PART A
Question One: Part A
Sally, America, early 50s: According to table 4.5 in the textbook, the qualities that Sally can benefit to the team are, low uncertainty avoidance and low power distance. (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) Low power distance means that she will not take notice of any inequalities in the team and she will not be afraid to approach each member or leader.
Akio, Japan, 45: According to table 4.5 in the textbook, the qualities that Akio can benefit the group with are, the dimension achievement. (Management 7, 2015) The achievement dimension suggests that Akio has values which include assertiveness, acquiring money and goods, and competitive. In a group dynamic that is delivering a fresh vision with aims of creating the best practice method, having an achievement dynamic would be highly beneficial.
Chand, India, mid 40s: According to the table 4.5 in the textbook, the qualities that Chand can benefit to the group are low certainty avoidance and long term orientation. (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) Long term orientation will be beneficial to creating the best method practice because it suggests that people look to the future and value thrift and persistence. They are not afraid of change and are looking for new way to adapt.
Hua, China, 27: According to the table 4.5 in the textbook, the qualities that Hua can benefit to the group are, collectivist, achievement and long term orientation. (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) Collectivist would be a great benefit to a group dynamic because people with this trait tend to work better as a group, they look after each other and expect you to look after them.
Rahiza, Singapore, 28: According to the table 4.5 in the textbook, the qualities that Rahiza can benefit to the group are, collectivist and low uncertainty avoidance. (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) Low uncertainty avoidance means that she will be comfortable with taking risks and will be tolerant of the different behaviour’s and opinions that exist in the group dynamic.
Question One: Part B
Power distance: New Zealand has a low power distance according to table 4.6 in the textbook (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) because within organisations, often hierarchy is for convenience and is created naturally based on the creation of the business. Superiors are always accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently between members. Communication is often informal, direct and participative. (Country comparison New Zealand, 2018) In comparison to a country like France, where power is not only centralised in companies and government, but also geographically. For example, all the main highways in the road grid in France lead to Paris. Children are raised to depend on other people emotionally. This starts with parents, then teachers and later superiors. Many comparative studies have shown that French companies have normally one or two hierarchical levels more than comparable companies. Superiors have privileges and are often inaccessible, unlike in New Zealand. (Country Comparison, 2018)
Individualism: According to the table 4.6 in the text book, New Zealand is an individualist culture. (Robbins, Management 7, 2015) This means that the expectations of the country are to look after themselves and immediate family. In a business sense, employees are expected to and relied upon to be self-reliant and display initiative. Hiring and promotions are based on previous evidence of what one has done and can do. (Country comparison New Zealand, 2018) Compare this with a country like China, whom is a highly collectivist culture where people act out of the interest of others and not themselves. This can affect hiring and promotions as closer groups (like family) are getting preference over outer-groups. Personal relationships prevail over task and company. (Country comparison China, 2018)
Achievement: New Zealand is an achievement culture ACCORDING TO?. Personal behaviours are based on the shared value that people should “strive to be the best they can be”. New Zealanders are proud of achievements and successes, and these often create a basis for hiring and promotions in the workplace. (Country comparison New Zealand, 2018) Compared to Sweden which is a very nurturing culture. Swedish people believe that all should be included and it is important to have a good work/life balance. They have strong beliefs of equality, unity and quality in their personal and working lives. The whole culture is based around ‘lagom’, this means: not too much, not too little, not too noticeable, everything in moderation. It is a fictional law which counsels people to put others above themselves and not boast. (Country comparison Sweden, 2018)
Uncertainty Avoidance: New Zealand sits in the middle of this spectrum ACCORDING TO? For example, in some cases New Zealanders will attempt to control their future and in other cases our “she’ll be right” attitude gets the better of us. (Country comparison New Zealand, 2018) In comparing this to a country with high uncertainty avoidance like Italy we can see that in business high uncertainty avoidance results in large amounts of detailed planning and formal settings. Italian society places a large importance on formality. (Country comparison Italy, 2018) We can also compare New Zealand to a low scoring country like the United State and see that countries with low uncertainty avoidance are accepting of new ideas, innovative products and are willing to try something new and different. They are said to be more open to ideas and/or opinions from anyone, which is something New Zealander’s do not always do well. (Country comparison United States, 2018)
Long term orientation: New Zealand sits quite low on the long-term orientation scale. ACCORDING TO? New Zealand is a normative country, kiwis have a strong concern with establishing truths and learning facts. They are not extreme thinkers but instead quite normative. Traditions are respected and maintained. There is a large focus put on achieving quick results, whether that be in a business aspect or personal. (Country comparison New Zealand , 2018) Compare this to a country like Mexico, which scores very high on this dimension ACCORDING TO? Countries similar to Mexico that exhibit high uncertainty avoidance often stick to very rigid codes of belief and behavior. Intolerant or unorthodox behavior is not frowned upon. In their personal lives, they are always busy and work hard. Time is considered money and precision and punctuality are considered normal. Often innovation may be resisted. (Country comparison Mexico, 2018)
Question two: Part A
The five Globe nine dimensions of cultural dimensions that I will be assessing where New Zealanders fit best are: gender differentiation, assertiveness, future orientation, humane orientation and performance orientation.
Assertiveness: New Zealander’s have low assertiveness when looking at the explanation in table 4.6 of the text book. New Zealand values co-operation and warm relationships. Often communication is done indirectly to try and save “face-time”. The low assertiveness of New Zealander’s also means that they try to be in harmony with the environment. For example, the topography and layout of New Zealand means that the natural environment and towns/cities are located near each other, this creates a harmony between both towns and rural areas and people and nature. Reference
Gender differentiation: New Zealander’s have a higher level of gender differentiation based on the explanation in table 4.6 of the text book. REFERENCE This is because it is normal and acceptable to have woman in power. For example, our current Prime minister Jacinda Ardern is the third female prime minister New Zealand has had. There is also less work place segregation and similar levels of educational achievement compared to that of males.
Performance orientation: New Zealander’s have a high-performance orientation based on the explanation in table 4.6 of the textbook REFERENCE. This can be seen in the workplace as New Zealanders value training and development to ensure that they are always over-performing. Formal feedback is regarded as necessary for performance improvement, and a high level of competitiveness in the workplace is common. An example of this is when employers give their employees benefits for reaching targets or other reasons. This can be seen mostly in retail, when a business has a high performance and reaches a monthly target they often reward employees with a monthly bonus.
Future orientation: New Zealander’s have a mid to high future orientation based on the explanation in table 4.6 of the text book. This is because New Zealand has a natural tendency to save now for the future. There is often an emphasis on working for long term success, both for individuals and in the workplace. Organisations tend to be more flexible and adaptive. An example of this is the kiwi saver scheme. Kiwi sets aside money for New Zealander’s for their future. Kiwi saver can also be used to buy their first home or for their retirements.
Humane orientation: New Zealander’s sit in the middle based on the explanation of humane orientation in the table 4.6 of the text book. This is because in New Zealand there is a mix of people who believe that the interests of others are more important, and there are people who put their own interests over others. However, New Zealand score higher on the humane orientation where members are responsible for the wellbeing of others. An example of this is Reference
Question Two: Part B
i.
The implications that can be drawn in terms of global competitiveness and success in facing challenges for New Zealand organisations are because of where New Zealand sits in terms of the globe nine dimensions. These dimensions have a big impact on the organisations global competitiveness. According to the Global competiveness index (GCI) New Zealand sits 13th out of 144 countries (Country Economy profile New Zealand, 2018) New Zealand’s organisations are very performance and future orientated country this means, that they are highly competitive and strive to achieve great results in the professional world. The fact that we have a high level of gender differentiation sets us apart from some countries as we utilise both genders to our benefit. We have similar ratings on the dimensions as countries like the United States and Sweden who are both above us on the GCI. This suggests that having the qualities may make a country and its organisations more competitive and have a greater success rate when facing challenges.
ii.
New Zealand’s position on the happiness scale on average sits at 8, this is based on New Zealand statistics. With a total of 29% rating themselves an 8/10. (Browse for stats, 2014) Overall happiness is based on well-being and life satisfaction. It can be influenced by numerous circumstances, including education, health, income, family and social connection. The high level of happiness in New Zealand in terms of the globe nine dimensions could also be factored by the humane orientation, low assertiveness and high gender differentiation, for example, woman are not limited to certain things, thus creating a higher level of satisfaction.
In terms of New Zealand’s mental wellbeing, we rate very poor on this scale. According to Health Promotion Agency (HPA) about four in five adults aged 15years or older have experienced mental distress. (Wellbeing and Mental Distress Snapshot, 2017)
Wealth creation for this generation and the next is…
Question Three:
i. The national culture of New Zealand
PART B
Question One:
Shareholders: Two strategies that will keep shareholders involved in the process of the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable focus include keeping them informed of the entire process by conducting shareholder meetings, creating monthly/seasonal newsletter outlining details of the process and other on-goings.
The second strategy to get shareholders involved in the process is to offer a benefit if the organisation can succeed in the overall goal of being more sustainable. For example, the organisation may offer to increase the shareholder dividend if they are able to reduce their waste by a certain amount. The increased benefit to the shareholder will encourage them to be more supportive and enthusiastic about the process.
Employees: Two strategies that will keep employees involved in the process of the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable focus include giving the employees the opportunities to suggest any ideas, risks, advantages and disadvantages of wanting to adopt a sustainable focus. To get more of the employees involved the company could offer bonuses or some kind or scheme that brings benefits to the employees if they contribute.
The second strategy to get employees involved in the process is to offer training and development programmes. These programmes may include information on sustainability and the importance of offering sustainable products for example. This means employees will be informed and up-to-date on the knowledge side of the process and will want to be involved. (Employee Engagement, 2015)
Customers: Two strategies that will keep customers involved in the process of the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable focus include using social media platforms like, Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc. to engage with customers on an individual basis. Customers can give product, employee and overall organisations reviews. Often reviews will allow customers to leave suggestions or complaints which can be made positive and give the company a goal to work on. Social media is a good way to involve customers in the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable approach.
The second strategy is for the company to specifically target a market that is passionate about sustainability and do market research on what they want in and from a company with a sustainable focus. This way does not specifically involve the customers, but is involving them by allowing the organisation to conduct research and gain insight.
Suppliers: Two strategies that will keep suppliers involved in the process of the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable focus include consulting early in the process to ensure the supplier understands and can manage stocking and supplying the company with the sustainable goods, it also ensures that all requirements are agreed upon and delivery services are negotiated and acceptable to majority of the stakeholders. Another strategy is…
Communities: Two strategies that will keep communities involved in the process of the organisation wanting to adopt a sustainable focus include offering a benefits programme that gives back to local communities. For example, if customers purchase new, more sustainable products the organisation will donate 10% back into the local community. This involves the customers in the process as the organisation becoming more sustainable benefits them in two ways, donations and a more sustainable future.
Another strategy is…
Question Two:
When comparing the relationship between social responsibility and sustainability from a business perspective we can see that sustainability is more than just conservation, it means producing quality products and being responsible corporate citizens. Being a corporate citizen means working to decrease the impact of transportation, reducing wastage, and increasing the use of sustainable alternatives. Being socially responsible means having fair labour practices, maintain health and safety in the workplace and giving back to the employees and communities in which organisations operate. (CCL Industries, 2018)
An example of an organisation that is successful in social responsibility and sustainable measure is Google. ‘Google Green’ is a corporate effort to use resources efficiently and support renewable power. Google has seen an overall drop in their power requirements for their data centres by an average of 50%. (Mureno, 2015) In terms of social responsibility, Google’s first executive chef, Charlie Ayers, created an innovative for sustainable healthy food. This program fine-tunes every step in the food service process, from acquiring to prep to plate to disposal. The program reduces food waste, by using “ugly veggies”- fruit and vegetables that have been deemed unusable for sale. (Recipe for sustainability, 2016) In 2016 more than 450,000 kilograms of food has been saved from going to waste because of Google cafes.