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Week 7 DEScRIBING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES -2

Week 7 DEScRIBING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES -2. MNGT 583 – Özge Can. Perceptions. 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.

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Week 7 DEScRIBING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES -2

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  1. Week 7DEScRIBING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES -2 MNGT 583 – Özge Can

  2. Perceptions • 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.

  3. Perceptions • 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 • Perceptions operate “automatically”. We rarely question the source of our views and opinions => cultural filters

  4. Nonverbal Behavior • 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

  5. The Effect of Context • 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)

  6. Perception of Time • Time has been studies because of its objective nature. • 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.

  7. Perception of Time • 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

  8. Perception of Time

  9. Perception of Time • 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

  10. Interpretation of Perceptions • 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

  11. Attitudes • 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

  12. Attitudes toward the Self • Independent self: the view of oneself as a autonomous or unique individual who values self-reliance and achievement • Interdependent self: the view of oneself as closely linked toward others and groups that value paternalism and group cohesion

  13. Attitudes toward the Self • 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”

  14. Attitudes about Work • Important work attitudes: • Job satisfaction • Organizational commitment • Different bases and foci of employee commitment • Protestant work ethic (PWE) • Mixed results • Be careful about the measurements and samples used

  15. Attitudes about Others/ Groups • Parochialism • 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 • Ethnocentrism • Judging all other groups according to the standards, behaviors, and customs of one’s own group • Stereotyping • The tendency to infer traits to individuals based on their national or cultural gorup membership

  16. Attitudes about Others/ Groups • 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.

  17. Exercies on Cultural Difference: • 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.

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