .

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).
• Seeking consensus.
Latin American culture
avoids uncertainty by . . .

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).
• Seeking consensus.
Latin American culture
avoids uncertainty by . . . • Jumping into action.

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).
• Seeking consensus.
Latin American culture
avoids uncertainty by . . . • Jumping into action.
• Hiring family

3
“The degree to which
people ... prefer structured
over unstructured
situations” (Hofstede).
• Seeking consensus.
Latin American culture
avoids uncertainty by . . . • Jumping into action.
• Hiring family
• Creating structure

4
For Latin Americans,
heritage is very
important.

“Identify with virtues linked with an
orientation toward the past, such as
respect for tradition, avoiding shame,
and fulfilling social obligations.”
─ Geert Hofstede
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5
“In Spanish South America,
the dominant assumption
is that human nature is
mixed or evil.”
‒ Kumar & Nti, 2004

“A human being is mysterious and awesome to
contemplate. . . . The easy conformity at the top
of his mind may be a mask to hide his heart's
treason from himself and others.”
―H. Grady Davis
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6
In a Being culture “people, events, and ideas flow
spontaneously; people stress release, indulgence of
existing desires, and living and working for the
moment” ─ Nancy J. Adler
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6
Things that are a little
more difficult in a
being-oriented culture ...

6
Punctuality
Things that are a little
more difficult in a
being-oriented culture ...

6
Punctuality
Things that are a little
Planning
more difficult in a
being-oriented culture ...

6
Punctuality
Things that are a little
Planning
more difficult in a
Evaluation
being-oriented culture ...

6
Punctuality
Things that are a little
Planning
more difficult in a
Evaluation
being-oriented culture ...
Teams

6
Punctuality
Things that are a little
Planning
more difficult in a
Evaluation
being-oriented culture ...
Teams
“How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.”
─ Spanish Proverb

7
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“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
Read between the lines.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
Read between the lines.
Use more detail.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
Read between the lines.
Use more detail.
Assume misunderstanding.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
Read between the lines.
Use more detail.
Assume misunderstanding.
Check your interpretations.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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Open your eyes.
Read between the lines.
Use more detail.
Assume misunderstanding.
Check your interpretations.
Create a shared context.
“Before you disturb the system in any way,
watch how it behaves.” ─ Donella Meadows
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“The more synergistic and transformative leaders today realize that
while competition appears to work on the surface, underneath lies
the real secrets of adaptation and self-organization which make all
synergy systems work” (Stagich, 2001, p. 179).
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Horses galloping (IMG_6411_x.JPG) by Mary R. Vogt. Accessed September 3,
2007 from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=154233&
Horse galloping (IMG_2271.g.JPG) by Mary R. Vogt. Accessed September
3,2007 from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=148432&
Circus Acrobats (Circus Beija-Flor - 33) by carf. Accessed September 4, 2007
from http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/7066025/in/photostream/
The following photos are my own:
Monastery Door
Gaucho playing guitar
All other photos from the Microsoft Office Online collection
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Hofstede, G. & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures & organizations, software of
the mind (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kumar, R. & Nti, K. O. (2004) National cultural values and the evolution of
process and outcome discrepancies in international strategic alliances.
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 40(3), 344-361. Retrieved
March 12, 2005,
Henry Grady Davis, Design for Preaching. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1958),
Adler, N. J. (1997). International dimensions of organizational behavior (3rd
ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College.
Meadows, D. (Winter, 2001). Dancing with systems: What to do when systems
resist change. Whole Earth Magazine. [Excerpt from an unpublished
manuscript] Accessed August 26, 2005 from
http://www.wholeearthmag.com/ArticleBin/447.html
Stagich, T. (2001). Collaborative Leadership and Global Transformation.
Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse.
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Disclaimer
It is not my intention to offend anyone by these
observations and recommendations. Nor do I
mean to contribute to unwarranted stereotypes. I
recognize that there are exceptions to these
generalities and that individuals are personalized
beings full of surprises. My only intention here is
to promote understanding that might aid a
manager working in a cross-cultural setting.
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Greg Waddell
www.SpiritOfOrganization.com
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