CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT

CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT BBSB4103
BBSB4103

MOHAMED SHAHIM
BHRM BATCH 05
S1308021850
FACULTY OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
VILLA COLLEGE

MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2

ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................2

3

INTRODUCTION OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) .............................................................3

4

ELEMENTS OF CROSS-CULTURAL SPHERES........................................................................4

5

4.1

REGIONAL CULTURE ......................................................................................................5

4.2

FUNCTIONAL CULTURE..................................................................................................6

4.3

CORPORATE CULTURE ...................................................................................................6

4.4

PROFESSIONAL CULTURE ..............................................................................................6

4.5

INDUSTRIAL CULTURE ...................................................................................................7

INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL SPHERES ON MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) .........................8

5.1

INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL CULTURE ON MOH............................................................8

5.2

INFLUENCE OF FUNCTIONAL CULTURE ON MOH .......................................................8

5.3

INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE CULTURE ON MOH.........................................................9

5.4

INFLUENCE OF PROFESSIONAL CULTURE ON MOH....................................................9

5.5

INFLUENCE OF INDUSTRIAL CULTURE ON MOH ...................................................... 10

6 ANALYSIS ON HOW CULTURAL SPHERES CAN BE USED FOR ORGANIZATIONAL
SUCCESS........................................................................................................................................ 11
7

SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 13

8

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 14

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

2 ABSTRACT
This assignment is a part of the final mark up for the Cross-cultural Management module.
In this assignment, I will be discussing about elements of the cultural spheres followed by the analysis of the cultural spheres on the Ministry of Health. Moreover, the use of cultural spheres to obtain success in the organization will be discussed. Finally, a summary of the whole essay will be discussed to end the assignment.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

3 INTRODUCTION OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH)
Ministry of Health is established inorder for the health, well-being and social protection of the people of the Republic of Maldives. Its mission is to provide accessible and quality healthcare services and drug rehabilitation services and to strengthen the mechanisms for protecting the rights of the children, women, and persons with disabilities of the Maldives. Ministry of Health’s vision is to make the Maldives a good model society of socially protected and healthy individuals who are aware, who value their family ties and live a healthy satisfying lives.
Ministry of Health consists of more than 7000 employees including the departments under
Ministry of Health and all the Government health facilities all around the Maldives. Departments include; Health Protection Agency and Maldives Food and Drug Authority.

Health facilities

includes Regional hospitals, Atoll hospitals and Health centers located in 286 islands.
Ministry of Health is a service based organization. Meaning that,the organization provides the most necessity need, which is healthcare service for the people.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

4 ELEMENTS OF CROSS-CULTURAL SPHERES
Before we dwell further on the cross-cultural spheres or cultures, let’s first review its definition. The concept of culture has been the subject of various academic debate, and there are various approaches in defining and studying the term culture. According to (Tylor, 1871)
Culture… is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
Hence, the culture of a group or an organization can be defined as, the pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaption and interna l integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct war to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
In each and every organization, culture matters. It matters because decisions made without proper awareness of the operative cultural forces may have unanticipated and undesirable consequences. According to (Saltzman, 2007) when companies “get the culture right” success often seems to naturally flow.
The influence of cultural in business can be explored or identified in several cultura l spheres. Various businesses in a same country can also have different cultures based on the location and the type of the industry. According to Schneider and Barsoux (2003), there are mainly five cultural spheres of influence.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

4.1

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REGIONAL CULTURE
Regional cultures are mainly the cultural differences within states in a country. It is

important to recognize both, in order to avoid the assumption that doing business in Rome is the same as in Milan, or the assumption that doing business in Italy is so very different from Saudi
Arabia. Recognizing regional cultures helps us to appreciate why certain industries flourish in different regions, and why trading partners may be more eagerly sought across some borders rather than others.

Regional Culture evolves from time to time. And there are various factors that result in this evolution. These factors include, History, Politics, Economy, Language, Religion and Geography.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

4.2

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FUNCTIONAL CULTURE
Functional culture is where there are different cultures in various divisions of an

organization.

Meaning

that, finance,

production,

marketing,

research and development,

administration, etc. these different divisions have different cultures based on the work that they do. The reasons for these differences can be found in the external environment, such as stakeholder demands, and the nature of the task. Different stakeholders influence what is considered to be important and what is considered to be the best way to achieve.

4.3

CORPORATE CULTURE
Corporate culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards and beliefs that

characterize members of an organization and define its nature. It is also rooted in every organization’s goals, strategies, structure and approaches to labor, customers, investors and the greater community. As such, corporate culture is an essential component in each and every businesses or organization’s ultimate success or failure.

4.4

PROFESSIONAL CULTURE
Professional culture is related to the principles of workers. This type of culture is about the

values, attitudes, symbols, rules and practices, emerging as people react to the requirements and situations that the workers face as being members of a different professional group. This also includes the ‘proper behavior’ and distinctive image of a profession.
An example of a professional culture could be; a doctor wearing a white coat and a judge wearing a black robe. Professionals also differ in their values and beliefs as well. Meaning that, there will be a difference in the missions and methods of a medical doctor and a lawyer with respect to their profession.
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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

4.5

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INDUSTRIAL CULTURE
This can be identified by looking at various business organizations involved in various

industries. Mainly the organization in a same industry will be having similar norms and values.
And organizations in different industries are expected to have different cultures. And this is mainly due to the different task environments such as;

i. Nature of decision-making; ii. Nature of products or services; iii. Rate of technology change; iv. State intervention; and
v. Market characteristics.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

5 INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL SPHERES ON MINISTRY OF
HEALTH (MOH)
5.1

INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL CULTURE ON MOH
As mentioned above, regional culture is mainly the cultural differences in the differe nt

states of the same country. Likewise, in Maldives, regional culture would be the different cultura l beliefs, norms and values in various regions or in different atolls. There is a huge cultura l difference between the northern atolls and the southern atolls. For example, it is said that the people of northern atolls are more calm and the way they dress is pretty old fashioned (not very modern or whatsoever). And people of southern people are more fashionable and social.
Therefore, the different hospitals and health centers that are located in various atolls and different regions will be having a different cultural beliefs and norms. So, while providing the health care services, the hospital/ health center managers are advised to treat the customers in a way that they will not be disappointed with respect to the cultural beliefs.

5.2

INFLUENCE OF FUNCTIONAL CULTURE ON MOH
This is mainly the difference in the cultural beliefs of the different functions in an

organization. Functions include the various division in an organization. Likewise in Ministry of
Health, there are various department/divisions. There are mainly 10 department/ divisions, and all of them carrying out different tasks. For example, the Accounts division and the Administra tio n division carries out mainly two different tasks. Accounts division mainly carries out the tasks of settling the bills and budget works. Whereas, the Administration division, they are supposed to ensure that all the health facilities and the whole Ministry of Health building has got the relevant

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

tools and accessories necessary to do the work. This includes the maintenance of the 9 floors in the MOH building.
Therefore, depending on the task that each department/division does, each of them has a different culture.

5.3

INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE CULTURE ON MOH
“To provide accessible and quality healthcare services and drug rehabilitation services

and to strengthen the mechanisms for protecting the rights of the children, women, and persons with disabilities of the Maldives” is the mission of the Ministry of Health. Inorder to achieve this ultimate goal or the mission, the corporate culture plays a vital role. Corporate culture is the shared values and norms that each and every member of any organization that helps to achieve the ultimate goals of that organization.
Ministry of Health is responsible for providing the one necessity need that is necessary for each one of us, which is the health care. Thus, each and every employee who is working for the
MOH is being expected to carry out their role in achieving the ultimate success of the organizatio n.
Meaning that, employees are supposed to carry out their tasks so that the health care service provided to the people are given without any intrusion.

5.4

INFLUENCE OF PROFESSIONAL CULTURE ON MOH
This main form cultural sphere is about the values, attitudes and practices that are emerged

from the people as they react to the requirements and situations that the workers face as being members of a different professional group.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

Likewise, this form can be mainly seen from the health facilities. For example, doctors and nurses wear white coats during their working hours. And the other administration staffs, like the translators and other staffs wear office wear (shirt, trousers, and tie). This shows that there is a difference in the missions and methods of the works that they do with respect to their profession.
And it actually helps to identify ‘who he is’ in a crowd.

5.5

INFLUENCE OF INDUSTRIAL CULTURE ON MOH
Since MOH is not a business organization, Industrial culture could not be very much seen.

But since each and every health facility under Ministry of Health is working towards achieving a same vision and mission, the whole health sector will be having a similar norms and values.
Meaning that the HA. Ihavandhoo Health Center and the K. Guraidhoo Health Center will be working towards providing the health care to its people despite in different locations. They share a same mission and a vision.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

6 ANALYSIS ON HOW CULTURAL SPHERES CAN BE USED
FOR ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS
Finding, maintaining, and growing the right talent is crucial to business success, especially in this economy. But academic intelligence and a strong resume are not necessarily the most critical elements of a top candidate. It can be much more crucial to fit into the corporate culture, its inner values, rituals, rites, and perspectives, with a compatible personality, creativity, flexibility, and social adaptability (Love, 2009).
It is very important that each every organization to understand and to respect to the cultura l beliefs and norms of others inorder to achieve the competitive advantage and to achieve the ultimate success for the organization. Not the just the organizations, the employees within the organization should also understand and respect the cultural differences among them. Until then, there will not be any relationship between the employees towards achieving the mission and vision of the organization.
There are mainly five cultural spheres of influences. And in a diversified working environment it is very important that each and every one of us to understand them thoroughly.
Firstly, the regional culture is about the cultural differences with respect to the regional locations of the various firms in the organization. Depending on the location, the cultural beliefs and norms will be different. And their preference as well. So, inorder to achieve the competitive advantage, it is very important that the firms in various locations to provide services depending on the cultura l difference in that area and depending on the preferences. If the services provided are not respect to that specific culture, the organization will be facing difficulties in achieving its ultimate goals.
This will influence the corporate culture of the organization as well. If the employees are not

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

working towards achieving the mission and vision of the organization, it will result in the failure of the organization.
Functional culture is about the cultural differences in the various divisions in an organization depending on the tasks that they are assigned. Understanding and accepting the employees with respect to their culture and assisting them in doing their works will ultima te ly result to build a healthy relationship between the employees. And understanding the professiona l culture with respect to the ‘proper behavior’ and the dress code will help to build respect among the employees. This will finally lead to the employees working towards achieving the mission and vision of the organization and thus the success and competitive advantage over other organizatio ns in the industry.

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MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

7 SUMMARY
In a diversified working environment it is very important to understand the cultura l differences. According to Schneider and Barsoux (2003), there are mainly five cultural spheres of influence. They are regional culture, functional culture, corporate culture, professional culture and industrial culture. Regional culture is mainly the cultural differences in the different states of the same country. As Maldives is a country of various atolls located in different regions, the differe nt hospitals and health centers that are located in various atolls and different regions will be having a different cultural beliefs and norms. The differences in the cultural beliefs of the differe nt functions in an organization is called the functional culture. Functions include the various divisio n in an organization. Likewise in Ministry of Health, there are various department/divisions. And each department/division carries out a different task. So depending on the work they do, there will be cultural differences. In achieving the ultimate goal or the mission, the corporate culture plays a vital role. Corporate culture is the shared values and norms that each and every member of any organization that helps to achieve the ultimate goals of that organization. Professional culture is about the values, attitudes and practices that are emerged from the people as they react to the requirements and situations that the workers face as being members of a different professiona l group. And finally there is Industrial culture, which is about the cultural beliefs and norms that are followed by the whole organization and within the organization. This include the various firms and plants located within the country. Inorder to achieve the success in the market, it is very important that each of the employees to understand each and every cultural sphere and follow them. Page 13 | 14

MOHAMED SHAHIM
CROSS-CULTURA L MANAGEMENT BBSB4103

S1308021850

8 REFERENCES
Holly A. Belch, M. E. (n.d.). Cultures of Success: Recruiting and Retaining New Live-In. 176191.
Love, D. (2009, March 24). The Importance Of Culture And Diversity In Successfully Building
An Organization. Retrieved from Fordyce Letter: http://www.eremedia.com/fordyce/theimportance-of-culture-and-diversity- in-successfully-building-an-organization
Madu, B. C. (n.d.). Organization culture as driver of competitive advantage. 2-4.
Saltzman, J. M. (2007, April 6). Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage.
Retrieved from Talent Management: http://www.talentmgt.com/articles/corporate_culture_the_ultimate_competitive_advantag e
Tylor, E. (1871). The culture of CULTURE. Retrieved from http://varenne.tc.columbia.edu/hv/clt/and/culture_def.html Page 14 | 14

References: Holly A. Belch, M. E. (n.d.). Cultures of Success: Recruiting and Retaining New Live-In. 176191. Love, D. (2009, March 24). The Importance Of Culture And Diversity In Successfully Building An Organization Saltzman, J. M. (2007, April 6). Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage.