1. Considering the conference "Dealing with Cultural Differences" by Nick B. Meyer, choose 1 cultural dimension and use hypothetical but realistic situations - or real ones - to illustrate the business implications of cultural differences. You may not use situations or examples already discussed in class or in the conference.
As we already know there are many factors that can influence a negotiation and one one of the most important ones is culture; this is why negotiators have to learn how to deal with all cultural barries in order to be successful; taking into account that cultures are very different one of the other in all dimensions.
One cultural dimension that perfectly explains this affirmation is the masculinity vs. the femininity; it consists in the different kind of roles that belong to each gender. Masculin roles are defferent in every culture, but they have many common aspects, they are competitive and ambicious, they live in order to work and tend to feel more sympathy for the successfu achiever. By the other hand femininity is almost the same in any culture and it is characterized by modesty and care, they work in order to live and they feel sympathy for the unfortunate.
According to these characteristics a country or a society can be clasified as masculin or feminine, and this is what has to be studied or taken into account when doing bussiness with a person or a company from a different country, because their priorities and the negotiation style can be very different according to the gender.
Japan, Venezuela and Mexico are masculin cultures and Sweden, Norway and Netherlands are feminim countries.
For example if we are going to do business with a Japanesse negotiador we have to take into account that his values are more masculin and his priorities are working and becoming more sucessful, so maybe he won´t be very interested in loosing a lot of time, and also there are more posibilities that he feels more respect for a person that he perceives as successful.
The contrary example would be if we are doing bussines with a person or company from Norway who would problably be more interested in the necesities of the other partie when negotiating or with the employees dued to its carring values, and maybe they would be less strict with the time if the other person has a family or a problem.
These examples are the prove of the importance of knowing a culture before dealing with it, specially nowadays because the world is globalizing.
Camila, I like the way you explain the things that were mention in the conference, you emphasizes in two differents cultures (Japanese & Norway), you did a great comparision of these two countries and the way a manager shoul behave in order to achieve goals and motivate their employees.
ResponderEliminarSara Baena Castro:
ResponderEliminarCami,in your blog i found very intersting the way you explain cultural dimmensions, you explained the concept of masculinity vs feminist and made a good example between two countries.I liked the example oj Japan, because, i learned how japanese people like to work in teams, respect the time and the feeling of respect more for people with more succes.
If I analyze what you say about the dimension of masculinity vs. feminist, about that the masculinity is competitive and ambitious and also they live in order to work and what you say about woman that they are modest I could say that if I read that 20 years ago I would be completely agree, but the thing is that today in 2010 things have changed and both of the genders have characteristics of been ambitious, competitive and sometimes modest. It means that nowdays the people have to be considered as people not as masculine or feminine and people with the same opportunities. Is important to say that exist countries whit tendencies to be masculinity in the way of think but those countries are less that the ones that consider the capacities of the woman as the capacities of the man.
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