Lesson 9 Central America, and Mexico blog

Lesson 9 Central America and Mexico Blog

 

I have chosen the nation of Panama, according to Hofstede’s dimension score as it relates the nation of Panama, which has power distance score of 91.

 

A score such as this displays the idea of free thinking or thinking outside of the box does not occur very often in the their society, or if at all , is well hidden from “the powers that be”.

 

“Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat”(Hofstede,2016).

The above quote points to a massive amount of inequality within Panama, and the very worst part of that fact is that the majority of the Panama’s population has been trained, some may say brainwashed to think that it is an acceptable method of governance. Essentially Panamanians have been brought up believing that their versions of governmental created inequalities are meant to be just as they are.

 

What I would do as a leader would be to commit to efforts that would balance the scales a bit, by simply giving more power to a larger percentage of the people, than commonly exists.

 

I would incorporate a portion of the task appropriate views that stem from the population representing the existing diversity. Essentially have a broader spectrum of people who would be involved in formatting the rules, and regulations of a new version of government that would represent the views of the majority rather than of a few.

Although I would have to say that my views would quite possibly be a hard sell in their society, since Panamanians are used to being told what to do by the people in power, which is how they were raised in their culture.

 

As individualism is rated in Panama, at the score of 11, this nation “is considered a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships”(Hofstede, 2016).

In a society such as Panama, moral behavior in a group setting is very important. As far as business and management is concerned supervisors and, or managers often act as if parental units would be expected to act.

 

Being loyal to your family is just as important as being loyal to your company or office. To quote from Hofstede’s website “Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations” (Hofstede, 2016).

As a member of management while living in Panama, I would be apt to treat my subordinates much like family members, since that is what their society, and cultural expectations have become accustomed to.

 

As the power dimension of masculinity comes into play for the nation of Panama, according to Hofstede’s website it has a score of

“ 44 on this dimension and is thus considered a relatively Feminine society”(Hofstede, 2016).

Managing Corporation or even a small business in a manner such as Panama’s score relates to Hofstede’s scale would promote realistic problems in comparison to how the majority of the industrialized world would wish to manage their businesses.

 

“A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable”(Hofstede,2016).

 

Panama scores 86 on this dimension, and thus has a high preference for avoiding uncertainty. According to Hofstedes website “

 

Countries exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. In these cultures there is an emotional need for rules”(Hofstede,2016).

 

The above statements leave very little room for thinking outside the box, and allowing for ideas outside of the realm of normally observed thinking patterns to enter into Panamanian society.

 

Unfortunately reducing the ability of free thinking individuals to voice their opinions would, also lesson the chances of creating more efficient methods of conducting business for the nation of Panama.
  As far as the terms, Pragmatism, and Indulgence were concerned, these terms were not measured in relationship to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions for the nation of Panama.

 

References:

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Fact book, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pm.html

 

Hofstede, G.(2016).Hofstede’s cultural dimensional model.

Retrieved from :https://geert-hofstede.com/panama.html