Archives for January 2015

Having made some strides, women of the 21st century still face many hurdles on the path to equal standing with men in the professional arena. Moran, Harris, and Moran define the “glass ceiling” as, “…barriers to reaching the upper echelons of organizations” (2011, p. 141). These barriers, while having changed over the years, are still present. New research by the Pew Research Center reveals that the barriers women face are no longer focused primarily on work-life balance or motherhood, they are more focused on a double standard and unpreparedness for women to be in top leadership positions (2015). The study also highlights findings about gender discrimination and gender stereotypes that are still present in the 21st century (Pew Research Center, 2015). Moran, Harris, and Moran point out that this discrimination and stereotyping can lead to less challenging positions for women, a continued pay gap, corporate cultures tailored to men-only participation, limited access for women to information and connections, fewer women in training and “fast-track” programs, and more women in safe versus risky positions (2011).

I’ve seen TED talks with Sheryl Sandberg before, but I went back to re-view her talk on “Why we have too few women leaders” (TED, 2010). She gives three messages to women who want to stay in the work force (TED, 2010). The first message she gives is to “sit at the table” (TED, 2010). Sandberg goes on to tell stories on how women tend to underestimate their abilities and achievements. Essentially, she points out that women versus men support themselves less. In other words, women are less likely to be their own cheerleader.

Sandberg’s “sit at the table” advice got me to reflect on when I served as the Executive Assistant to the Command Chief (who is the highest enlisted individual on base). In the weekly staff meetings, which took place in the Wing Commander’s office, my chair was often on the side of the room, next to the big conference table. I generally just took down notes and gave responses if they were asked of me (which was rare). After I was settled into the position, I was part of a team put together to organize a big DV (distinguished visitor) event. The Commander called a meeting of the minds in the main conference room and asked that we all sit at the table. Looking back, I can see a real change in my mentality from sitting at the side of the room versus sitting at the table. I felt engaged at the table, and I felt like my input was encouraged, accepted, and valid. As Sandberg proclaims, “No one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table” (TED, 2010). Thus, an important part of closing the gaps that exist between men and women in the workplace is for women to jump in and be heard.

Both the Pew Research and the Sandberg talk reveal that women and men, given the same qualifications, are seen as equally competent (Pew Research Center, 2015 & TED, 2010). Yet there are still stereotypes and tendencies that leave women scrounging to keep up with men to hold top leadership roles. Moran, Harris, and Moran suggest benevolent sexism and hostile sexism as possible sources of this struggle for women (2011). In essence, benevolent sexism is the mentality that women need to be coddled to some extent, while hostile sexism places women below men (Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2011). Moran et al. and Sandberg discuss ways in which women can overcome the obstacles, mentalities, and stereotypes that threaten to hold them back (2011 & TED, 2010). Moran et al. suggest boosting self-confidence, overcoming challenging situations, having a different voice, and having a unique leadership style (2011). It’s important to consider the challenges women face in leadership in order to see positive change. It seems women leaders face a more mental battle than one that is based on capability or skill set. It may not be so easy to change the mindset of the masses, but women can start by making changes individually by means of changing how they think and approach leadership. By “sitting at the table” (TED, 2010) women can advance within their company or office, which will further benefit women on a global scale as they serve in more global leadership positions. They can break through the glass ceiling in-house and throughout other cultures via global expansion.

References

Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Chapter 5: Transcending culture: Women leaders in global business. Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for cross-cultural business success (8th ed.) (p. 127-155). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Inc.

Pew Research Center (2015, Jan. 14). Women and leadership: Public says women are equally qualified, but barriers persist. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/

TED [Screen name]. (2010, Dec. 21). Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18uDutylDa4

Let’s start from the goal; then reverse-plan how to get there. We’ll take into considerations the possibilities and the faults, and find alternatives to the faults that reach our goal from another direction. Finally arriving at the here and now, we will see the light at the end – and all its varied paths along the way – before ever entering the tunnel.

This is the concept behind reverse planning – the hallmark of modern effective military operations – to see the light before starting the journey. And I am going to tell you something here and now about the light of Diversity (our conversation today) that is unsettling to the point that no one who’s anyone in the public realm dare speak of it. Diversity creates discrimination from its very existence, and this discrimination is the byproduct of Political Correctness – a modern way of socially enforced liberal thinking that will become the eventual death of a society.

See… I told you it would be unsettling.

Now, the idea behind diversity is not new, nor is it necessarily bad. In fact, I agree to its purpose and inception, though, not its application as sits today. Diversity can become the idea that stands a chance at bringing the world’s cultures closer together, and this empowers us through use of the vehicle of shared ideas. But when combined with political agendas, biases, and the demands of PC culture, like feminism, a once good idea has become discriminatory by nature. You may be asking just how this is possible – or condemning me on a personal level by now through the use of framing and confirmation biases derived from secondary level thinking patterns – so I already know I will need the use of an example to illustrate the point.

Say for example, you joined the Army. Now, today’s United States Army is the most advanced Army in the world. Its force projection capabilities are considered better than all others (many combined even), and today’s force is arguably the most professional and well-developed set of services of any nation. You saw many vast number of benefits in enlisting – and reconciled to the faults of such a dedicate life to service – and joined up. After many years, you finally came up for promotion to a senior level, and your packet was sent up to a board – a panel of senior members who collectively review individual promotion packets across the service – and with scores as high as yours, you easily rank in the top 5, so you believe you will be selected.

But there is one problem… The Army only has a need for 5 people to promote within your job, and while you have been ranked as the number 4 person on the list, you are both male and white. At the end of the month, the results came out, and as it turns out, you were passed over. Instead, the number 10^th and number 17^th persons on the list were selected over you, despite the fact that you were far more qualified. You worked yourself to the bone to get where you were, but all your hard work was for nothing… just what happened?!

Diversity happened. That’s what.

You see, the Army is required by law to enforce diversity in consideration of all force shaping activities, and that includes promotions. The first 9 individuals on the promotion standing list were all white males. They were numbered by highest scores – which account for a large number of blind factors – and after the first 3 positions were filled, diversity standards took over. Diversity standards within the promotional process are a numbers game based on percentages… and that means you just got struck off after years of dedication and hard work. Each packet was tossed aside until a minority group individual was found. The 10^th person was probably black or Hispanic, and maybe the 17^th person was a female. They got the job by virtue of their minority affiliation, not because they were the best qualified. (Disclaimer: this example in no way implies that minority groups do not consistently make top scores, so just forget about that argument right now)

In a world where public announcements seek the best of the best for the team, behind closed doors, we find that being white and male equals two strikes against you from the very start. The reality is, that the Army – to maintain conformity to PC standards and avoid social, political, and legal backlash – discriminates in a way that is technically not considered discrimination. Not only did you not get that promotion you worked so very hard for, but now, the career you love is being taken away from you as you were next told you can no longer stay in the Army. What?! Oh, you have too many years of service for your current rank, and now – since you didn’t get promoted – you are subjected to Retention Control Point requirements and have to leave. Good luck finding a job in the civilian world where the majority see you as either too old or without any “skills”, look down on you as a “brain washed killer”, no one “understands you”, you find it beyond difficult to “adjust”, or simply just “enter nearly any other conceivable made up reason here”. You decide to go back to school, but sitting in a classroom with a bunch of kids far younger than you not only opens you up to whole new areas of discrimination, but makes you feel like your living a real-life version of Billy Madison… You’re broke, have no job… it only gets worse, so I’ll spare you at this point, I think you get the picture.

The latter-half of this story is the real-life story of millions of Veterans today in the United States, and that “Promotion Example” is very real as well, and not just for the military, but in every single civilian corporate job out there too. Diversity should not be a standard of enforced percentages to provide for conformity for the sake of conformity, it should be the simply term we use to describe shared life experience and camaraderie, not a law, and most certainly not the reason you get passed over or lose your job. Diversity today has been described as, “differences of color, ethnic origin, gender, sexual or religions preferences, age, and disabilities.” (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2011, p. 157). But in reality, “diversity” today actually translates to “anything but white or male or the two combined”.

Diversity was seen with an end goal of cultural integration and equality in opportunity. Yet along its journey through the tunnel, somewhere it was misguided by ill intentions. Just the same as everyone else on the planet, in our example here, you didn’t ask to be born white or male, and having zero choice in the matter should not become the determining factor in disapproval for positions just because of the past references some people demand everyone hang onto. Diversity should rightfully so stand for equality for all, not equality for everyone but this guy. The globalized world today is so much better than that. Today, we live in an unfathomably integrated and culturally diverse world, and sure, there do exist bad apples out there, there is no argument in that. However, mention of such things in argument against the proposed thesis is nothing more than a red herring, an argumentative fallacy not worthy of addressing or retort. Instead, like all equality movements of the past and present, what once began as a needed recognition, spawned a compassionate realization, and over time was corrupted into doing the very thing it vowed its purpose against. Hypocrisy is the name of the game, diversity the vehicle, and political correctness the fuel. We desired a world blind of discriminatory factors, where the best truly rise to the top. After all, would you want the guy who got a C- in political science running your nation?

…neither would I, and I couldn’t care less what that person looked like either.

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Aim High, Dive Deep, Leave No One Behind.
AJ P.
So Others May Live

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References:

Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for cross-cultural business success (8th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.

It has been my experience ever since I entered the Navy at the young age of 18 that associating oneself to different cultures is part of working in America.  In the Navy (like the rest of the armed forces) is a huge melting pot of cultures from both within and outside of our borders.  Personally, I have worked with people from every region in the Unites States and along-side first generation Americans from Central and South America, Canada, Africa, Ireland, and even Russia.  I found it particularly interesting that someone from Russia was even permitted to join the US Navy in the late 1980’s since the Cold War was still going on.

While working with the “Russian” I found some differences that actually helped him to advance faster than most other people.  One reason for this according to Richmond, Yale (1995) American people is the emphasis on and celebration of the individual.  From earliest times, Russia has placed communal good (the group) above that of the solitary individual.  In other words, while most of us young Sailors were still developing our teamwork skills his were in place from early on in his life.  This coupled with his study habits that were instilled in him from early childhood propelled him through 4 advancements in 5 years.  This was practically unheard of among our American counterparts.

As time went on and I proceeded with my military career I was introduced to leadership courses that made me aware of another cultural difference in the military – the military to civilian difference. This seemed foreign to me since, the military was part of America and we all surely represented  American Culture(s).   “Throughout the U. S. military, common elements distinguish its culture from other organizations. These elements include a high standard of discipline that helps organize and structure the armed forces, a professional ethos of loyalty and self-sacrifice that maintains order during battle, a distinct set of ceremony and etiquette that help create shared rituals and common identities, and an emphasis on group cohesion and esprit de corps that connect service members to each other. “ (Bateman 2004)

  From www.digplanet.com

Today, as a military retiree, I am finding the cultural differences challenging.  Since retiring, I have had two jobs in neither workplace have I found the professionalism nor the camaraderie I was accustomed to while in the military.  Now, we just do our work and go home; esprit-de-corps is non- existent.  In the military we train and train and train to prepare for anything that could possibly go wrong with our initial plan; in my civilian job we do not have a training program nor do we prepare for any unforeseen events that could happen during an evolution.  I miss the standard of readiness I was held to in the military and now I am not in charge or in a position to implement change.   Is this frustration or am I wrapped up in my own egocentrism?  Have I taken the ethnocentrism of the military being held to a higher standard than civilians and made it a personal belief that I cannot overcome?

 

Geoffrey W. Bateman , 2004, retrieved from http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/military_culture_us.html

Richmond, Yale, 1995, From Nyet to Da–Understanding the Russians, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press

Knowing, and understanding, the culture you are encountering is imperative to success both personally and professionally. I firmly believe that whenever you plan to visit or work with a different culture, you should take the time to learn what is appropriate and what is not. Learn what is considered offensive in their culture. Learn how to say “hello” and “thank you”. Learn how to tip at a restaurant. All of these vary from culture to culture. Culture impacts our relationships and business operations and if we are not prepared, chances are, we will fail (Moran, et al., 2011).

Moran, et al. states that some of the most complex and unstable issues are a misunderstanding of cultures. “At the root of the issue, we are likely to find communication failures and cultural misunderstanding that prevent the parties from framing the problem in a common way, and thus make it impossible to deal with the problem constructively” (Moran et al., 2011). In our text, they talk about the Vietnam war and how different the outcome could have been if, at the beginning of the conflict, “the military leaders and negotiations of the respective countries had used sophisticated problem-solving skills and dug deeper to understand the cultural meanings and the implications of their actions and behind their public statements about the war” (Moran, et al., 2011).

This made me think of the fighting in Istanbul that is going on today. On one side, the anti-government group says they are fighting corruption of the Turkish politics. On the other side, the President of the country is overly religious and trying to push his religious beliefs onto the country. Just like our text states about the outcome of the Vietnam War, the outcome in Istanbul could be very different. I believe that Istanbul could come to a civil agreement, without the violence, if the two different sides problem-solved together and understood the cultural meanings and implications of each side (Moran, et al., 2011). When I was in Istanbul, my husband and I found ourselves in the middle of a protest. We didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. Luckily, they were not very active when we were there. It was two weeks after we left the country that the anti-government protests turned violent.

While we were there, we also noticed that Istanbul is a giant melting pot of people who have different beliefs, different religions and different backgrounds. Although the fighting is happening within Turkey, it is still very important to know the different types of cultures within the city that causes such a divide when it comes to the civil unrest. “Change is also a part of our daily lives, and impacts all” (Moran, et al., 2011). The civil unrest in Istanbul started with the President wanting to make many new changes. Many people disagree with his changes and are now speaking out through violence. Again, if both sides were able to work together and get to understand each other’s cultural meanings, I believe this unrest could be resolved without violence.

 

Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for cross-cultural business success (8th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.

Lowen, M. (2015, January 7). BBC News – Turkish Marxist group claims Istanbul suicide bombing. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30707871

Photo Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-found-outside-istanbul-shopping-centre-131849331.html

I remember being a little girl and playing the game Prince of Persia on my dad’s big box of a mac computer. Fast forward to now and I can Skype with my friends thousands of miles away, download just about any app I can think of, and even submit this blog while on a flight home. The world as I know it has changed and with these advances in technology, so has global leadership and at the heart of it lies differences in culture. Culture is complex and overcoming its obstacles are more-so. Whether it be on a national level or within an organization, at the root of culture is a shared social system of ideas and values that can be contrasted to another culture (Redmond, 2015). The question is how to overcome this difference and the answer is to travel!

There is no better way to understand and respect another culture than to submerge ourselves in it. Research shows that global leaders report benefits from international assignments and indicate that the opportunity to live and work abroad was the most powerful experience that helped them develop their global leadership capabilities. For example, having more of a global perspective for business operations and an increases ability to communicate with and motivate people from different cultural backgrounds (Kok-Yee, Dyne, & Ang, 2009).

Through cultural intelligence observations, it has also been proven that it is not the quantity of travel that is important, but rather the quality of the travel experience that aids global leadership development (Kok-Yee, Dyne, & Ang, 2009). This reminds me of several people that I used to work with in the military that wanted absolutely nothing to do with local culture while traveling overseas. On every deployment, they would literally never leave the base, or if there was no base, they would never leave the ship. That being said, they also weren’t very good leaders locally. The Navy is strong because it is diverse, and although one may not travel leaps and bounds within the organization, they are still dealing with many different cultures on a day to day basis.

Overall, simply knowing about differences in culture isn’t going to have much of an impact on a leader unless their is an open mind along with it. We can all learn a great deal from each other whether it be through customs, values, food, or gestures. There is a monument of respect that bridges the difference gap, so the next time you travel, leave the tour guide behind and ask a local where to go and what to do. The experience will not only help develop skills as a global leader, but it will also leave you humble.

References

Kok-Yee, N., Dyne, L., Ang, S. (2009). Developing Global Leaders: The Role of International Experience and Cultural Intelligence. Advances in Global Leadership, 5, 225-250.

Redmond, B. (2015). Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context. Angel, Lesson 1, 1-8.

I honestly had some difficulty in picking a topic for this week’s blog post. Don’t get me wrong, this lesson provided great topics like culture: organizational and structural, values, Hofstede’s dimensions of culture, and cultural gaffes all of which are worth discussing. But having never traveled outside of the United States and having limited interactions with people of different cultures, I found myself really struggling to personally relate to these terms (and providing a top of conversation different from my discussion post). As an avid reader, I have chosen to instead relate the term ethnocentrism, which as defined in our commentary is the “exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s own group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (PSU World Campus, 2015), to the series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. This series is available in 73 languages, and has sold over 450 million copies worldwide (USA Today, 2012). While in an unconventional manner, the idea of ethnocentrism is mentioned several times in the text, though the exact terminology is not stated.

 

To explain the text for those who have not read it, the series chronicles the life of a young wizard named Harry Potter and how he fights evil. This evil comes in many forms and is often not something he purposefully seeks to thwart, he simply is trying to do what he believes is right. One major character who Harry fights is Lord Voldemort, whose ideas epitomize the term ethnocentrism. Lord Voldemort believes that those who are “Purebloods” (both parents are wizards) are better than those who have come from non-magical families to the point he believes anyone who does not share his culture should die. Many wizards follow this feeling and look down upon other’s who don’t share their same decent. In fact in the first book of the series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” the foil to Harry’s character, Draco Malfoy says: “I really don’t think they should let the other sort (children from non-magical/ mixed magical families) in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up to know our ways.” (Rowling, 1998). Here we see a boy of 11 expressing superiority to other’s his age, and in the context of the book children he had never met before. This is a constant theme throughout the book: teasing, bullying, and even murdering someone based on ethnicity stemming from ethnocentrism.

 

It can be quite jarring to think that someone if 11 can hold these views, but that is the reality when values such as these are picked up from home. As stated in the commentary “Values tend to be formed in the beginning of life” (PSU World Campus. 2015). At home Draco Malfoy was taught that he was better because he was a “Pureblood” wizard. He, his family, Voldemort, and others of the same culture lased out of those who they believed were lesser because “Values determine behavior” (PSU World Campus, 2015). The fact that these beliefs lead to violence and discord in the series show how dangerous ethnocentrism can be and how it relates to interactions with others of different ethnicities and cultures.
So how is Harry Potter significant to global leadership? The idea that we need to approach people who are different from us with respect has been laid out in 73 different languages available around the world for children to read and learn from during their formative years. Author J.K Rowling had essentially taught the perils of ethnocentrism to those too young to know the term or even pronounce the word. J.K Rowling profoundly states in her book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, ““Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”(Rowling, 2000). By means of these books children and adults alike are learning that cultural differences mean nothing if were are willing set them aside and work toward a common goal, something essential of a global leader.

(photo credit: https://arts.ucalgary.ca/artsnow/learning-languages-harry-potter)
USA Today. (2012, September 25). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2012/09/25/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-the-casual-vacancy/1582921/
Rowling, J. (1998). Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone. New York: A.A. Levine Books
Rowling, J. (2000). Harry Potter and the goblet of fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). OLEAD 497B Lesson 02: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/olead497b/001/content/02_lesson/01_page.html

Recently, a co-worker whispered to me that they did not want to meet in the office of a particular individual because he “smells.”  Without giving the matter much forethought, I responded that “it may be a matter of his culture.”  The individual is from another country, and although he does not, in my opinion, smell “stinky,” he does exude a distinct aroma that is quite different from what traditional American office workers may find socially acceptable.

In pondering the role culture plays on an individual’s manner of dressing and, in particular, bathing, it seems to me to be a great assumption on the part of Americans to presume that all those living and/or working in the United States would gladly favor and adopt all of our customs and social norms in lieu of their own.

Less than two weeks ago, the media was all a-buzz over the comments made by Naya Rivera when she stated “that she believes white people shower “a lot more than ethnics.”” (Examiner, 2015). Moran, Harris and Moran contend that traditions are “a very impotent aspect of culture that may be expressed in unwritten customs, taboos, and sanctions” and as such “have a powerful influence on … evaluating what is right or wrong, good or mad, and desirable or not.” (Moran, 2011, pp.18-19)  Rivera, in defending her comment, went on to say, “”It was supposed to be a joke but I apologize if anyone was offended. However, I’m very excited that it sparked a big conversation about how many times you should shower.” (Examiner, 2015)

Like my foreign-born colleague and Rivera, there are many cultural traditions concerning how one takes care of one’s body.  For example, in Norway, teen girls are, according to social worker Bjørnebekk, “becoming more shy about their bodies – to the point of showering with clothing on.” (Bjørnebekk, 2013) Whether this is due in part to the “significant amount of immigration – heavily consisting of people from conservative Middle Eastern and African nations” or not is unclear, but the topic is one being explored by Norway’s Minister of Culture. (Bjørnebekk, 2013)  Similar articles on the topic of showering in Korea and Brazil, and on the merits of bathing versus showering in U.S. culture provide insight into how other cultures approach the issue. (Vivian, 2008; Skelton, 2007; Karinadoula, 2012)

Of these, I must say that Karinadoula’s perspective was the most interesting.  In seeking to understand U.S. parents’ practices regarding bathing their children, she explored the differences between her native Soviet culture “where the bathroom was shared by several families” living together “in a communal house”  and that of the U.S. and other societies. (Karinadoula, 2012)  In fact, even though she seemingly laments that the U.S. “is a very shower obsessed …. nation,” she doesn’t leave it at that, but explores the topic in more detail, noting that “bathing is a very cultural matter. …  Regular bathing is also something taken for granted by the privileged nations such as the Americans or Latvians, privileged by the way that the water is readily available and does not have to be fetched in a big bucket and carried on the head like in some other parts of the world. Washing hair twice a day (or even once a day, with two uses of shampoo which when you think about it hard, is just another marketing strategy of the shampoo selling companies) is most certainly a privilege and btw it makes your skin and hair much more oily in a long run.  …  But … here it is… oily hair (which in some cultures is even achieved by putting extra oil into the hair) is a sign of poor hygiene and neglect in the modern West.” (Karinadoula, 2012)

Clearly, this is a cultural issue, one that differs from one culture to another and from subculture to subculture.  I have personally heard people from various cultures comment about the bathing habits of people from other cultures.  When we encounter people with personal hygiene habits different from our own, I believe it would be quite wise to take the time to consider their cultural background and seek to understand – not berate – it.  While it may not be the hot cultural topic, I do echo Rivera’s sentiment that it is exciting to finally see some open dialogue on the topic.  It’s been whispered about for far too long.

 

References:

Moran, Robert T., Philip R. Harris, and Sarah V. Moran. (2011) Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for the 21^st Century, 8^th Ed. Elsevier, Burlington, MA

“Naya Rivera showering: Says it’s a trait white people do more of” The Examiner. (January 14, 2015) Retrieved 01/17/2015 from http://www.examiner.com/article/naya-rivera-showering-says-it-s-a-trait-white-people-do-more-of.

Bjørnebekk, Wenche (as translated by Erik Jakobsen. (2013) “Body Taboo and “Dressed in the Shower” – Increasing Modesty Among Teens in Norwegian Culture.” (January 24, 2013) Retrieved 01/17/2015 from: http://youngnaturistsamerica.com/body-taboo-norway-dressed-in-shower/

“Lost in Translation: Showering in Korea” Vivian Lost in Seoul. (December 10, 2008) Retrieved 01/17/2015 from: http://vivianlostinseoul.blogspot.com/2008/12/showering-in-korea.html

Skelton, Ricky. (2007) “Understanding Brazil: The Shower” 1/1/2007. Retrieved 01/18/2015 from: http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=1486

Karinadoula. “Bath vs. shower: on cultural differences in bathing” (3/26/2012) Retrieved 01/15/2015 from: https://karinadoula.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/bath-vs-shower-on-cultural-differences-in-bathing/

 

Culture and conflicts are a common combination around the world. In some cases conflicts are realistic and some are nonrealistic. When we think about cultural differences and the conflicts that start and some seem to never end, one that always pushes to the for front is belief and attitudes. (Harris & Moran, 2011, p. 13).

Currently in my speech class we are discussing the different types of conflicts and ways to work through them. As I was reading through this week’s assignment in text, I notice that cultures and conflicts are speaking in the same sentence. Culture is defined as “gives people a sense of who they, of belonging, of how they should behave, and of what they should be doing” (Harris & Moran, 2011, p. 10). Culture is also considered “ dominating source of conflict” (Harris & Moran, 2011, p. 11).

That being said, as I conducted my research for this weeks speech assignment there are two types of conflicts, there is realistic, which is considered the type that has an end goal for either party involved and the other type is nonrealistic which is the type of conflict that has no end goal beside destroying and hurting the opposition or other party (Folger & Poole, 2013, p.8). Now as I’m reading about beliefs and attitudes and how this is the most difficult type of cultural category, it reminds me of the nonrealistic type of conflict. For years and years there has been conflicts specifically over differences about beliefs that seem to never have an end. The conflict goes on with no real conclusion, just the satisfaction of destroying another party or person.

In conclusion, the idea of cultural conflicts based on beliefs and supernatural and religious ideologies seem to be fruitless and never ending. Cultures are imbedded from early ages, this is a way of life and the reason for living. These conflicts that arise from such differences will most likely never go away and we s humans will continually deal with such issues.

Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran , S. V. (2011). Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Folger, J. P., Poole, M. S., & Stutman, R. K. (2013). Working Through Conflict. New Jersey: Pearson.

Inevitably, through industrialization, technological advances, and advances in travel, the world is more connected than ever. With this connection comes the ability to grow businesses and provide products and services to consumers worldwide and requires a shift in the traditional leadership norms across the world. National and international leaders need to not only understand business, political, and the cultural environments of their consumers but also have a feel for the perspectives, tastes, trends and technologies a client across a sea may have. These new leaders must know how to work simultaneously with people form other cultures, and sometimes even adapt to living and communicating in other cultures.

Culture, or “collective programing,” (PSU WC, 2015)” not only indicates the differences between one group of people and another but also helps to shape the thoughts, values, and traditions of each group (PSU WC, 2015). Within a community, a country, or even in teams or clubs, culture encompasses the “learned beliefs, values, rules, symbols, and traditions” associated with those groups (Northouse, 2013 pp.384). Culture, across groups can share similarities but is generally quite varied form peoples to peoples, depending on their customs, courtesies and traditions, and also can be found on a more interpersonal level, in ones gender, race or age. In addition to all of the factors that contribute to our understanding of a culture, it is important to also be aware of our own ethnocentrism and prejudice.

Ethnocentrism, simply defined, is the tendency of an individual to put their ethnic, and or race and culture, at the forefront or center of their thoughts. According to Northouse (2013, pp.384), no one is free of ethnocentrism to one extent or the other. Ethnocentrism can create problems in our perceptions of people, places, and cultures, especially when approaching them without knowledge or experience of the other culture. A leader should be aware of their own ethnocentrism, as it affects their ability to correctly perceive others. Prejudice is similar to ethnocentrism in that it is based on the lack of, or bad information about the other culture a leader is dealing with. Prejudice is often fueled by a false idea or a past interaction with a person or group of people that left an impression and can be based on anything from gender or sexual orientation to race or any other affiliation to a specific group or culture. Like ethnocentrism, prejudices affect us all and must be balanced in order for us to work well in multicultural situations.

These two biases can stifle a leaders ability to harness the power of a multicultural workforce. If a leader is unaware of their own prejudices or ethnocentric predispositions, they are in jeopardy of missing out on the wealth of human capitol. Leaning on candidates that fit the mold or “pre-assimilate” into the company’s culture causes a vacuum in which removes the opportunity to add value through cultural diversity (Ashoka, 2013). This approach to a more global understanding of human capital is essential for today’s leadership.

Today’s leaders are dealing with multicultural organizations and in order to be successful, they need to be aware of the significant role that culture plays within their organizations, outside organizations, and even within their community. No leader is going to be able to fully absorb and understand all there is t know about every culture or society but knowing and understanding the basis of intercultural interactions in business. The GLOBE Study, an ongoing project that started in 1991 by Robert House and is a compilation of the recent studies and research form past studies (Northouse 2013, pp. 387) focuses on the dimension of culture and is one of the most highly referenced of these past studies. GLOBE focuses on the dimension of culture and was gathered from 100,000 questionnaires of people representing over 500 countries and identified five major dimensions of culture that separate us. findings detailed above is the first step in becoming a more aware and informed leader. Even having the basic understanding of the universally desired qualities of a leader are a step in the right direction and gives a leader a more global understanding of leadership. Being aware of ones own biases associated with prejudice and ethnocentrism is also very important in being successful multicultural leader.

References

Ashoka. (2013, August 12). Why Underprivileged Employers Need To Employ The ‘Unemployable’ – Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2013/08/12/why-underprivileged-employers-need-to-employ-the-unemployable/

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). OLEAD 497B Lesson 02:
Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/olead497b/00/content/02_lesson/01_page.html

 

This past week we have had several lesson,read several chapter, and watched several videos on difference amongst us. There are several lessons I learned early in life while I was a young Marine, and the biggest one was, this is a pretty large world and many, many cultures around the globe. I made my fair share of cultural mistakes and offended some people in different countries even though it wasn’t my intention to do so.Little did I know 30 years later I would be involved in a class talking about culture around the world but I do believe it prepared me for whats coming in my business planning.

One of our lessons talks about cultural mistakes. These mistakes are often overlooked in not only by the common public, but by the business world as well. As Americans, we consider business just that business. We enter into meetings with contracts on the table from the beginning and we deal in terms of work and progress with contracts than relationships. Japanese on the other hand rely much more on building a personal relationship with their partners before they begin working on contracts and business dealings. (Chron, nd)

Another lesson could be as simple as exchanging business cards hoping for future business and expansions. Again we see this in the Japanese culture. They believe that placing ones business card in the back pocket is a sign of being uninterested or disrespect to the owner of the card.(Global Business: Leadership and Gestures,2009) The appropriate action would be to take the card and place in your briefcase or at the very least a front pocket. How many of us throw stuff in our back pockets all the time without thinking?

Today, there is so many differences between countries and companies, its hard to know them all, but with the right attitude and a little research we can better ourselves to become prepared or these meetings and cultural divides. With the increased expansions and development of the international businesses, there is a real need to learn the fine art of global communications, this being the ability to converse and interact with other countries and other peoples without offending.

 

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-company-failure-due-cultural-mistakes-70712.html

http://www.globalbusinessleadership.com/gestures_asia.asp