Preview

Understanding National and Organizational Culture

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3818 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Understanding National and Organizational Culture
Literature Review

2.1 Introduction to the chapter

Many research and studies have been proposed to explain and attempt to provide a clear indication to the extent in which culture, as a factor, have been involve in shaping up the choice of business ventures, particularly in the Asia context. Although the literature covers a wide variety of such theories and studies, this chapter will focus along the concepts of 3 main themes which will emerge repeatedly throughout the literature reviewed. These themes are: national and organizational culture of companies in Asia country, the role of culture and its importance in the area of business practices and decisions and how government/s plays its role in the aspect of shaping the culture in Asia countries. Although the literature presents these themes in a variety of contexts, this literature review will primarily focus on understanding cultures, the role and the importance of culture in shaping up the choice of business ventures in Asia market.

2.2 Introduction to Culture in Asia Country: National and Organizational Culture

The term ‘culture’, defined by Fletcher and Fang (2006) is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another and is also the guider of selection of appropriate responses in social situations, social interactions and business interactions trait. But what exactly are the types of cultures in that is more highly related to business, especially in the Asia country? Denison, Haaland & Goelzer (2003) provided 2 main streams of business-focus culture, “National culture of the local country and the organizational culture of local companies functioning in the Asia country”. These two main streams of culture serve as a basis but a practical and essential factor in understanding the culture in Asia country.

2.2.1 Understanding National and Organizational Culture

Much research has been done to carefully define the meaning of national and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Organisational Culture

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages

    An organisation’s culture refers to ‘the way we do things around here’ and is determined by the values, attitudes and beliefs of the people who work within it. As such, culture will undoubtedly influence the success of a business. In particular, it can be argued that an innovative culture can lead to business success because it enables companies to share ideas more freely and thus innovate and develop their business strategy. Furthermore, in light of Handy’s view of “discontinuous change” being ever more present in the business world, an innovative culture is likely to enable business to be flexible enough to cope with challenges that the future holds. However, it is important to bear in mind that when a business possesses over 75% market share that it benefits from economies of scale which can be an important determinant of success, regardless of culture. Perhaps more importantly, not every success international business possesses an innovative culture. A successful business strategy can be underpinned by other business cultures and thus the type of industry a business is in, and the different challenges it faces may determine what is the most suitable culture for them.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hofstede’s dimensions of culture are the most popular model to explain the various effects across cultures. The data gathered by Hofsted from approximately 70 countries analyzed survey responses from participants. He developed five cultural dimensions that vary across multiple countries; Individualism- Collectivism, Masculinity- Feminity, Power Distance, Long Term Orientation, and Uncertainty Avoidance. Each characteristic carries a certain impact on cultural business practice.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hofstede, G.. (1994). The Business of International Business is Culture. International Business Review. Vol 3, No1.1-14.1994. Elsevier Science Ltd. UK. Retrieved March 17, 2005, from EBSCOhost database.…

    • 453 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Culture is defined as “the customs, the ideas and social behaviour of a particular people or society” (Oxford, 2012). An organization is composed of members from different cultures, societies, religion, beliefs, values and ideas. Thus we can say that culture is a part of organization or an organization has culture in it. Organizational culture is an attribute of any organization, comprising of its member’s “shared values, beliefs, symbols and decision”. (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010).It influences inter as well as the intra behaviour of the members, clients and stakeholders. Organizational culture can be viewed as the contingent interest of a group of people or organization itself or can be viewed as something within each individual. The principle study of culture by executives can foster them with advance tool of control over the organization.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tesco Culture

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Culture is one of the terms that have been becoming more familiar in the 21st century among the multinational companies all around the world. The world has been shrunken by the fasting travelling and communicating technologies which has brought down the barriers for the organisations having business in international market. But still then there are few barriers that make the international business critical and hard for everyone to succeed in it. This is due to the factor that the businesses have direct influence over the culture that is followed in the respective country where the business is carried out. So it would be interesting to know how far the culture has influence and supports the business along with the pros and cons in it. Tesco has the largest workforce in UK which is highly diversified. Again the continuous learning process all has impact from organisational culture. The influence of the culture in growth and development of the organization is very much seen in the organization. So the cultural impact is analysed and the significance of culture is evaluated with respect to Tesco.…

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Analysis of Japanese Business Culture Along with recent globalization, the business market is now diffused everywhere in the world. Consequently, mega-competition and international co-operation are promoted simultaneously in the field of business. Under this circumstance, learning and understanding the business culture each country has is important to succeed in global business. As business culture is indivisible from a country’s cultural uniqueness, American-style business is formed in the United States, and British-style business is adopted in England.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Identify a company with a visible organizational culture. Learn as much as you can about that company’s culture, using library resources, online sources, contacts within the company, and as many creative means as you can.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When a new employee, Amy (Jessica Simpson), hits the scene carrying the reputation for falling for guys who top the list as Employee of the Month, Zach seizes the opportunity to take his performance to whole new level. Zach battles it out with his co-worker nemesis, Vince, who is up for the challenge. The movie is full of pranks and surprises, and does a good job of illustrating the power and effects of motivation.…

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 1990 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The organizational cultural inventory measures 12 sets of normative beliefs or shared behavioral expectations associated with three general types of cultures, Constructive, Passive-Defensive, and Aggressive-Defensive.…

    • 1990 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the primary responsibilities of strategic leaders is to create and maintain the organizational characteristics that reward and encourage collective effort.. The most fundamental of this is organizational culture.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 1796 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Organizational culture can be defined as a system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members. It includes routine behaviors, norms, dominant values, and a feeling or climate conveyed. The purpose and function of this culture is to help foster internal integration, bring staff members from all levels of the organization much closer together, and enhance their performance.…

    • 1796 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    * Organizational culture- The system of shared actions, values, and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Organizational Culture has been described as the shared values, principles, traditions, and ways of doing things that influence the way organizational members act. In most organizations, these shared values and practices have evolved over time and determine, toa a large extent, how things are done in the organization.…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Organizational Culture

    • 3715 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Culture is the way of life. Societal culture consists of the assumptions, beliefs and values acquired and held by the majority of people in a geographical area (Sinha 1991). The word culture derivative of Latin Word ‘Culture’ Steaming “COLERE” means to cultivate. Culture first appeared in the Oxford English dictionary around 1430 it meant “Cultivation” or “tending the soil” based on the Latin culture. In 19th century ‘Culture’ was associated with the phrase “high culture” meaning the cultivation or refinement of mind taste and manners.In 20th Century when it shifted toward its present American Heritage English dictionary: “The totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institution and all other products of human work and thought. However the word ‘Culture is most commonly used in three basic senses…

    • 3715 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some organizations try to espouse values that people in the organization will discuss, promote and try to live by. For example at Hewlett Packard (HP) all employees are required to become familiar with the “HP Way”. The HP Way means that the HP founders base their corporate culture on the integration and reinforcement of critical opposites. HP claims to have achieved what appears to be the greatest dichotomy: creating an environment that celebrates individualism, but at the same time one that is also wholly supportive of teamwork. Although HP people are taught to engage in cross-functional teams, they are also rated on the performance of decentralized business units and personal achievement (Stevens, 2001).…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays