You have been appointed the leader of a team project. The team is made up of people from various countries as listed below. Identify which aspect of the cultural dimensions best represent the culture of each person. (Note: there are five dimensions: power/distance; individual/collectivism; uncertainty/avoidance; career/life; and Confucian Dynamism ). As the leader of this team you need to know some of the norms for the cultures from which the individuals come. Understanding how the cultural dimensions apply to each culture will help you work well with each individual. As a conscientious manager/team leader you should research this before you start the team project.
Note: create a chart or table (see below)
The first item is an example of how to complete this section. An American is used as the example (Note: The American is not on the team; he/she is an example). Include the chart/table as an Appendix to the paper you submit for grading in LEO.
Power/ Distance | Individual/ Collective | Uncertainty Avoidance | Career/Life | Confucian Dynamism | |
American (30) USA | Low | Indiidual | Low | Career | Low |
Egyptian (21) female | |||||
Chinese-Singapore (51) | |||||
S. Korean (27) male | |||||
Etc. | |||||
Etc. | |||||
See below for the rest |
30 year old (USA) [ is the example above; he is not part of the team]
Power/Distance – low
Individual/Collective – individual
Uncertainty Avoidance –low
Career/Life – career
Confucian Dynamism – low
Here is your team:
• 21 year old female (Egyptian)
• 51 year old female (Chinese-Singapore)
• 27 year old male (S. Korean)
• 32 year old male (Iranian)
• 30 year old female (Indian)
• 33 year old male (Irish)
• 25 year old male (Japanese)
• 28 year old female (Mexican)
• 33 year old male (French)
• 40 year old female (Russian)
Once you have completed the above chart for this exam select the culture of ONE of these individuals and do the following:
Prepare a research paper that addresses the culture represented by the person above. The paper should be approximately five-six pages of text. Make sure you check your previous papers and do not make the same errors in this paper.
The student may not select her/his own culture. It must be an analysis of a culture other than one’s own. The paper must be original to this course. This paper must include the application of theories and concepts addressed in the course. The paper should provide a comprehensive analysis of the nuances of the culture. Anyone reading the paper should be able to use it as a blueprint of what the culture is like and how to function smoothly in that culture.
Using the information gleaned from the above analysis of the culture. Discuss the chosen culture applying the Dimensions of Difference (Power distance; collectivism/individualism; 3 others) as they apply to your chosen culture. Based upon the information about the culture that the “Dimensions” provide, give specific examples of how the manager/team leader should behave with the chosen person from the list above.
In other words, your assignment is to analyze another culture through the framework of multicultural considerations. The quality of the writing and the depth of the content are expected to reflect graduate level work. Pay attention to your previous papers. Do not make the same mistakes in the writing or formatting that you have previously. See Item 7 in the rubric.
Be certain the paper has a well constructed brief introduction that contains a clear statement of purpose. Note, however, that in APA format the heading “Introduction” is not written. What follows the title is assumed to be the introduction. Ensure that the body of the paper accomplishes the stated purpose and approach, and that the summary analysis and conclusions are based upon a clear chain of logic. Correct APA formatting is expected in the preparation of the manuscript, citations and reference list.
An abbreviated rubric and checklist is given below. Take particular notice of the comments made on previous assignments. This one will be graded more strenuously.
Grading Criteria
Criteria |
Score | ||
Submitted late: minus 5% per day | |||
1 | |||
2 | Meets expectations for content and purpose of the assignment. See the bullets on page 2 (Dimensions of difference; stereotypes; words/gestures; leadership approach; etc.) | 20 | |
3 | Develops a clearly articulated and original thesis and/or main idea that are consistent with expectations of content and purpose. Topic is FOCUSED. Paper is well organized with appropriate headings. A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. | 20 | |
4 | Incorporates sufficient use of appropriate research, supporting evidence, and relevant sources (the readings plus 3 references). | 20 | |
5 | Conforms to APA and/or additional guidelines from the instructor. (Refer to the paper in Conferences, “Writing Papers That Are Easy to Grade” and “Making and A”) | 20 | |
6 | Displays sound grammar, spelling, punctuation, and appropriate conventions. See Note* below. | 20 | |
7 | Considers Comments on previous assignments. Minus 10 if not. | ||
Total |
Where (depending on whether weight is 10 or 20:
1-6 or 1-12 = Not proficient
7 or 14 = Competent
8 or 16 = Above average
10 or 20 = Exemplary
Checklist (make sure you do the following):
*NOTE: Papers that have a consistent misuse of grammar, punctuation (commas, semicolons, quotation marks) and spelling will not receive a grade higher than the low 80’s regardless of the quality of the content.