GLOBALIZATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:Religious Values and Bicultural Identities

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Human Relations MGMT611

Lesson 19

GLOBALIZATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Quotations:

Diversity isn't a slogan--it's a reality when you're hiring people everywhere.

Robert M. Teeter (U.S. pollster and business executive)

Diversity raises the intelligence of groups.

Nancy Kline (U.S. author)

Globalization/ Cross-cultural variation:

Recent theorists conceive of globalization as linked to the growth of social and cultural interconnectedness

across existing geographical and political boundaries. Globalization and cross-cultural diversity clearly opens

up opportunities for development. It is not a new phenomenon. Globalization is introducing and instilling

cross cultural values in people. Globalization refers to the spread of new forms of nonterritorial social

activity (Ruggie, 1993; Scholte, 2000). Human relations have become diverse due to the increasing personal

and workplace complexities. Many people from overseas are working in various organizations in Pakistan

who come from different cultures. Similarly many Pakistanis are working overseas who have their own

values and norms. This type of diversity may be useful in learning new and more efficient ways of doing

things. If the individuals are better trained in accepting the cultural diversities they will be more successful in

their personal and organizational life.

Importance of cross-cultural differences:

The purpose of this lesson is to provide information that is useful for developing effective working

relationships with people from cultures substantially different from your own. The cultural differences may

exist within the same country or from different countries. Being able to work well with people from other

cultures, both outside and inside your own country is important for personal and organizational success.

Being able to relate to a culturally diverse customer base is also necessary for success.

Major dimensions of differences in cultural values:

Culture is a learned and shared system of knowledge, beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms. As such, culture

includes an enormous amount of behaviour. Diversity is increasing in day to day life of individuals and

organizations due to globalization.

The factors of diversity:

Diversity involves a wide range of group and individual characteristics. One should be capable of accepting

these kinds of diversities and working with people of diverse behaviours in personal life and work places.

Here are some of the factors of diversity one should be familiar with.

. Race

. Sex or gender

. Religion

. Age (young, middle aged, and old)

. Generation differences, including attitudes

. Ethnicity (country of origin)

. Education

. Abilities

. Mental disabilities (including attention deficit disorder)

. Physical disabilities (including hearing status, visual status, able-bodies, wheelchair user)

. Values and motivation

. Marital status (married, single, cohabitating, widow, widower)

. Family status (children, no children, two parent family, single parent, grandparent, opposite-sex, same-sex

parents)

. Personality traits

. Functional background (area of specialization, such as marketing, manufacturing)

. Technology interest (high-tech, low-tech, technophobe)

Human Relations MGMT611

. Weight status (average, obese, underweight, anorexic)

. Hair status (full head of hair, bald, wild hair, tame hair, long hair, short hair)

. Style of clothing and appearance (dress up, dress down, professional appearance, casual appearance,

tattoos, body piercing including multiple earrings, nose rings, lip rings)

. Tobacco status (smoker versus nonsmoker, chewer versus nonchewer)

Human relations self-assessment:

Cross-Cultural Skills and Attitudes:

Here is an interesting exercise to evaluate one's own cultural diversity acceptance behaviour. Listed below

are various skills and attitudes that various employers and cross-cultural experts think are important for

relating effectively to co-workers in a culturally diverse environment. First answer them in Yes or No, and

then find out where do you stand.

· I have spent some time in another country.

· At least one of my friends is deaf or blind or has some other handicap.

· Currency from other countries is as real as the currency from my own country.

· I can read in a language other than my own.

· I can speak in a language other than my own.

· I can write in a language other than my own.

· I can understand people speaking in a language other than my own.

· I use my second language regularly.

· My friends include people of races different than that of my own.

· My friends include people of different ages.

· I feel (or would feel) comfortable having a friends with a sexual orientation different from mine.

· My attitude is that although another culture may be very different from mine, that culture is equally

good.

· I appreciate the art from other countries.

· I would accept (or would have already accepted) a work assignment of more than several months in

another country.

· I have a passport.

Interpretation: If you answered in "Yes" or "Applies to Me Now" to 10 or more of the above questions,

you most likely function well in a multicultural work environment.

If you answered "Not There Yet" to 10 or more of the above questions, you need to develop more cross-

cultural awareness and skills to work effectively in a multicultural work environment. You will notice that

being bilingual gives you at least five points on this quiz.

Major Dimensions of Cultural Differences:

Seven dimensions (or facets) of cultural values that help explain how cultures differ from each other are

described here.

1. Individualism vs. collectivism:

Some cultures give more value and importance to personal interests and development rather than collective

good. Individualistic people believe that their interests take priority.

Collectivistic people are more concerned with the organization or the work group than with themselves.

2. Acceptance of power and authority:

People from some cultures accept power distance at different organizational levels; in some other cultures

people do not recognize a power hierarchy. There are cultures where people work as a team in an

organization. In our culture there is hierarchy of power.

3. Materialism vs. concern for others:

Some cultures emphasize assertiveness and the acquisition of money and material objects. At the other end

of the continuum is concern for others, an emphasis on personal relations, and the common welfare.

4. Formality vs. informality:

A country that values formality attaches considerable importance to tradition, ceremony, social rules, and

rank. In contrast, informality refers to a casual attitude toward these same aspects of culture. There are

Human Relations MGMT611

people who are more methodical than others. They give more importance to the rules and regulations.

Different people have different way of doing things.

5. Urgent time orientation vs. casual time orientation:

People from countries with an urgent time orientation view time as a limited resource and tend to be

impatient. People with a casual time orientation view time as an unlimited and unending resource and tend

to be patient. One must have the ability to work with

both type of people.

6. Work orientation vs. leisure orientation:

A major cultural difference is the number of hours per week and weeks per year people expect to invest in

work versus leisure, or other non-work activities. Leisure seeking behaviour is generally less productive.

7. High context vs. low-context cultures:

There are some cultures which are high context, and there are others which are low context. Chinese culture

is high context culture. High-context cultures make more extensive use of body language. People in low-

context cultures seldom take time in business dealings to build relationships and establish trust.

Another diversity is regarding being present oriented or future oriented. Those people who belong to

present oriented culture believe in rewards in present, whereas future oriented people believe in future

rewards.

Religious Values and Bicultural Identities:

In addition to these well-publicized dimensions of cultural values, many other cultural differences in the

workplace require consideration. An important example is that differences in religious practices often affect

when people are willing to work or not to work. Religious diversity can create problems as more companies

move to 24/7 schedules.

Another complexity about understanding cultural differences is that many people have bicultural identities

because they identify with both their primary culture and another culture. Further, according to this theory,

people retain a local identity along with their global identity.

Applying Knowledge of Cultural Differences;

The key principle to recognizing cultural differences is to be alert to these differences, and to be sensitive to

how they could affect your dealing with people. To improve interpersonal relationships on the job,

recognize that a person's national values might influence his or her behaviour. For example, emphasize

nonverbal communication with a person from a high-context culture.

References:

Dubrin, A.J. (2005). Human relations: Career and Personal Success. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey,

07458.

Ruggie, J. G. (1993). "Territoriality and Beyond: Problematizing modernity in international relations".

International Organization 47; 139-74.

Scholte, J. A. (2000). Globalization: Theory and Practice, London Printer.

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