Target setting linked with Bonus scheme

ABRA Members meeting
March 6, 2012
Toon Van Assche

6 March 2012
Culture Shock
Common for even the most flexible people to endure a
period of stress on their first expatriate posting to
unfamiliar country.
This psychological condition is the primary cause of
expatriate failure. On-the-job performance can be
dramatically reduced or the posting can be abandoned
altogether.

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Reverse Culture Shock
Reverse culture shock when going back may come as
a complete surprise.
See their homeland and its place in the world in a
totally different way.
Why does this happen?
Reverse cultural shock may manifest in unexpected
feeling of disconnectedness for some of the following
reasons:
• Unrealistic perception of home country.
• Lack of excitement.
• Social isolation.
• Restlessness.
“Marginals”

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Let’s take some distance
What is a Culture ?
Cultural models

Starting from the definition

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What is Culture – Definition
Culture is the way in which a group of people solves problems
Culture has same root as “to Cultivate”
The way people act upon nature
E.Schein
F.Trompenaars
Culture in Layers
Mostly implicit
• Common solution – from consciousness to basic assumption
• Holding your breath makes you think about the need for oxygen

Culture in layers
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Acquiring a culture
3 levels that shape cultural identity
Specific to individuals
Inherited and Education
personality
Specific to groups
culture
Education
Universal
human nature
Inherited
Mental Programming

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Cultural differences
Attitude to the environment
• Example Sony walkman
Culture as a dual “normal distribution”
• Individuals versus the average culture
○ Regional differences within country
○ Educational differences
○ Own experiences – travel to other countries/cultures
○ Personality – openess & tolerance
• Distribution of Norms and Values
○ Two possible reactions and behaviour :

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Stereotyping
Using extreme, exaggerated forms of behaviour
Registering what surprises us
- Limited view of the average behaviour in a certain environment
- Onion model – quick reactions on explicit cultural symbols

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Understanding
Looking at similarities, understanding the differences
The average norms differs – seen as most predictable
behaviour

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Intercultural Effectiveness
Start with your own cultural passport
• Cultural Mirror
• From this knowledge look at similarities and
differences in other cultures
• Anticipate
Use framework to quantify
• Cultural model – dimensions
• No culture is right or wrong

Trompenaars Model
23 Sept 2011

6 March 2012
Universalism vs Particularism
Universalistic Cultures
• General rules, standards > particular needs
• Codes, common values > claims of friends
• Rules apply equally to whole “universe”
• Religious background – universalist more
common in Protestant cultures
Particularistic Cultures
• Human friendship
• Intimate relationships
• “Spirit of the law” > “Letter of the law”

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Individualism vs Collectivism
Individualistic culture
• Each one of us is born alone
• The individual before the community
• Individual happiness, fulfillment, and welfare
• Community how serving the interest of individual
members
Communitarian or Collective culture
• Each one of us is born into a family, a neighborhood,
a community
• The community before the individual
• Individual to act in ways which serve society
• Individual how serving the interest of the
community

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Affective vs Neutral
Affective Culture
• Display of emotions
• Not necessary to hide feelings
• Less explicit signals are less important
Neutral Culture
• Incorrect to show feelings expressively
• Feelings are accepted, but when in control
• Louder signals seen as over-emotional, excited
• Over-emotion can erode power to interest people

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Specific vs Diffuse
Specific Culture
• All starts with elements – analyzed separately
• Whole is sum of the parts – life is divided into many
components
• Easily accepted in public sphere – difficult in private
sphere
• Concentrate on hard facts, standards, contracts
Diffuse Culture
• Start with the whole – all elements related
• The whole is more then the sum of the elements
• Large private sphere, small public sphere
• No separation of different roles for one person
• Values : style, trust, understanding

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Examples
How to get to the point
Emotional Quadrant
Affective
LOVE – HATE
Latin, Arab,
LatAm, S-
Europe
SYMPATHY -
OUTRAGE
USA (West),
Canada
Diffuse
Specific
DEEP RESPECT/
ESTEEM -
DISRESPECT
Japan, SE Asia,
East Africa
APPROVAL -
DISAPPROVAL
USA (East),
Scandinavia, N-
Europe
Neutral

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Achievement vs Ascription
Achievement Culture
• What an individual does and has accomplished
• Status derives from accomplishment
• Achieved status to be proven over and over again
Ascription Culture
• Status refers to what a person is
• How do other relate to his/her position in the
community, society or organization
• Status derived from birth, gender or wealth
• Ascribed status not required to achieve to retain
status

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Sequential vs Synchronic
Sequential Time
• One thing at a time
• Narrow line of distinct, consecutive segments
• Time is tangible and divisible
• Planning and keep to timing
• Time commitments taken seriously
Synchronic Time
• Several things at a time
• Allowing many things to take place simultaneously
• Time is flexible and intangible
• Time commitments are desirable, not absolute
• Plans are easily changed
• Value of satisfactory completion of interaction

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Internal vs External Control –
“relations with nature”
Internalistic
• Mechanistic view of nature
• Nature is a complex machine – can be controlled with right
experience
• No believe in luck or predestination
• Take advantage of opportunities to live life you want –
“inner-directed”
• One can dominate nature if effort is made
External Control
• Organic view of nature
• Mankind is one of nature’s forces – operate in harmony with
environment
• Not possible to shape own destiny
• Actions are “outer-directed” – adapted to external
circumstances

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Halls’s Dimension’s
High Context
Strong social bonds
Social hierarchy governs
communication
Communication builds connection
Avoidance of direct confrontation
Low Context
High individualism
Little social hierarchy observed
Communication is explicit and
impersonal
Comfortable with open confrontation

Communication
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How to give instructions?
Low context / Explicit
High context / Implicit
• Instructions spelled out to
minute details
• Instructions not spelled out
(assumed one knows)

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Questions?
www.astraya.eu