International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 1
CHAPTER 2
CULTURAL FRAMEWORKS: UNDERSTANDING
ATTITUDES, VALUES, AND BEHAVIOR
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
DEVELOPING YOUR INTERNATIONAL CAREER – What are Your Attitudes towards
Individualism and Collectivism?
Purpose and Instructions
The goal of this exercise is to promote an enhanced understanding and grasp of your own
attitudes about individualism and collectivism. First, assume that you are somewhere in
1._____ I would offer my seat in a bus to my supervisor.
2._____I prefer to be direct and forthright when dealing with people.
5
4
3
2
1
strongly agree
agree
not sure
Disagree
strongly disagree
International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 2
6._____If I want my subordinate to perform a task, I tell the person that my superiors
want me to get that task done.
7._____I prefer to give opinions that will help people save face rather than give a
statement of the truth.
11._____It is important to develop a network of people in my community who
can help me when I have tasks to accomplish.
Next, imagine that you are working in one of the countries listed below. Pick the country
about which you have the most overall knowledge (e.g., thanks to overseas experience,
reading, having friends or relatives from that country, classes that you have taken, and so
on).
Argentina
Brazil
China
Greece
India
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Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Venezuela
1. _____ 8. _____
2. _____ 9. _____
3. _____ 10. _____
Scoring
Scoring this exercise involves comparing two sets of numbers—your set of numbers for a
career in North America and your set for a career in one of the other listed countries.
Let’s call the first time you answered the questions the “first pass” and the other time the
“second pass.” In scoring, give yourself 1 point according to the following guidelines.
Give yourself a point if ……
Question 1: your number in the second pass is higher than in the first pass.
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Question 3: your number is higher in the second pass.
Question 4: your number is higher in the second pass.
Question 7: your number is higher in the second pass.
Question 8: your number is higher in the first pass.
Question 9: your number is higher in the first pass.
Question 10: your number is higher in the second pass.
If your total score was 6 points or more, you are sensitive to the cultural differences
captured by the concepts of individualism and collectivism. You grasp that cultures that
embrace individualism may require different behaviors to accomplish goals and to achieve
career success than cultures that embrace collectivism.
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MAKING THE CASE FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING – Is a Culture of
Entrepreneurial Problem-Solving Key for India?
Indeed, this mentality has caused multinationals the world over to flock to India, not just
for backroom outsourcing, but to tap some of the most innovative minds in the world. As a
result, optimists are saying that India today is booming in many respects, with a variety of
world class firms like Tata Motors and mobile phone provider Bharti Airtel. Not
surprisingly, they predict that India’s GDP growth will pass China’s in a few years. And by
2015, some estimate that another 460 million Indians will join the ranks of the middle
class, bringing spending power with them. Small wonder that some predict India, not
China, will be the fastest growing big country in the world for the next quarter-century.
All of this is consistent with recent research about cultural values that seem to encourage
entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs function in a social context, and consequently societal
culture can play a role in inhibiting or enhancing the entrepreneurial problem-solving seen
in India today. Specifically, cultural values that encourage helpfulness, cooperation,
relationship-building, and bootstrapping—particularly as mechanisms for overcoming
obstacles in society, seem to help spur entrepreneurial innovation. And India generally
scores high on these attributes—on what GLOBE refers to as “humane orientation.”
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But as stated earlier, India is a complex place, one with plenty of built-in contradictions.
Because of bureaucratic barriers and increasing domestic competition, some of India’s best
companies, such as Godrej Consumer Products, are looking abroad to places like Africa to
growth their revenues—where their efficient and inexpensive business models are well-
suited to create products tailored to local demands. Indeed, many companies feel that India
remains a very challenging place to do business. Many Indian roads are abysmal and some
are slowed by checkpoints where officials demand bribes from truck drivers. Likewise,
companies often must maintain their own backup power and sanitation systems given the
lack of stable utilities. Moreover, while India has plenty of innovative entrepreneurs, it is
woefully short on engineers and other trained professionals, has too few outstanding
universities, as well as a weak primary education system. The government is also
Assignment Questions
1. Do an in-depth assessment of Indian culture. What specific elements of that culture
support entrepreneurship? Are there elements that hinder it? Can you provide
examples of how these cultural elements are manifested in successful Indian firms
as well as firms that have struggled recently?
2. As an international manager for a foreign multinational, how would you try to make
sense of and adapt to the Indian business and cultural environment if you were