The issues towards the national cultures Essay Example

dominant factor in decision making across administrations. This coursework comprises four sections including an introduction on national cultureThe second part of the text entails a comprehensive evaluation of different theoretical models, taking into account conflict data, validity, age, and sampling. It also examines the concepts of management styles within my country. Lastly, the third section draws upon my personal experience as a manager and establishes connections between two specific models and a distinct management style found in Nigeria.

The final aspect is decision based on the two theoretical models. National culture is defined as a way of life in a society, encompassing thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and reactions that contribute to the achievements of groups. It includes traditional thoughts, beliefs, values, attitudes, roles, and behavior that influence an individual's response to the environment according to Hofstede (1980). Cultures can be shared among specific people, groups, societies or organizations. It pertains to human personality within an environment and is learned rather than innate. One can learn how to perform certain actions within a society. Although cultures have not been initially recorded people believe in them and practice them as their way of life. "Culture can be seen as acquired knowledge that people use to generate their social lives. It is learned shared accumulated over time and passed down from one generation to another. It is symbolic patterned and adaptive dictating societal behaviors" (Michael et al., 1997).

National civilization varies from one state to another, and a batch of thing constitute to cultural differences: Language, faith, clime, economic system and engineering even political boundaries.

Concept of national civilization in Nigeria with Hofstede theoretical account

Harmonizing to Hofstede definition about civilization is a ``

corporate scheduling of the head which distinguishes the members of the group or class of people from another ( Hofstede 1991 ) . Nigeria was formed with different groups of people as far back as Stone Age, in different location bespeaking the great age of these civilizations ( Toyin 2001 ) these migration and population motion development to organize a corporate scheduling of head which distinguishes Nigerian civilization from other civilization. Hofstede first research was on a peculiar administration ( IBM ) which shared the same corporate civilization, policy and same sort of work, similarly Nigeria as state portion the same civilization, policy, political political orientation, concern investing, values and thoughts etc. For illustration Nigerians operate most power distance and individuality i.e.

The power in Nigeria is controlled by a specific group of individuals who have self-confidence. Consequently, power remains within their families or groups, and the same generation of people in authority continues to hold power until today. As a result, many aspects of Nigeria, such as culture, policies, people, and ideologies have remained unchanged since gaining independence. These individuals cling onto power and exploit it for their benefit irrespective of state approval. They exercise complete control over all state resources, allowing a single family within the power circle to cater to the entire state's needs. Although there might be a future shift towards gender equality, those capable of effecting this change still emerge from within the same power circle.

Data reappraisal of Hofstede, Schwartz and Trompenaars

The original data collected by Hofstede involved two questionnaire studies with over 116,000 respondents from more than 70 countries. This research project stands as the

largest ever in an organizational setting. However, it is important to note that the participants were limited to IBM employees, making it difficult to generalize the findings to the entire population of a country. Moreover, advancements in technology and changing societal norms may have altered the cultural landscape since then. Additionally, relying solely on questionnaires raises concerns about the validity and reliability of the information gathered. Furthermore, multiple reproductions of this data suggest that Hofstede's four dimensions might not fully encompass the complexity of national cultures. These factors undermine both the credibility and dependability of this data, as it was collected only from one location within each country and by specific employees.

In a survey conducted by Schwartz, data was collected from approximately 60,000 individuals in 63 countries to examine cultural values. The survey specifically focused on secondary school teachers and students at both the individual and country levels. Through this analysis, Schwartz identified seven distinct value orientations that were relevant for the study. Using multidimensional grading techniques, the significance of 45 values across different cultures was determined, resulting in the identification of these seven value types. Additionally, further analysis consolidated these types into three dimensions. However, it is important to note that using national groups as the unit of analysis may not fully represent an entire country's culture accurately. This research only included teachers and students as participants, which does not encompass the whole population. Furthermore, the sample size was small and its validity may be questionable.

The study was also conducted in a specific national culture like Hofstede (Tim; A; Edward 2009). Trompenaars also surveyed over 11,000 organization employees in 46 multidimensional scales to identify

two reliable country-level dimensions within the Trompenaars model. The dimensions are classified as democratic commitment versus conservativism. Those who favor democratic commitment endorse abstract rules of what is right and believe that job positions should be filled based on impartial criteria like qualifications. Conversely, those who favor conservativism prioritize their immediate social circle over outsiders. This includes values such as loyalty to one's boss and job assignments based on personal connections or family relationships.

The second dimension was defined as useful engagement versus loyal engagement. This contrasts engagement in the administration that is contingent on meeting one's individual goals with engagement that is based on a lasting identification with the administration's goals as one's own. These two dimensions incorporated several factors that were closely correlated with one another among the larger number of dimensions. (Marie & Roger, 2008)

Trompenaars' data is based on quantitative measurements with a surplus of participants, of which a larger percentage belong to management and 25 percent belong to general administration. However, this data cannot provide predictive value. The second questionnaire data may not be valid for all cultures, especially in a country like Nigeria where it is difficult to guarantee accurate data in a questionnaire due to prejudice and bias.

The Concept of Direction Manner in Nigeria in Relation to Hofstede Dimensions

Power distance is the degree to which less powerful members of an establishment or an administration accept the uneven distribution of power. In Nigeria, there is a high power distance where individuals unquestioningly follow the orders of their superiors. The impact of this dimension can be seen in various ways. In high power distance countries, power tends

to be centralized with tall administrative structures. There is a significant presence of supervisory forces within the administration, and individuals at lower levels often have limited job opportunities. This hierarchical structure perpetuates inequality and low productivity, which explains why Nigeria remains a developing country. On the other hand, uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which individuals feel threatened by ambiguous situations and establish beliefs and institutions to avoid them.

Nigeria is populated with individuals who have a dislike for uncertainty and therefore have a strong need for security. They also have a strong belief in experts and their knowledge. This dimension's effects can be seen in various ways. Cultures that lean towards high uncertainty avoidance tend to heavily structure organizational activities with more written rules. Managers take fewer risks, employees are less ambitious, and there is lower labor turnover. Nigerian organizations do not encourage individuals to take initiative or assume responsibility for their actions.

In terms of individuality, Nigerian administrations tend to prioritize the well-being of themselves and their immediate family. This dimension leads to greater support for the Protestant work ethic, more individual initiative, and promotions based on market value.The text discusses the concept of masculinity in Nigerian society, highlighting the importance placed on success, money, and material possessions. Men are encouraged to be independent decision-makers and strive for recognition and wealth. The work environment is characterized by high job stress, and the education system focuses on promoting high achievement among young men. While there are changes occurring in terms of women holding higher-level jobs, they are still predominantly associated with influential families in the government. The text also mentions several dimensions of cultural values in

Nigeria, such as the belief in universalism versus particularism, the balance between individuality and collectivism, and the neutral nature of Nigerians in expressing emotions. Additionally, managers in Nigeria separate their task responsibilities from those of their subordinates and others, which influences their leadership approach.

Overall, Nigerian culture aligns with a high power distance according to the Hofstede four dimensions. People tend to be bossy and bureaucratic, individualistic and egoistic, and directors avoid taking risks for organizations due to high uncertainty avoidance. The culture also reflects masculinity, with very few women actively involved in politics and the professional sphere. Women are typically relegated to rural areas, while men dominate in virtually all sectors (Toyin 2001).

Furthermore, states differ on myriad factors including economic development, ecology, political establishments history, institutional environment, and human ecology, organizational contexts, and single characteristics including values, motive, and perceptual experience of the Management (Smith, Peterson & Thomas 2008).

Management Model and Cultural Model

Management takes a wide view that encompasses all functional areas of directing, explaining planning, organizing, and controlling in an active or proactive manner to achieve the administration's objectives. For the management to achieve the administration objectives, there must be

efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. There are different models of management, but I will restrict my model to two in this assignment: Autocratic (absolutism) and Democratic (participative). According to Hofstede (1980-2001), there are four dimensions, later revised to five dimensions.

Power distance, collectivism/individualism, uncertainty/avoidance, and masculinity/femininity are cultural dimensions that impact social and political structures. Power distance refers to the level of influence and control one person has over another, as well as the tolerance for power imbalances within a society. In my country (Nigeria), we have a high power distance culture with a hierarchical social and political structure, resulting in top-down communication. Similarly, individualism is widely practiced in Nigeria, leading to weak interpersonal connections between top management and employees. Uncertainty avoidance is another common practice in Nigeria, where managers avoid taking risks and are unsure about the future and less receptive to change. (Manson and Myers, 2009)The Nigeria direction theoretical account is characterized as bossy ( absolutism ), meaning that employees are not allowed to contribute to decision-making. This model dictates without consulting the employee, and decisions must be established. Nigeria has a low context culture in business, prioritizing getting down to business first. They value performance and understanding based on specific, legalistic contracts, and prefer to conduct efficient dialogues. In contrast, other cultures like the US have a high context approach, prioritizing social trust. They value personal relationships and goodwill to establish understanding based on general trust. They prefer to conduct slow and ritualistic dialogues in business transactions.

( Rodrigues 2009 ) The fifth dimension of Hofstede is long term orientation, which discusses the focus on future outcomes. In many underdeveloped countries like Nigeria,

they prioritize immediate benefits and do not wait for long-term projects. For example, if one government starts a project and does not complete it, the new government will abandon the project and start a new one, causing a waste of time and resources.

Trompenaars dimensions ( 1998 ): Universalism - Particularism: Universalism refers to the belief that what is good and true applies universally. Particularism, on the other hand, believes that the unique circumstances determine what is right and good.In Nigeria, the prevailing trend is particularism, whereby the circumstances determine the extent of one's obligations. In this case, a director failed to provide a description for an assignment due to his wife's illness, and he was excused (Richard and Tim 2009).

As a retail seller in a Nigerian bank, my responsibility was to bring in large sums of money as deposits. My CEO, Francis Atuche, would simply instruct all bank sellers to "just go out there and bring in the money, I don't care how you do it, just bring it." The communication within the organization was top-down and ineffective, as mentioned by Northhaft (2010), who explained that effective communication management involves planning, organizing, controlling, and committing to business goals and employees. Without effective communication, an organization would fall into chaos. In this case, my CEO showed little concern for the employees and only cared about results. The communication flow was strictly top-down, with no involvement from subordinates in decision-making.The morale of employees can be destroyed by a lack of effective communication with top management. In my case, I was not given the opportunity to develop my abilities, which Hamrefors (2010) states is important for developing certain

knowledge and skills within an organization. It is necessary to allocate time for transitioning from traditional communication methods to building effective communication skills that enhance overall effectiveness (Hall, 1976). Hall also describes high-context and low-context cultures, where people in high-context cultures rely more on non-verbal communication rather than verbal or written communication. In Nigeria, a high-context communication culture, people do not speak openly but expect to be understood. Instructions, job descriptions, and responsibilities tend to be implicit, as well as the recruitment, selection, payment, and termination processes lacking explicit communication or appraisal procedures. The day I was terminated, I received an email with a clear and explicit message stating that my performance was not satisfactory, resulting in my service no longer being required. In contrast, the United States is considered a low-context country where messages conveyed in business settings are generally clear and explicit (Browaeys and Price, 2008). Another notable experience was the lack of motivation.

According to Maslow's theory of motivation, individuals are driven by an internal state to act in a certain way in order to fulfill the goals and objectives of the organization. People are motivated to satisfy their needs by acting in ways that will meet those needs. However, during my time working as a Secretary in a private Oil company in Nigeria, I experienced a lack of rewards for three months due to low turnover in the company. This goes against Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which includes physiological needs, safety needs, love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization/achievement. It is important to note that motivation is crucial for achieving success in an organization. It helps foster a positive working relationship with supervisors,

provides job autonomy, serves the customers, and ultimately creates a better working environment. By not receiving my wages for three months, the company has failed to meet the employees' needs and hindered their ability to effectively contribute towards improving the organization. (Denhardt, Denhardt, & Aristigueta, 2009).Maslow's theories revolve around various physiological demands, including basic life necessities such as food, shelter, air, and water. Once these basic needs are met, individuals will then seek safety and security, which includes freedom from danger. Once physiological and safety needs are satisfied, the need for love and a sense of belonging in society will arise. Additionally, individuals will seek respect and acknowledgment from others, which supports positive regard and a positive self-image. Ultimately, the highest degree of demand is self-actualization.

In terms of decision-making, the manner of direction in Nigeria is characterized as bossy. This authoritarian style of management involves rigid decision-making without considering the input of subordinates and expects strict conformity. This approach negatively affects morale, although tasks may still be accomplished. However, employees feel neglected and communication primarily flows downward from top to bottom. The bossy management style may appear to achieve its objectives, but employees lack motivation due to the lack of proactive behavior displayed by many Nigerian managers.

Avoiding risk is a cultural model prevalent in many developing countries, including Nigeria, and is known as uncertainty avoidance. This sets these countries apart from Western nations and jeopardizes their progress.