Chapter 2
Challenges for Managers
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Understanding Cultural Differences
HOFSTEDE’S DIMENSIONS
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Hofstede’s Dimensions
Individualism – a cultural orientation in which
people belong to loose social frameworks,
and their primary concern is for themselves
and their families.
Collectivism – a cultural orientation in which
individuals belong to tightly knit social
frameworks, and they depend strongly on
large extended families or clans.
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2-3
Hofstede’s Dimensions (contd.)
Power Distance – the degree to which a
culture accepts unequal distribution of power.
Uncertainty Avoidance – the degree to
which a culture tolerates ambiguity and
uncertainty.
Masculinity – the cultural orientation in which
assertiveness and materialism are valued.
Femininity – the cultural orientation in which
relationships and concern for others are
valued.
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2-4
Hofstede’s Dimensions (contd.)
Time Orientation – whether a culture’s
values are oriented toward the future (longterm orientation) or toward the past and
present (short-term orientation).
© 2008 by South-Western, a
division of Cengage Learning
2-5
Where the U.S. Stands
ON HOFSTEDE’S DIMENSIONS
INDIVIDUALISM
Collectivism
High power distance
Low power distance
High uncertainty avoidance
LOW UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
MASCULINITY
Long-term orientation
Femininity
SHORT-TERMM ORIENTATION
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The Diverse Workforce
• Diversity
– All forms of individual differences,
including culture, gender, age, ability,
race, religion, personality, social status,
and sexual orientation.
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2-7
Dimensions of Diversity
Primary
 Age
 Ethnicity
 Gender
 Physical
abilities/qualities
 Race
Secondary
 Educational background
 Income
 Geographic location
 Marital status
 Military experience
 Religious beliefs
 Work experience
 Parental status
Diversity Statistics for the
Workplace
Ethnic
2020 Workforce: 68% white non-Hispanic
14% Hispanic
11% African-American
5% Asian
Gender 2020 Workforce: 50% male
50% female
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Diversity Statistics Affecting
the Workplace
Age
By 2030, people over 65 will comprise
20% of the population.
Ability
An estimated 50 million disabled live in the
U.S.; their unemployment rate exceeds
50%.
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Gender Diversity
Glass Ceiling – a transparent
barrier that keeps women from
rising above a certain level in
organizations.
Getting in and getting up are two entirely different things
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2-11
Barriers to women’s professional success
 Male dominated corporate culture
 Glass ceiling
 Exclusion from informal network
 Management’s attitude that women are
less career oriented than men
 Lack of female mentors
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2-12
Stress of Multiple Roles for Women
 Women have adopted the provider role, but
men have been slow to share domestic
responsibilities
 Working women often have to care for elderly
parents
 Arranging for child care is typically the
woman’s responsibility
 Women are more likely than men to
experience conflicts between work and home
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2-13
Recent Research: Huffman, Cohen,
Pearlman 2010 ASQ
• Non-managerial workers more integrated
when they work for female managers
• Women managers more integrated into
larger, growing organizations. Less integrated
into organizations with less than 100
employees
• Relative status of women in upper
management positions is stalling. Momentum
has faded over time.
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Diversity’s Benefits &
Problems
BENEFITS
•Attracts and retains the best
talent
• Improves marketing efforts
• Promotes creativity and
innovation
•Results in better problem
solving
•Enhances organizational
flexibility
PROBLEMS
•
•
•
•
•
Resistance to change
Lack of cohesiveness
Communication problems
Interpersonal conflicts
Slower decision making
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TED: Sheryl Sandberg
TED Talk
Three suggestions for women that want to
stay in the workforce
Ethics
 Morals: the values and principles that
distinguish right from wrong
 Ethics: behavioral norms and rules. Do
the right thing
 See
the J&J Code of ethics on page 32
 Social responsibility: obligation of an
organization to behave in ethical way in
the social environment in which it
operates
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2-17
Sexual Harassment =
Unwanted Sexual Attention
• Gender Harassment – crude comments;
behaviors that convey hostility toward a
particular gender
• Unwanted Sexual Attention – unwanted
touching, unwanted pressure for dates
• Sexual Coercion – demands for sexual
favors through job-related threats or
promises
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Organizational Justice
Distributive Justice –
fairness of the outcomes
that individuals receive
in an organization
Procedural Justice –
fairness by which the
outcomes are allocated
in an organization
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Distributive Justice
• Equity: rewarding employees based on
their contributions
• Equality: providing each employee
roughly the same compensation
• Need: a benefit based on one’s
personal requirements
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2-20
Procedural Justice
• Consistency: all employees are treated the same
• Lack of bias: no person or group is singled out for
discrimination or ill-treatment
• Accuracy: decisions are based on accurate
information
• Representation of all concerned: appropriate
stakeholders have input into a decision
• Correction: there is an appeals process or other
mechanism for fixing mistakes
• Ethics: norms of professional conduct are not
violated.
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2-21
Procedural Justice
 Perceived
fairness of procedures used
to allocate pay raises is a better
predictor of satisfaction than the
absolute amount of the pay raise
received.
 Affects trust in management, intention
to leave, evaluation of supervisor, job
satisfaction, and employee theft, layoff
survivors.
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Alternative Work Arrangements
[Employees]
•
•
•
Gain flexibility
Save the commute to work
Enjoy the comforts of home
[But, they ]
•
•
•
•
Have distractions
Lack socialization opportunities
Lack interaction with supervisors
Identify less with the organization
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