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Building Bridges

December 5, 2016 by eja5054 Leave a Comment

In Gambia, the December 1^st polls were won by opposition coalition candidate and businessman Adama Barrow. Barrow’s victory ended President Yahya Jammeh’s rule, which had lasted for over two decades, (Rahman & Shaban, 2016). The United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the European Union, and Canada all congratulated president-elect Adama Barrow on his victory and the people of Gambia for the peaceful conduct of the election. Following President Yahya Jammeh’s defeat, Gambia was also invited to rejoin the Commonwealth, which also released a statement congratulating the country on its peaceful election.

The international responses to Gambia’s Presidential elections are an example of cultural synergy. “Synergy is a cooperative or combined action, and occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups collaborate for a common cause. The objective is to increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights, and knowledge”, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 266). Furthermore, “cultural synergy is a dynamic approach to managing cultural diversity in a variety of contexts…..Cultural synergy builds on common ground, transcending mere awareness of differences, to form multifaceted strategic alliances”, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 266).

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland sought to establish cultural synergy by building on common grounds with Gambia when she said “Gambians demonstrated Commonwealth values of peace, tolerance and respect for diversity and differing views”, (Rahman & Shaban, 2016). Furthermore, Gambia returning to the commonwealth would help establish strategic alliances with other nations that are affiliated with the commonwealth. Also due to the all of the attention the election had gained from the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the European Union, and Canada; Gambia may be able to establish culturally synergistic relationships beyond the commonwealth.

Reference

Rahman, A. Shaban. (2016, December 03). UK, US, UN, EU, Canada congratulate Gambians for peaceful polls | Africanews. Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.africanews.com/2016/12/03/uk-us-un-eu-canada-congratulate-gambians-for-peaceful-polls/

Rahman, A. Shaban. (2016, December 05). After Jammeh exit, Commonwealth says its doors open to Gambia return | Africanews. Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.africanews.com/2016/12/05/after-jammeh-exit-commonwealth-says-its-doors-open-to-gambia-return/

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York, New York: Routledge.

Can Britain and India achieve Synergy?

November 14, 2016 by eja5054 3 Comments

Earlier this week British Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to India in hopes of working out what would be the country’s first trade deal after it leaves the European Union. In an article from the New York Times, it was said that negotiations began to falter over immigration, which was one of the controversial issues which influenced Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, (Bilefsky, 2016). Britain’s current views and policies on immigration hurt Indian businesses in Britain as well as Indian individuals seeking student visas which keep the UK and India from achieving a synergistic, mutually beneficial trade agreement.

Synergy is defined as “a cooperative or combined action, and occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups collaborate for a common cause. The objective is to increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights, and knowledge”, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 266). Typically, high-synergy cultures engage in cooperative and community-oriented behaviors where both parties have the good of all in mind, (PSUWC, 2016). However, Britain’s current immigration policies reflect self-centered social arrangements where collaboration is not reinforced as desired behavior which is a characteristic of a society with low-synergy, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 267).

Indian business leaders have called upon British officials to reduce the cost of a two-year visa to Britain from $409 to $108, which is the rate applied to Chinese citizens. This policy has reduced the number of student visas issued to Indians from 68,238 in 2010 to 11,864 in 2015, (Bilefsky, 2016). The British government recently introduced visa restrictions that would raise the salary threshold for foreign companies seeking to transfer workers to Britain, which means any non-European Union worker earning less than £35,000 will be deported, (Bilefsky, 2016, Ferguson, 2016). This will hurt Indian information technology companies who need workers to be able to spend months in Britain while working on projects, (Bilefsky, 2016).

Trade between Britain and India can be negatively impacted as a result of the Brexit vote. Head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Alwyn Didar Singh, explained that exports from India to Britain were affected by the drastic fall of the pound following the vote to leave the European Union, (Bilefsky, 2016). Singh also expressed how the Brexit vote is an obstacle to the 800 Indian Businesses in Britain which viewed the country as a gateway to the European Union, (Bilefsky, 2016).

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently explained that “education and mobility across borders for young Indians would help define India’s relationship with Britain”, (Bilefsky, 2016). However, due to the Brexit vote British Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure to reduce immigration. Allie Renison, the leader of trade policy at the Institute of Directors explains that May needs to understand that with higher education being one of Britian’s most successful exports, labor mobility and visas are essential for a service-based economy like Britain’s, (Bilefsky, 2016). If Britain cannot change its immigration policies to accommodate the needs Indian businesses as well as the individuals seeking visas then India and Britain cannot achieve synergy.

References

Bilefsky, D. (2016, November 7). Hopes for U.K. Trade Deal With India Hit a Snag: Immigration. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/world/europe/uk-britain-india-theresa-may-narendra-modi.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGreat%20Britain&action=click&contentCollection=world&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Ferguson, D. (2016, March 12). The non-EU workers who’ll be deported for earning less than £35,000. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/12/eu-workers-deported-earning-less-35000-employees-americans-australians

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York, New York: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSUWC) (2016). Lesson 6. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802572/modules/items/21179089

An Agreement between Japan and Russia

November 7, 2016 by eja5054 1 Comment

I came across and article titled “Russia, Japan agree to promote economic cooperation in Russian Far East”, located at http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/05/business/russia-japan-agree-promote-economic-cooperation-russian-far-east/#.WB51JPkrK00, which discusses how Japan’s Trade minister Hiroshige Seko met with Russian officials in Moscow and the two parties have agreed to promote economic development projects in Russia’s Far East. The two nations have come up with around 50 projects which focus on the development of infrastructure, energy resources such as gas and oil, and other projects involving Japanese companies in the area. According to Kyodo (2016), Tokyo hopes this bilateral economic cooperation will bring about progress in a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over a group of islands seized by the Soviet Union after Japan’s World War II surrender in August 1945 that remain under Russian control. This dispute has kept Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty formally ending their conflict in World War Two, (Japan, Russia agree to economic cooperation ahead of summit: Nikkei, 2016). In order for Japan and Russia to successfully complete so many large scale projects, they must achieve synergy. Furthermore, I believe Japan and Russia are capable of achieving synergy due to their cultural orientation based off of their scores in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.

First, “Synergy is a cooperative or combined action, and occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups collaborate for a common cause. The objective is to increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights, and knowledge”, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 266). Furthermore cultural synergy is the same concept but extends to cultural level rather than focus on the individual, (PSUWC, 2016). Secondly, Hofstede’s dimensions of culture are six categories in which cultures are ranked and scored. Many cultures throughout the world receive scores in the categories of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, long-term/short-term orientation, and indulgence/restraint. Power distance refers to the inequality/equality in the treatment of powerful and nonpowerful members within a culture. Uncertainty Avoidance refers to the way cultures deal with ambiguity. Individualism is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members, while collectivism is the degree to which the needs of the group take priority over the need of the individual. Masculinity/femininity refers to gender roles within a culture, where masculine cultures value competition and assertiveness amongst men while the women are expected to be more nurturing. On the other hand, in a feminine culture both men and women have more of the nurturing role (Hofstede, 2001; Hofstede & Hofstede, n.d., as cited by PSUWC, 2016). Long-term orientation refers to cultures that place emphasis on planning for the future, as oppose to short-term orientation refers to cultures that place emphasis on the here-and-now (PSUWC, 2016). Indulgence refers to a culture that allows for immediate gratification, while Restraint refers to cultures that require delaying gratification, (PSUWC, 2016).

Above is graph showing how Japan and Russia’s cultural dimensions scores compare to each other, found at https://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html. According to the graph Japan and Russia’s overall cultural orientation complement each other with their only major difference being in Masculinity/Femininity. I believe the similarities in their scores will be conducive to behaviors that foster synergy between Japan and Russia. One example being their scores in uncertainty avoidance, with a score of 92, Japan is considered one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries on earth. This is largely due to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened by natural disasters, (Geert Hofstede, n.d.). Russia scores a 95 in uncertain avoidance as detailed planning and briefing is very common among Russians as they prefer to have context and background information. With Japan and Russia’s similar orientation in uncertainty avoidance in mind, a Japanese and Russian multinational team will synergize well when it comes to factors such as how project business is planned, how work is organized, management of responsibilities, and ambiguity resolution and problem formulation, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 273).

Another cultural dimension where Japan and Russia would synergize really well is long-term orientation. With a score of 88, Japan long-term orientation can be seen in corporate Japan as they focus less on make money every quarter for the share holders, and more on serving the stake holders and society at large for many generations to come (e.g. Matsuhista as cited in Geert Hofstede, n.d). Similarly, with a score of 81, Russia is definitely considered a country with a pragmatic mindset and a strong propensity to save and invest, (Geert Hofstede, n.d). With that being said a Japanese and Russian multinational team would synergize well when it comes to factors such as Coordination of long and short-term members, agreeing on the degree of innovation required, and timing and sequencing approaches, (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 273).

One cultural dimension that Japan and Russia will have difficulty synergizing is Masculinity/Femininity. Russia’s score of 36 indicates that it leans more towards what can be considered a feminine culture, as oppose to Japan’s score of 95 making it a masculine culture. In workplace settings as well as when meeting a stranger, Russians prefer to understate their personal achievements, contributions or capacities as dominant behavior is accepted from a boss but is considered offensive coming from peers, (Geert Hofstede, n.d). On the other hand, in Japan you may not see assertive and competitive behaviors within groups due to their mild collectivism, however competition between groups can be severe, (Geert Hofstede, n.d).

References

Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html

Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/russia.html

Japan, Russia agree to economic cooperation ahead of summit: Nikkei. (2016, November 6). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-russia-agree-to-economic-cooperation-ahead-of-summit-nikkei

KYODO. (2016, November 5). Russia, Japan agree to promote economic cooperation in Russian Far East. Retrieved November 5, 2016, from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/05/business/russia-japan-agree-promote-economic-cooperation-russian-far-east/#.WB51JPkrK00

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York, New York: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSUWC) (2016). Lesson 6. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802572/modules/items/21179089

Japan’s Message to the United Kingdom and the European Union

September 5, 2016 by eja5054 Leave a Comment

When connecting this week’s lesson to current events I came across and interesting article talking about a letter Japan wrote to Britain and the EU about Brexit. The author described the letter as a “brutal, lengthy, detailed dissection of all the potential economic damage leaving the EU will do to the UK”, (Edwards, 2016). Interestingly enough I feel the Brexit situation and Japan’s letter to Britain in some ways reflect their cultural values.

Britain’s culture can be described as having a small power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance, and is individualistic, (Moran et al, 2014, pgs. 20-21). The goals of Brexit include exiting the EU, restricting immigration, and Britain’s economic independence. Brexit’s goals are a reflection of some of its cultural attributes. For example, from an international view, exiting the EU in pursuit of economic independence can seen as individualistic, as leaving the EU can have negative effects on EU members as well as Britain’s trading partners. Furthermore leaving the EU will place Britain in a position of economic uncertainty and the people of Britain’s support for Brexit represent their weak uncertainty avoidance.

In contrast, Japan’s culture has a large power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance, and is collectivistic, (Moran et al, 2014, pgs. 20-21). Brexit has had negative impacts on Japan. For example, Brexit has led to the increase of the value of the yen when Japan’s economy depends on the devaluation of the yen. In turn Japan’s letter to Britain reflects its cultural values, primarily its strong uncertainty avoidance and its collectivism. Japan’s collectivism, which refers to the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it, is reflected in the letter when they say “We expect to continue cooperating and collaborating closely for international peace, stability and prosperity. It is in the interests of the world including Asia that an open Europe be upheld”. Japan’s strong uncertainty avoidance is demonstrated when they say “Uncertainty is a major concern for an economy; it evokes a sense of anxiety, causing volatility in markets, and results in the contraction of trade, investment and credit”.

Although Britain and Japan are nearly opposites according to Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture, they were both able to business with each other. This is evident when Japan states that it “enjoys strong partnerships with the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) in various fields including politics, the economy and security”. Furthermore, Japan stated that “There are numerous Japanese businesses operating in Europe, which have created 440,000 jobs. A considerable number of these firms are concentrated in the UK”, (as cited in Edwards, 2016). With that being said, hopefully moving forward Britain, Japan, and the EU can continue working through their cultural differences.

References:

Edwards, J. (2016, September 05). You should read Japan’s Brexit note to Britain – it’s brutal. Retrieved September 05, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-brexit-note-to-britain-2016-9

Japan’s Message to the United Kingdom and the European Union. Retrieved from http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000185466.pdf

Langley Esquire. (2016, July 04). The Elections & Brexit | Tokyo on Fire. Retrieved September 05, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpaYUvsCqDw

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York, New York: Routledge.