Transcript The concept of culture

WEEK 7
DESCRIBING CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES -2
MNGT 583 – Özge Can
Perceptions
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The selective mental processes that enable us to
interpret and understand our surroundings
It is selective. We selectively attend to stimuli that are
important to us or that help us make decisions.
Culture may subtly sensitize us to the info and behavior
that are important for effective interaction.
Perceptions
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People selectively used culturally relevant traits to
form their impressions.
 Ex:
individual vs. group dimension
 Ex: importance of status
 Ex: abstract (universal) vs. situation-specific principles
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Perceptions operate “automatically”. We rarely
question the source of our views and opinions =>
cultural filters
Nonverbal Behavior
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Across cultures, people look for and see different
things, even when observing the same behavior.
Nonverbal behavior: subtle cues used to
communicate within and across cultures
 Ex:
facial expressions, appearence, body movements,
personal space
The Effect of Context
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Context: backgroun information – other than what is
said or written- that helps one understand and perceive
others.
Some cultures are less/more reliant on context in their
perceptions and interactions:
Low-context cultures: Interpretation of people and
behavior importantly depends on what is actually said or
written. (Ex. U.S., Australia)
 High-context cultures: The context itself often provides
info that can be used otherwise ambigous events.(Ex.
China, Japan)
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Perception of Time
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Time has been studies because of its objective
nature.
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Wide differences in perceptions of this most objective of
things
Different descriptions
In Western cultures, it is perceived as a commodity (“time
is money”, “you are losing/saving time”, time is running
out”)
 In Eastern cultures, it is seen more flexible and fluid.
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Perception of Time
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Questions: How much late is “late”? How being
late is evaluated?
Several interesting studies to examine time
perception (the pace of time):
 Lunch
appointment
 Accuracy of bank clocks
 Walking speed
 Postal clerk service
Perception of Time
Perception of Time
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Monochronic time versus Polychronic time
 The
distinction refers to paying attention to one thing at
a time vs. Preferring to do mnay things at once
Interpretation of Perceptions
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Attribution theory: A model of how we come to
perceive others’ behavior as internally or externally
caused.
Self-serving attribution bias
 The tendency to take credit (internal attribution) for
success but to blame failure on other causes (external
attribution)
Self-effacing behavior
 The tendency among some cultures to be modest in taking
credit for success but accepting responsibility for failure
Attitudes
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An attitude is a learned tendency to react in a
certain way toward some object or person
We have attitudes about nearly everything
Most important ones:
 Attitudes
toward the self
 Attitudes about work
 Attitudes toward others/groups
Attitudes toward the Self
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Independent self: the view of oneself as a
autonomous or unique individual who values selfreliance and achievement
Interdependent self: the view of oneself as closely
linked toward others and groups that value
paternalism and group cohesion
Attitudes toward the Self
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Abstract vs. concrete self-descriptions
 Westerners
have more independent views of the self
and their self-description is more abstract and devoid
of specifics or qualifiers
 “I am extroverted”, “I am sensitive”
 Non-westerners
have more interdependent view of self
thus they describe themselves in ways specific and
imbedded in the social situations
 “I am happy when I work with my friend”
Attitudes about Work
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Important work attitudes:
 Job
satisfaction
 Organizational commitment
 Different
 Protestant
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bases and foci of employee commitment
work ethic (PWE)
Mixed results
Be careful about the measurements and samples
used
Attitudes about Others/ Groups
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Parochialism
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Ethnocentrism
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The state of mind, whereby one focuses on small sections of an
issue rather than considering its wider context. More generally,
it consists in being narrow in scope
Judging all other groups according to the standards,
behaviors, and customs of one’s own group
Stereotyping
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The tendency to infer traits to individuals based on their
national or cultural gorup membership
Attitudes about Others/ Groups
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In-group vs. Out-group distinction
We have a tendency to rate our in-group higher than an
out-group.
Mirror imaging: A stereotypical pattern whereby groups
perceive positive traits in themselves and negative ones in
other groups
We also have a tedency to see in-group members as more
varied and complex (heterogeneous) and out-group
members as less varied and more homogenous.
Exercies on Cultural Difference:
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Click on the links to take the tests:

Hofstede’s Model of Culture
 International
Cultural Diversity
*These tests are NOT an assignment. This is an
exercise for you to test your knowledge.