Brendan Serenson
MGMT 200
Professor Tulum
September 30, 2020
Global Management
Jane, a 35-year-old global manager based in the United States, has just been named lead
on an international project to implement a new management information system that will
integrate the email operations of her company’s several divisions located around the globe. To
complete this project, Jane will be managing a global team composed of employees from the
United States as well as employees from China. While working with China, Jane will need to use
the Hofstede method to analyze the differences between the two cultures of the China and the
U.S.
With the Hofstede method, Jane will be able to identify the assumed power distance,
individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity in both countries. This will help Jane to
motivate and create connections between her employees in both the U.S. and China. If Jane can
find commonalities in the work environment of the two groups, then it will help her to get them
to cooperate and increase productivity and morale greatly. Jane also could see the strengths and
weaknesses of each group and play to the strengths of each cultural group.
The first factor that Jane must look at when managing two different cultural groups is
how each group responds to power distance. In China, the country has a high-power difference,
which means that there is a drastic gap between the higher ups in aa company, and those lower in
the company. This means that those working in China are more likely to accept inequality, and
that those in charge are entitled to special benefits without question. In the U.S. however, there is
a low power distance which means the complete opposite. U.S. employees extremely respond
negativity to special privileges for those in power, as well as inequality in the workplace or their
general environment. To get these two employees of completely different backgrounds to work
together, Jane will have to change the dynamic of the company to create a moderate power
difference. With a moderate power difference, only the very highest in the company will be the
ones separate from lower employees wage wise, as well as the special privileges they are
granted. This will help to satisfy the U.S. employees by eliminating the majority of the power
difference but will still satisfy Chinese employees by having special privileges for those highest
up.
Next, Jane will have to look at the Individualism of each country. China has low
