Reports on behavior in organizations

Given its disproportionate impact on people's behavior, culture is significant from an organizational standpoint. Although there are various ways to study culture, Hofstede's models and Hall's cultural model are the most widely used from the perspective of an organization. In the former, cultural comparisons are based on five key axes: "individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-femininity, and short-term-long-term orientation." The differences in communication styles between other cultures are explained by Hall's cultural model, on the other hand. Thus, there are high-context civilizations and low-context cultures. According to the two approaches, organizational behavior is related to cultural issues. It is crucial to understand this connection essential since if an organization is to be successful across a variety of foreign markets.

The effect of cultural issues on organizational behavior is evident in some variations. First is how cultural differences affect employee motivation in the workplace. For motivation to be deemed effective, its reception by employees must be positive, and it must spark the drive for better performance. In collective cultures, dishing out individual rewards could have a negative effect on employee morale and recipients might even feel embarrassed. In masculine cultures, individuals prefer rewards that are materialistic or confer statuses such as titles and money. Feminine cultures, on the other hand, will tend to value rewards such as improved benefits or time off. In the context of motivation, it is important to realize that motivational factors differ even within a particular culture. Factors such as age, education level, and employee tenure should also be considered (Treven, Mulej, & Lynn, 2008). The communication process is the second aspect of organizational behavior that is affected by cultural issues. Language usage and other aspects such as nonverbal communication differ from one culture to the other. In individualistic cultures that are also low-context, people employ a direct style whereby a speaker expresses their true feelings through the appropriate wordage. On the other hand, collective, high-context cultures are more censored. People have concern for the feelings of others with the view of maintaining harmony within the group. The same line of thinking applies to conflict resolution in different cultures. In low-context cultures, disagreements between individuals in public are acceptable, and people still maintain cordial relationships despite involvement in a conflict. In high-context cultures, however, public disagreement and confrontation are seen as highly insulting, and parties involved are humiliated.

Workplace Behavior in the U.S., Japan, and Germany

Differences in culture have a significant impact on how individuals behave in the workplace. The individualistic culture of the United States means that an employee's achievements significantly influence managers. Additionally, managers value knowledge and individuals do not get personally attached to their jobs. The situation in the German workplace is similar but not to such an extreme extent. This can be attributed to the role of trade unions in Germany. It breeds a collective culture in the workplace thus reducing the impact of individualism. While trade unions are also popular in Japan, the most significant influence on the work behavior in the country is the collectivism. Individuals in the workplace value teamwork based on the assumption that each will take the initiative. Employees, therefore, have a moral connection to their jobs. The individualistic dimension also informs workplace behavior when it comes to dealing with employee mistakes. In the United States and Germany, the importance of individual responsibility is reflected in the punitive approach to mistakes at the workplace. In Japan, this is not the case. The philosophy of continuous improvement is used in the country insists that the punishment of employees could lead to individuals hiding mistakes thus eradicating the chance of improving the process.

Communication in the workplace also differs between the countries. The two western countries are characterized by direct communication which is illustrative of their low-context cultures. In the United States, however, informality is common in the workplace. The rare use of titles in the workplace is the complete opposite of the case in Japan and Germany. Japanese culture is high-context, so indirect communication and the use of symbolic language is common. In this setup, individuals are expected to conform to moral code and always strive to please everyone in the society. Uncertainty avoidance also affects workplace behavior a great deal. In the United States, employees are free to share their new ideas in the workplace without the fear of being shot down. The German culture is one that avoids uncertainty. This is illustrated by the detailed representation of rules and instructions and a strong reliance on expertise at the workplace. Japan’s score when it comes to uncertainty avoidance is one of the highest in the world. This translates to workplace behavior being highly predictable. Before the commencement of any project, all risk factors must be put into account and feasibility studies done. The result is difficulty in changing anything in a Japanese workplace. Behavior during meetings also differs between the western nations and Japan. In the former, meetings are typically short and fewer with efficiency perceived as key. In the latter, however, meetings are numerous with a lot of time spent on them. This is because there must be a consensus with everyone involved in a particular project (Nisbett & Miyamoto, 2005).

Challenges and Opportunities

The company is bound to face a variety of challenges operating across three countries with unique cultures. The first issue would be motivating employees of the company. Individual incentives and competition would work in the United States and Germany but would be ineffective in a collectivist culture such as the one in Japan. The second issue, in this context, would be the perception of time across the cultures involved. While western cultures are associated with directness, punctuality, and schedules, the case would be different in Japan where meetings drag on for days and socialization is seen as part of a business negotiation. Cultural traditions and values would also pose a significant challenge to multinational companies. Additionally, the company would also struggle with differences in communication styles across the three jurisdictions (McFarlin & Sweeney, 2014). Besides the cultural challenges faced, the company has an opportunity to create a culture an organizational culture that is flexible enough to cater to the unique cultural aspects (Bucker, Furrer, Poutsma, & Buyens, 2014).

The acknowledgment of variances in cultural dimensions across various countries is the first step in solving the cultural challenges identified. The central management of the company should always be in contact with overseas managers to ensure that company policies consider the variations. In the case of differences between individualist and collectivist cultures, managers in the latter should operate based on the group dynamic to conform to the local culture. The differences in values and communication styles should be catered to by cultural sensitivity training. This would ensure that company employees, especially expatriates, communicate respectfully in the workplace and can overlook cultural boundaries (Buchtel, 2014). The creation of corporate culture is imperative for the corporation. This culture would aim to enable employees to develop a skill set that would enable them to work across cultures. The corporate culture should be expressed throughout all aspects of the organization maintaining flexibility to allow for subtle changes across cultures.

Continuous Improvement of the Company

For an organization to attain sustainable success, there must be a commitment to improving processes and products at all times. The small, additive changes are key to ushering the company into a new era. These improvements must cater to the needs of the company’s major stakeholders who are customers, employees, investors, and communities. Continuous improvement is achievable through proper strategies and full implementation. The six-sigma approach is a strategy that would help the company improve its manufacturing process consistently. The identification of errors and defects in the process will enable the company to strive for a near-perfect manufacturing stage which has the potential to save the company millions. Another strategy that could help the company achieve continuous improvement is the adoption of lean manufacturing. This approach is concerned with the elimination of waste thus reducing the workload of employees while also preserving the quality of the company’s products (Miller, Pawloski, & Standrigde, 2010).

Leadership Style

Vast experience in the corporate world has equipped me with a repertoire of leadership skills that come in handy when handing organizational issues. Multinational corporations offer a unique set of challenges that must be handled carefully to ensure that the organization runs smoothly. Accordingly, I would like to develop aspects of my emotional intelligence as a leader. In a multicultural organization, it is important that a leader’s social skills are perfect due to the constant interaction with people from different cultures. By working on specific aspects such as conflict resolution and communication skills, I will be better placed to drive the company forward.

I perceive myself as a transformational leader. I believe in empowering individuals and challenging expectations as key when taking over a new company. The company is in need of change, and this leadership style would be perfect for the situation. It will inspire passion and hard work in employees in addition to helping them fulfill their potential. Additionally, the organization will achieve higher performance thus benefitting investors.



References

Bucker, J. J., Furrer, O., Poutsma, E., & Buyens, D. (2014). The impact of cultural intelligence on communication effectiveness, job satisfaction and anxiety for Chinese host country managers working for foreign multinationals. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(14), 2068-2087.

Buchtel, E. E. (2014). Cultural sensitivity or cultural stereotyping? Positive and negative effects of a cultural psychology class. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 39, 40-52.

McFarlin, D., & Sweeney, P. D. (2014). International management: strategic opportunities & cultural challenges. Routledge.

Miller, G., Pawloski, J., & Standrigde, C. R. (2010). A case study of lean, sustainable manufacturing. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 3(1), 11-32.

Nisbett, R. E., & Miyamoto, Y. (2005). The influence of culture: holistic versus analytic perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(10), 467-473.

Treven, S., Mulej, M., & Lynn, M.L. (2008). The impact of culture on organizational behavior. Management, 13(2), 27-39.