Intercultural Communication
in Business (6)
Multicultural teams and
Framework for Intercultural
Management
Group Effectiveness
„ Multi Cultural Groups
Highly
Ineffective
… Single Cultural Groups
Average
Effectiveness
Highly
Effective
Source: Nancy J. Adler: International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour, 1986
Organisational Strategies for Managing
Cultural Diversity
Type of
organisation
PAROCHIAL
Our way is the
best way
Perceived
impact of
CD on org.
No impact
Strategy for
Outcomes of
managing adopted strategy
CD
Situation
Problems are
usually not
Ignore
differences attributed to the
culture
Very
common
Common
ETHNOCENTRIC
Our way is the
best way
Negative
impact
Minimize
Some problems
differences and few
advantages
SYNERGISTIC
The combination
of our way and
their way may be
the best way
Potential
negative
impact and
positive
impact
Some problems
and many
Manage
differences advantages
Very uncommon
(Nancy Adler: International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour, 1986)
National Culture and Corporate
Cultures
z
Organizational culture is shaped not only by technologies
and markets, but by the cultural preferences of leaders
and employees.
Three aspects of organizational structure are especially
important in determining corporate culture:
(1) The general relationship between employees and their
organization.
(2) The vertical or hierarchical system of authority defining
superiors and subordinates.
(3) The general views of employees about the
organization’s destiny, purpose and goals and their
places in this.
z
Corporate Culture Model
(Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1999)
Egalitarian
Fulfilment-oriented culture
INCUBATOR
Project-oriented culture
GUIDED MISSILE
Person
Task
FAMILY
EIFFEL TOWER
Person-oriented culture
Role-oriented culture
Hierarchical
The Family Culture
z
The family culture is at the same time personal, with close
face-to-face relationship, but also hierarchical, in the sense
that the boss (father of the family) has experience and
authority greatly exceeding those of the subordinates
(children).
z
The result is power-oriented corporate culture in which the
leader is regarded as caring father who knows better that
his subordinates what should be done and what is good for
them.
z
Pressure is moral and social, rather than financial or legal.
z
Power and differential status are seen as “natural“, a
characteristics of leaders themselves and not related to the
tasks they succeed or fail in doing.
z
Who is doing something is more important that what is
being done.
The Eiffel Tower Culture
z
In the Eiffel Tower culture a bureaucratic division of labour
with various roles and functions is prescribed in advance.
Its structure is steep, symmetrical, narrow at the top and
broad at the base, stable, rigid and robust.
z
Its hierarchy is very different from that of the family. Each
higher level has a clear and demonstrable function of
holding together the levels beneath it.
z
The subordinates obey the boss because it is his or her role
to instruct them.
z
In contrast to Family Model, the status is not personally
ascribed, but is ascribed to the role.
The Guided Missile Culture
z
The guided missile culture differs from both the family and
the Eiffel Tower by being egalitarian, but differs also from
the family and resembles the Eiffel Tower in being
impersonal and task-oriented.
z
While the rationale of the Eiffel Tower culture is means, the
Guided Missile has a rationale of ends. Everything must be
done to preserve in your strategic intent and reach your
target.
z
The guided missile culture is oriented to tasks, typically
undertaken by teams or project groups. It differs from the
role culture in that the jobs members do are not fixed in
advance.
z
The ultimate criteria of human value in guided missile
culture are how you perform and to what extent you
contribute to the jointly desired outcome.
The Incubator Culture
z
The incubator culture is based on the existential idea that
organizations are secondary to the fulfilment of individuals.
If organizations are to be tolerated at all, they should be
there to serve as incubators of self-expression and selffulfilment.
z
The incubator is both personal and egalitarian. It has
almost no structure at all and what structure it does provide
is mainly for personal convenience: heat, light, coffee and
so on.
z
Cultural incubators may be innovative companies, legal
partner, consultants and other groups of professionals who
work mostly alone but like to share resources while
comparing experiences.
z
In contrast to the family culture, leadership in the incubator
is achieved, not ascribed. You follow those whose progress
most impresses you and whose ideas works.
National Patterns of Corporate Culture
Egalitarian
• Denmark
• Switzerland
• Sweden
Person
• Canada
• UK
• Norway
• USA
• Ireland
• Finland
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Belgium
• Hungary
• Venezuela
• Greece
• Australia
• Israel
• Nigeria
• Germany
• France
• Spain
• India
• South Korea
Hierarchical
Source: Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1999
Task