study material for International business students

1. CROSS CULTURAL BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT UNIT 2
INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE
Dr. KANCHAN KUMARI
FACULTY : INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS/ MANAGEMENT

2. MEANING OF CULTURE
 It is what makes us human. Without culture, there would be no humans.
Culture is made up of traditions, beliefs, way of life, from the most
spiritual to the most material. It gives us meaning, a way of leading
our lives. Human beings are creators of culture and, at the same time,
culture is what makes us human
 Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs
and institutions of a population that are passed down from
generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for
an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress,
language, religion, rituals, art.

3. EXAMPLE OF CULTURE
 Cultures are groups of people who share a common set of values
and beliefs. They may also share cultural elements like languages,
festivals, rituals and ceremonies, pastimes, food, and architecture.
Examples of cultures include western culture, youth culture,
counterculture, and high culture.

4. DEFINITION
 According to E.A. Hoebel,
“Culture is the sum total of integrated learned behaviour patterns which
are characteristics of the members of a society and which are therefore
not the result of biological inheritance.”
According to H.T. Mazumadar,
“culture is the sum total of human achievements, material as well as non-
material, capable of transmission, sociologically, i.e., by tradition and
communication, vertically as well as horizontally”.

5. CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE:
 1. Learned Behaviour: Not all behaviour is learned, but most of it is learned;
combing one’s hair, standing in line, telling jokes
 2. Culture is Abstract: Ways of doing and thinking
 4. Culture is the Products of Behaviour:
 5. Culture includes Attitudes, Values Knowledge:
 6. Culture also includes Material Objects:
 7. Culture is shared by the Members of Society:
 8. Culture is Super-organic:
 9. Culture is Pervasive:
 10. Culture is a way of Life:

6. Characteristics of Culture
 11. Culture is a human Product:
 12. Culture is Idealistic:
 13. Culture is transmitted among members of Society:
 14. Culture is Continually Changing:
 15. Culture is Variable:
 16. Culture is an integrated system:
 17. Language is the Chief Vehicle of Culture:

7. IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE:
 1. Culture Defines Situations: It reveals whether one should prepare to
fight, run, laugh or make love.
 2. Culture defines Attitudes, Values and Goals: Each person learns in his
culture what is good, true, and beautiful. Attitudes, values and goals are
defined by the culture
 3. Culture defines Myths, Legends, and the Supernatural: Myths and
legends are important part of every culture.
 4. Culture provides Behaviour Patterns: The individual need not go
through painful trial and error learning to know what foods can be
eaten

8. LEVELS OF CULTURE
• Level 1-The Artefacts. The visible manifestations of culture for example
dress code and décor.
• Level 2-Espoused Values. How an organization explains its culture, for
example official policy and accepted. beliefs. ...
• Level 3- Shared Tacit Assumptions. The hidden assumptions, values and
beliefs.

9. LEVELS OF CULTURE

10. VARIABLES OF CULTURES
Cultural variables are
 variations in attitudes
 experiences
 values between individuals from different cultures
 In various cultures, body language, humor, and attitudes towards
family, authority figures, religion, gender roles, and time can differ.

11. CULTURE AND BEHAVIOUR
 Culture shapes our norms. Our norms are the rules that govern our
behaviour in society. They tell us what is considered acceptable and
unacceptable behaviour. For example, in some cultures, it is considered
rude to make eye contact with someone you don't know
 Culture plays an important role in everyone, in every society, and in
every nation. A person's behavior influences his place in society.
Culture and behavior go together, as the latter is an element or a
compound within the cultural concept. Any person belongs with a
particular culture, thus, culture is universal.

12. DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE: HOFSTEDE’S
 According to Hofstede, the five main dimensions of culture are
 identity
 power
 gender
 uncertainty
 time
You can think about cultural value dimensions on a scale or a continuum,
where one aspect of the value lies on one side of the scale and the other
extreme lies at the other end of the scale.

13. Dimensions of culture: Hofstede’s

14. ATTITUDINAL
 Organizational hierarchy and attitudes towards management roles can
also vary widely between cultures. Whether or not those in junior or
middle-management positions feel comfortable speaking up in
meetings, questioning senior decisions, or expressing a differing
opinion can be dictated by cultural norms.
 Attitudes help to develop the prevailing workplace environment
that determines employee morale, productivity and team building
abilities. A negative attitude in the workplace creates an atmosphere of
distrust among employees and causes employees to attempt to achieve
success at the expense of each other.

15. TROMPENAAR’S
 Trompenaars's model of national culture differences is a framework for cross-
cultural communication applied to general business and management,
developed by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner. This involved a large-
scale survey of 8,841 managers and organization employees from 43 countries.
 Trompenaars' seven cultural dimensions are universalism versus particularism,
 individualism versus communitarianism,
 specific versus diffuse,
 neutral versus affective,
 achievement versus ascription,
 sequential time versus synchronous time,
 internal direction versus external direction.

16. THE GLOBE PROJECT
 The GLOBE Project (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Effectiveness Project) is a study of cross-cultural leadership that
spans over 60 countries and cultures. The project was founded in
1993 by Robert J. House to analyze the organizational norms, values,
and beliefs of leaders in different societies.

17. ADVANTAGES OF GLOBE
• A globe shows the accurate distribution of continents and oceans.
• Globe gives an idea of the tilt of the Earth's axis.
• Globe helps in visualizing the earth as a sphere avoiding the
misconception of flat earth created by maps.

18. DIMENSIONS OF GLOBE PROJECT
 (1) Assertiveness,
 (2) Future Orientation,
 (3) Gender Egalitarianism,
 (4) Humane Orientation,
 (5) Institutional Collectivism,
 (6) In-Group Collectivism,
 (7) Performance Orientation,
 (8) Power Distance,
 (9) Uncertainty Avoidance.

19. MANAGING MULTICULTURALISM
 Multicultural management involves leading and managing a
culturally diverse workforce effectively. It involves understanding
and appreciating cultural differences and adapting leadership and
management styles to accommodate them.
 A multicultural organization is one that has a workforce that includes
people from diverse backgrounds across all departments, and
which offers them equal opportunity for input and advancement
within the company.

20. PROBLEMS OF MULTICULTURALISM
• Direct versus Indirect Confrontation. ...
• Norms for Problem Solving and Decision Making. ...
• Time, Urgency, and Pace. ...
• Differences in Work Norms and Behaviors. ...
• Violations of Respect and Hierarchy. ...
• Inter-Group Prejudices. ...
• Lack of Common Ground (Language and Credit)

21. MULTICULTURALISM MANAGEMENT
1. Avoid a single-culture bias. ...
2. Build your cultural intelligence. ...
3. Structure your teams mindfully. ...
4. Avoid stereotypes and keep an open mind. ...
5. Handle feedback and criticism with care. ...
6. Clarify expectations. ...
7. Nip issues in the bud. ...
8. Diversify leadership.

22. THANK YOU
Dr. Kanchan Kumari