Leadership Profile/ Module 3 – Trends and Cultural Diversity
Please read the instructions carefully. I will attach another doc to assist you with this assignment. Two of the links need my school id and password which I will
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Homework #1
Instructions
Homework #1: Leadership Profile
Write a profile describing a leader in a diverse organization who you think is especially effective in a multicultural setting. Select someone you can research or know
well enough to write about.
The profile should describe:
• the leader— at least 1 or 2 paragraphs on his or her background; • the organization— at least 1 or 2 paragraphs on his or her organization; and • the philosophy—
briefly describe the leader’s philosophy, then compare and contrast ideas from course readings to help you analyze the leader’s approach to his or her role.
Sample criteria: Four-page paper, excluding the cover and references page. Cite at least four academic sources from the course readings, scholarly sources from the
UMUC online library, and/or weekly modules to support your analysis – Follow APA style guidelines for the cover page, citations, and references page. The paper should
be double-spaced with 1-inch margins with 12 pt. Times New Roman
Week 3 Reading List
Globalization
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CCX3273100119&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=b75423fab96ff96157be74911ffdbeeb
Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Culture
http://sk.sagepub.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/reference/businesstoday/n468.xml
Becoming a Global Presence
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=umd_umuc&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CCX3405300212&asid=75827286a4de3cf7453350cb6ee0bc16
Module 3 – Trends and Cultural Diversity
What’s the benefit of studying this topic?
Diversity interacts with economic opportunities as well as risks. As a manager you offer added value when you understand how to track macro-economic /population trends
while also integrating knowledge of and respect for different cultures.
Module 3 Global Demographic Trends and Cultural Differences
INTRODUCTION:
Recent globalization requires leaders and managers to consider cultural diversity as a part of their responsibilities. They are charged with creating work settings
that promote knowledge and respect for not only their customers and clients, but also for their workers who produce the goods and services offered.
At-A-Glance Definitions:
Culture: Something that ties or links a group of people together as a society, tribe, or community. It is learned and shared by older members of a group who pass on
beliefs to younger members. Culture is also revealed in traditions, celebrations, and social expectations (such as customs or habits, morals, or laws), which provides
a structure or way of seeing and making sense of the world. Culture is a “way of life” for a group of people.
Cultural intelligence: The ability to display intercultural competence within a given group through adaptability and knowledge. See Hofstede’s Dimensions of Difference
below.
Diversity activities (diversity policies, programs/initiatives within business and professional settings): A term used to identify information dissemination and
training in smaller and larger enterprises. Diversity activities recognize and respect differences among workers due to ethnicity, race, gender, age, and sexual
orientation by gathering data, holding workshops and events, and establishing affinity groups. US Diversity programs began in response to government affirmative action
policies and civil rights laws/court decisions banning discrimination in the 1960-70s.
Globalization: The decrease of distance for trade and development of goods, services, as well as human interests. “Globalization refers to the process of integration
across societies and economies. The phenomenon encompasses the flow of products, services, labor, finance, information, and ideas moving across national borders
(Encyclopedia of Management, 2009, p. 341).
Homophily: The tendency of individuals to associate with others who are similar to them.
Stereotypes: “A form of categorization that organizes our experience and guides our behavior toward various groups within society. . . Stereotypes, like other forms of
categories, can be helpful or harmful depending on how we use them” (Adler, 2008, p. 76, 77).
Global Complexities and Controversies
Among people migrating, about 57% will seek to live in high income countries (such as North America, Europe, Japan and Australia). International migrants now make up
10% of the population of developed countries, with women accounting for half of those migrating.
The US is number one for receiving immigrants with more than 1.9 million holding legal resident status, and approximately 11.9 million nonofficial immigrants in
2011. Trading blocs: Whether international trade is more focused on regional rather than global integration. Trading blocs, such as the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), the European Union (EU), the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), support regional
cooperation between geographical neighbors (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009) Impact on poorer countries
Flow of capital Migration Diffusion of technology Sustainability Reconfiguration of culture
Skill Profile of the Effective Global Manager (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009)
The ability to envision and implement the strategy of thinking globally while acting locally Being able to manage change and transition Being able to manage
cultural diversity The ability to design and function in flexible organizational structures Being able to deal with stress and ambiguity Having the skills
required to work with others—especially in team setting Being able to communicate well, and having a command of more than one language Having the ability to learn
and transfer knowledge in an organization Entering into trusting alliances and operating with personal integrity and honesty Being able to turn ideas into action
Having a stateless perception of the world Being able to take risks and to experiment
Managing Organizational Diversity
The Society for Human Resource Management recommends the following components for a successful diversity initiative: 1. Get executive commitment. Enlisting the visible
support and commitment of your organization’s CEO is fundamental to a successful diversity initiative. 2. Articulate the desired outcomes. Be explicit about how
support and commitment are to be shown and from whom it is expected.
3. Assess the climate, needs, and issues at your organization. The use of focus groups can help clarify the obstacles. It will prove helpful to determine where your
organization currently is on the diversity continuum before determining what interventions need to be taken. 4. Create and maintain open channels of communication with
employees at the launch of your diversity initiative and throughout the process. Communication is crucial to the success of your diversity plan and should occur not
only at the beginning of a diversity initiative, but also throughout the process. 5. Consider forming a diversity taskforce to widen your support base. This group can
help analyze assessment data and make recommendations to top management. 6. Develop a mechanism for dealing with systemic changes and procedural problems. Once
identified, obstacles and problems must be addressed. For example, your company may be committed to hiring persons outside of the dominant culture, but has difficulty
promoting those same persons once they are with the organization. 7. Design relevant, interactive, applicable training. The purpose of good training is to not just
increase awareness and understanding about diversity, but also to develop concrete skills that employees can use to deal with workplace diversity, its implications,
and its effects. 8. Evaluate and measure each component of your diversity initiative (training, taskforce, mentoring initiative, employee networks, etc.). Set
measurable criteria and determine what you would like to accomplish and how you will gather data. 9. Ensure integration and accountability. Integrate the concepts,
skills and results of your diversity efforts into the fabric of the organization and hold management accountable for encouraging diversity throughout the organization.
(Gale Virtual Reference Library, “Diversity” Encyclopedia of Management, 2009, p. 197-200)
Economic Stability Is a Global Issue
In spite of the global crisis, lower and middle income countries continued to develop. China led with a 7.4% expansion of GDP followed by India with almost 6%,
2011. High income economies continue to account for most of the manufactured goods and their export (approximately 73% of goods were manufactured in these countries
during 2006), but Asian/Pacific countries improved their shares of manufactured products with China taking the lead. Investment correlates with rapid growth for many
economies. Between 2000 and 2007, investment rates rose 6%
in Asian/Pacific regions and more than 10% in SE Asia. Economies in Latin America and the Caribbean were lower, and high income areas had the least savings.
Macroeconomic stability is a cornerstone of development; the 2008-09 economic crises generated renewed interest in sound fiscal policy among business and government
leaders, which continues 2012 (World Bank).
Gathering /Researching Demographic Trends: An ongoing task for managing in a diverse, global setting:
Web-based resources provide snapshots of important trends. With data being widely available, there are increased expectations for managers to understand demographic
and economic trends. Here’s a suggested set of resources to help with tracking data.
Organization Primary Mission Types of reports Links for locating data World Bank To assist globally by paying particular attention to the advancement of less developed
countries. Data and Research section of website compiles reports on populations, economic changes by year and by special interest (such as environment or technology)
http://www.worldbank.org/ WBSITE/EXTERNAL.DATASTATISTICS/ Google options using terms of country and population (Google and the World Bank have a partnership to provide
specific data and information, which helps in organizing/retrieving from more than 65,000 documents. World Economic Forum To strive towards global development
emphasizing values along with rules. Work utilizes corporations/their leaders; governments and their leaders, as well as attention to a civil society. Offers an annual
Global Competitiveness Report and ranking of countries, based on multiple factors and an extended review process. Also offers understanding about issues such as gender
gap, and tourism impact. http://www.weforum.org
United Nations To govern internationally with the primary purpose of fostering peace.
Offer population by age and country; see Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED); Other reports such as country loss and gains (Population Div;
Statistics Div; IOM (Office on Migration)
http://www.un.org
Google OCED for several links to population data, these data banks can be tailored to provide profiles by country or across several countries.
US Census Bureau, International Data Base
To serve by offering quality data about people throughout the world.
Provides past, current and forecasting information about population changes
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/index.php
World Trade Organization
To negotiate agreements for reducing obstacles to international trade.
Offers trade profiles, in which the user customizes various factors to make tailored comparisons
http://www.wto.org/
select statistical data base
Business Insights: Essentials
NA Data profiles of companies by name, major brand, industry sector
Available through UMUC online library
Current Research for Understanding Cultural-Business Interactions
Globalization continues to expand and it impacts cultures: With more than 800 studies and articles since 2005, business awareness of cultural influences on enterprise
globalization has intensified. But the practical application of these ideas suggests questions rather than answers because there is now more need for specific,
situational, and practical applications due to global interconnectivity. The questions include:
Can professionals be screened for likely success in a diverse, multinational or global work setting? What priority should HR units give to cross-cultural skills
and work performance?
How should corporate strategy address both multi-national cultural values and company mission? What are the ethical issues and roles for corporate social
responsibility? How does a manager decide priorities within local markets, while also implementing company priorities and values
Hofstede Cultural Dimension Research (Launched in 1980)
With sponsorship of IBM, one of the first multinational corporations, Dutch anthropologist Geert Hofstede designed a survey to use data from 100,000+ respondents in
50+ countries. Survey data continues to be added to the database. With a strict protocol to assure validity, Hofstede and his researchers identified five major
categories in which cultures differ: power distance, individualism/collectivism, career success and quality of life, uncertainty avoidance, and short- longer time
orientation. Hofstede’s five-dimension model is the most widely applied for distinguishing culturally driven values within diverse work groups for the purpose of
cultural comparisons within large groups or countries.
Power Distance: “How willing are employees to accept that their boss has more power than they have? . . . Do employees do their work in a particular way because the
boss wants it that way (high power distance) or because they personally believe that it is the best way to do it (low power distance)?” (Adler, 2008, p. 54). On the
Hofstede scale, the U.S. is low, France is high. Individualism/Collectivism: On the Hofstede scale, the U.S. is high, Mexico is low. Career Success and Quality
of Life: On the Hofstede scale, the U.S. is high, France is low. Uncertainty Avoidance: On the Hofstede scale, the U.S. is low, Japan is high. Sort-Longer Time
Orientation: On the Hofstede scale, the U.S. is low, Japan is medium.
Later, Hofstede and his colleagues identified an additional dimension: Confucian dynamism.
Confucian Dynamism: measures the employees’ devotion to the work ethic and their respect for tradition. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan are typical examples of high
ratings in this dimension.
GLOBE Research (Began in 2004)
Building on Hofstede’s dimensions, House and his researchers aimed to identify appropriate leadership for assuring success in settings dominated by specific country
cultures. In addition to the dimensions proposed by Hofstede, GLOBE researchers proposed several others, including In-Group Collectivism, Gender Egalitarianism,
Assertiveness, Performance Orientation, and Humane Orientation. Six categories of leadership overlap the early culture categories identified by Hofstede. For
instance, charismatic and autonomous leading can be effective when working with culture values for higher power distance; team leadership can be helpful when working
within a collectivist culture; and self- protective leader attributes can be useful when there’s a higher awareness of uncertainty.
GLOBE researchers further divided the data from their study in 62 countries into regional clusters: Anglo, Germanic Europe, Latin Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern
Europe, Middle East, Confucian Asia, Southern Asia, Latin America, and Nordic Europe (Northouse, 2013, p. 390).
