Supercase

Alex Perry, Cole Boyer, Lindsay Jimeson, Karen Eberle, Michael

Grasso

Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions

• Gathered statistical data from 100,000 employees of IBM around world to determine values on which cultures vary

• Each Dimension described as a continuum, with distinct cultures classified somewhere along continuum

Individualism-Collectivism• addresses how people define themselves and their

relationships with others• Individualistic cultures:– Consider individual most important in any social setting– Stress independence rather than dependence– Reward individual achievement– Value each individuals uniqueness

• Collectivist cultures– Think goals of group are more important than individual

needs– Obligation to the group is the norm– Self is defined in relation to others– Focus on cooperation rather than competition

Uncertainty Avoidance

• Extent to which people in a culture are made nervous by situations they perceive as unstructured, unclear, or unpredictable

• High Uncertainty Avoidance Cultures:– Seek to avoid ambiguity– Maintain strict codes of behavior and support absolute truths– Workplace typified by rules, precisions, punctuality

• Low Uncertainty Avoidance Cultures:– Accept ambiguity and lack of structure– More inclined to take risks, innovate, and value outside the

box thinking– Tend to work hard only when needed– United States low uncertainty avoidance

Power Distance• Extent to which people with little power in society consider inequity

normal and acceptable• High Power Distance Cultures:

– Accept power differences as natural and inevitable– Greater centralization of power and more importance place on

status– Tend to have large number of supervisors, hierarchy, and

decision making at top end of hierarchy only– Tend to have wide salary gap between high and low hierarchy

• Low Power Distance Cultures– People higher in hierarchy not assumed to be superior– People lower in hierarchy can achieve power through hard work– Us is low power distance

• Becoming increasingly higher though

Masculinity-Femininity

• Focus on Biological sex and what is considered sex appropriate behavior

• Masculine Cultures:– Use reality of biological sex in creation of distinct roles for men and

women– Men expected to be assertive, ambitious, competitive– Women expected to be supportive, nurturing, deferent– Women have hard time achieving workplace equality– US is masculine country

• Feminine Cultures– Men and women equally permitted to be assertive, deferent,

competitive, nurturing– Focus on interpersonal relationships and concern for weak– Manifest consensus seeking

Long-Term Short-Term Orientation

• Are you focused on the present or the future• Long Term Orientation:– Associated with thrift, savings, perseverance, willingness to

subordinate oneself to achieve a goal– Employees have strong work ethic and view distant goals

• Short Term Orientation– Spend money to keep up with the Joneses and prefer quick results to

long term gain– Employees seek immediate pay and are less willing to sacrifice in the

short run to achieve in the long run

Predicted Outcome Value Theory

• General Focus: Predicting communication and future relational development from judgments made during initial encounters

• Primary goal in first encounters: Maximize relational outcomes– In first encounters, individuals asses predicted

outcome value of relationship

Predicted Outcome Value

• Will this relationship produce positive or negative outcomes for me

• Reward/cost analysis– Positive outcomes: Develop relationship– Negative outcomes: Avoid relationship

Bases for POV

• Proximity/Access– Will you see them again– People don’t form relationships with people they don’t meet

• Physical Attractiveness– Is the person attractive

• Similarity– How similar are we

• Type of Potential relationship– What is the relationship potential

• Uncertainty– More uncertain the lower the POV

Predictions of POV

• As POV Increases– Quantity of verbal communication increases– Intimacy of communication content increases– Nonverbal expressions of affiliation increase

• If Low POV– Restrict and end initial conversation– Maintain first impression

• If High POV– Communicate to maximize outcomes– Potential for relationship development– First impression more likely to change through continued

interaction

Face Negotiation Theory

• General Focus: Explain and predict cultural differences associated with conflict management as a function of differences in face concerns

• Individuals try to balance own positive and negative face needs while attending to partners face needs– Face: Desired self image– Positive face: Need to be liked, appreciated, and

admired– Negative Face: desire to act freely without imposition

from others

Face Negotiation Theory

• Cultural influences on face concerns:– Individualism: stronger concern for self-face• Self face concern

– Individuals must consider their own positive and negative face needs

– Collectivism: stronger concern for other-face, mutual face• Other face concern

– Partner’s positive and negative face needs

Conflict Styles• Avoidance

– Withdraw from or seek to evade conflict• Accommodation

– Cooperate with others/ typically concede• Competition

– Highly assertive and lacking in cooperation• Compromise

– Moderate concern for self and others, somewhat assertive and cooperative, have to sacrifice

• Collaboration– High regard for self and others, seek new solutions without making sacrifices

• Passive Aggressive• Emotional expression• Third Party Help

Groupthink

• dysfunctional way of deliberating that group members use when their desire for unanimity overrides their motivation to assess all available plans of action

• Groupthink represents failure of group to demonstrate critical thinking

Three Antecedent conditions

• Cohesion– Degree of connection or solidarity between group members

• Structural flaws– Group insulation-group isolated from larger world– Biased leadership-leader states preference and group members

follow suit– Lack of procedural norms-don’t have or don’t follow procedural

norms– Homogeneity-similarity

• Situational characteristics– Groupthink more likely to occur in times of high stress

• Operating constraints, threats, legal requirements, time pressures

– Moral Dilemmas • Groupthink likely if alternatives are unethical

Symptoms of Groupthink• Overestimation of group-group members have inflated

view of group’s abilities– Invulnerability-group wont or can’t fail– Inherent morality-group is good, group decisions will be good

• Close mindedness-polarized thinking, or viewing the world in extremes– Stereotyping-demonizing other groups and their leaders– Collective rationalization-group members justify decisions by

talking themselves into them• Pressures toward uniformity-Individual group members

suppress critical thinking– Self-Censorship-group members keep mouth shut when

experiencing doubt– Illusion of unanimity-group members perceive a consensus,

even when one isn’t present

To avoid groupthink

• should avoid having the leader state a preference, • set up several independent subgroups to study

the problem and propose solutions• discuss what is happening in the group with

people outside of the group• invite outsiders into the group• assign someone to be a devils advocate• monitor the group for symptoms• take time between initial decision and

confirmation of the decision to analyze the decision critically