Premium Essay

Leadership and National Culture

In:

Submitted By tavanio
Words 3208
Pages 13
Introduction
One of the topics that exist since ancient times are leadership, national culture and organizational culture because every nation and country have their culture and need their leaders. Some of the leaders are better than others and because of this reason they manage to govern their countries better and to win advantage for them.
Like every country the companies all over the world have their organizational cultures and their leaders. Every company is trying to shape its organizational culture striving to reach its personal goals and because some are better than others they have better products and bigger market shares.
The first purpose of this paper is to present the old organizational culture, the old values and leadership style of Ford and how they affected the performance of the company. The second goal of the paper is to show why the need for change came in Ford and how they managed to implement this change into practice.

Organisational culture, Leadership and Leadership Style – Definitions
One of the possible definitions for organisational culture that exists is as follow: Organisational culture is “the set of shared values, beliefs and norms that influences the way employees think, feel and behave toward each other and toward people outside the organization” (George and Jones, 2012).
One of the aspects which are considered in this paper and which is aspect of organisational culture is organizational structure. It can be described as “the pattern of relationships among positions in the organization and among members of the organization” (Mullins, 2006).
The term leadership can be defined as “the capability of an individual to exercise influence and control over other members in order to to help a group or organization to achieve its goals” (George and Jones, 2012).
The purpose of this paper is to show the differences in Ford under the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Role of National Culture on Leadership

...Executive Summary The aim for this thesis is to answer the problem statement: How do national cultures influence leadership styles? To give an answer to this question, this thesis is divided into three parts: leadership, national culture and the connection between them. The conclusion of this thesis is based on analytical and exploratory research. The first part, on leadership, focuses on mainly two types of leadership: transactional and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership is mainly based on the transaction between leaders and their followers. Bass described four components of transactional leadership: Contingent reward, Active management by exception, Passive management by exception and Laissez-Faire leadership (1997). Transformational leadership focuses mainly on inspiring and stimulating the followers. Transformational leadership contains also four components: Idealized influence (Charisma), Inspirational motivation, Intellectual stimulation and Individualized consideration. The second part focuses on different studies on national culture: Hofstede (1983), Schwartz (1990) and Inglehart (1997). Each study has different values and dimensions, both all three studies show some similarities. The first similar dimension contains: Hofstede’s Power distance, Schwartz’ Hierarchy versus Egalitarianism and Inglehart’s Survival and measures the degree to which the people in a national culture accept and expect the unequal distribution of power. The second similar dimension...

Words: 8555 - Pages: 35

Premium Essay

Corporate Culture Is Largely Influenced by National Culture and Sustained by Corporate Leadership.

...Corporate culture is largely influenced by national culture and sustained by corporate leadership So many civilisations exist today; all rich with individual cultural heritage and each, distinct with unique features, characteristics, and value systems. Therefore it holds that countries have their individual and distinct cultures which are unique and which apply to them. Consequently, these cultures get infiltrated and remodelled to form part of the culture of organizations as well as influences the decision making behaviour of the corporate leadership system or process. Geert Hofstede, considers that ‘Culture is the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others’. It could be seen a range of values and meanings shared among individuals and entities belonging to a group, body or category. National culture is regarded as shared meanings, [conscious or unconscious] promoted among people existing within or originating from a country or state and is therefore regarded as the basic value system measure from which organizational values and corporate culture [which is understood as the belief systems or set of values shared that governs behaviours and attitudes within a corporate organization or entity] is developed. A company's corporate leadership (which is constituted of the top executives who govern its operations and plot its strategies for the future,) therefore has the responsibility to uphold this value system...

Words: 1126 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cultural Influence on Organizational Practice

...influences on organizational cultures and practices have become a very important research topic in the field of management and organization since the last decades of the 20th century. National culture has been seen as one of the most influential situational factors, which determine organizational phenomena. More recently, after the collapse of socialism, the role of national culture in organizational practices in countries that are in transition is becoming a widely recognized and studied topic. However, empirical studies about cultural influences on organizational subcultures and leadership styles in Ethiopian organizations are not very frequent in contemporary literature. In fact, there are almost no relevant attempts to examine these phenomena. Nevertheless, after democratic political changes in May 1991, we can observe a growing interest in understanding national culture and leadership practices in Ethiopian organizations, as well as in the whole Ethiopian society. Therefore, the main purpose of this assignment paper is to investigate the influence of national culture on organizational culture and practices (subcultures and leadership styles) in Ethiopian organizations. Widely known Geert Hofstede’s value/belief theory of culture (Hofstede, 2001) with its theoretical and methodological premises has been used as a starting point of this assignment.   1 2. 2.1. LITRATURE REVIEW DEFINITION OF CULTURE We must first define and agree on what Culture is before we can deal...

Words: 5425 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

How Are Culture and Leadership Linked

...1799 1799 ‘How are the concepts of culture and leadership linked?’ Introduction: This literature review will make use of four pieces of academic work to discuss how the concept of culture can intrinsically affect leadership. The literature finds that the link between culture and leadership is an important, yet complicated relationship. I will begin by discussing and defining the central concepts of culture and leadership. I will then explain and analyse the significance of culture upon leadership. Finally I will review Hofstede’s cultural framework to assess its significance and relevance to the topic at hand. Culture: To begin, culture is a phenomenon that carries multiple definitions. A simplistic view sees it as “how things are done around here”(Ouchi and Johnson, 1978 p.293). Culture can also encompass the behaviours, attitudes, norms, morals and unconscious values instilled within a group of individuals (Schien, 1985). Hofstede himself defines culture as the “collective mental programming” (Hofstede, 1980 pp.43) of individuals bound by some form of common orientation or geographical boundary. Culture shapes everything within society, and as an extension, leadership. Leadership is another interlinked concept, commonly defined as a relationship by which followers are influenced, and inherent changes are made towards a collective purpose (Daft and Lane, 2005). Moreover leadership refers to the “core set of traits, behaviours, skills, or characteristics that...

Words: 2192 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Evolution of Silos

...Organizational Behavior". Managing People in Organizations Word Count: - 3,488 Executive Summary This paper focuses on how culture has impacts the evolution of silos, their subsequent impact on organizational behavior and outcomes for the institution if they are not eliminated. In a competitive environment it is imperative that organizations be as effective and efficient as possible. When departments exist in silos this hinders cross functionality and synergy due to lack of communication and common goals. This in turn has a negative impact organizational behavior and culture. This report examines University Y a Federal third level Education Institution in the Country X which specializes in providing tertiary education for female Nationals using an American Curriculum. It specifically looks at the evolution of silos within the Finance and Administration units which support the academic mission. There are seven of these units they include Finance, Human Resources, Campus Services, Campus Physical Development, Marketing and Publications, Contracts and Procurement and Computing Services. In addition to exploring how organizational culture influenced the evolution of these silos, it examines the impact of the unique culture of the COUNTRY X and finally what role the leader played in the sustaining of these silos, showing that leadership and culture are closely aligned. It examines the challenge of applying a western business model to a collective society. The data...

Words: 4266 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Business

...EFFECTIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACROSS CULTURES: THE ROLE OF CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE Dr. Alexi Matveev College of Staten Island New York, NY, USA Dr. Elena Lvina Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada Abstract New theoretical frameworks are needed to better understand effective transformational leadership in different cultural contexts. In this article we illustrate the relationship between transformational leadership and the cross-cultural communication competence frame. We show how national culture orientations and cross-cultural communication competence affect the full range leadership framework and transformational leadership dimensions. Attributes of effective leadership and the choice of communication strategies vary for different cultural contexts; however, the charismatic or value-based leadership dimension contributes the most to universally perceived effective leadership styles. We draw attention to the importance of transformational leadership research utilizing the cross-cultural communication competence construct. Introduction Transformational leaders rely heavily on their rhetorical skills in order to articulate a vision and create meaning for their followers. While the leader's message is important, the process by which it is communicated appears to be just as significant. The communication style is a critical distinguishing factor in whether the leader’s message will be remembered and endorsed. Flauto...

Words: 5071 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Leadership

...EFFECTIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACROSS CULTURES: THE ROLE OF CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE Dr. Alexi Matveev College of Staten Island New York, NY, USA Dr. Elena Lvina Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada Abstract New theoretical frameworks are needed to better understand effective transformational leadership in different cultural contexts. In this article we illustrate the relationship between transformational leadership and the cross-cultural communication competence frame. We show how national culture orientations and cross-cultural communication competence affect the full range leadership framework and transformational leadership dimensions. Attributes of effective leadership and the choice of communication strategies vary for different cultural contexts; however, the charismatic or value-based leadership dimension contributes the most to universally perceived effective leadership styles. We draw attention to the importance of transformational leadership research utilizing the cross-cultural communication competence construct. Introduction Transformational leaders rely heavily on their rhetorical skills in order to articulate a vision and create meaning for their followers. While the leader's message is important, the process by which it is communicated appears to be just as significant. The communication style is a critical distinguishing factor in whether the leader’s message will be remembered and endorsed. Flauto...

Words: 5071 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

Organisational Culture

...How national culture of Sri Lanka impact on organizational culture and leadership Culture describes our behavior, our thoughts, our religion, our customs and everything in relation to our lives. Sometime it may be tangible and may not be tangible. From childhood culture is attached to our lives. Majority of the people in our country accept this culture without questioning it. As citizens in Sri Lanka we have a unique culture than the other countries. It can be called as “national Culture”. According to Geert Hofsted national culture means collective programming of the minds that distinguishes members of one group or category of people from another. We learn our national culture intentionally or unintentionally in our early childhood. As Sri Lankan people we highly respect others and also respect our family relationships. Especially we respect elder persons in the country. But in western countries they do not think seriously about family relationships. We show our feelings well. We cry when we sad. Laugh when we are happy. But Japanese people do not show their feelings to outside. Majority of the people are Buddhist in our country. Because of that Buddhist culture is embedded to our national culture. In India majority is Hindu people. They are not eating beef. Once Mc Donnels sells beef in India, Indians sued against Mc Donnels. That is to protect their culture. Although western people always try to keep a distance physically when they are talking, we do not have like this...

Words: 1117 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Global Leadership Skills

...Global Leadership Skills Global Leadership stands for the cross cultural Leadership abilities. Global Leadership skill means ability to lead the audience of different nationalities, or performing Leadership tasks in verity of countries. As a formal definition of Global Leadership, we can say. “The ability to influence the people, who are dissimilar to the leader and are from different cultural backgrounds, is called Global Leadership” If we come with an example of a global leader, the name of Nelson Mandela come in front. He was able enough to influence the diverse population of South Africa and to eliminate the social injustice from the society. Not only South Africa, but the whole American part of the world attended the influence of his thoughts and now, Mandela is known as a truly global leader. His contribution to the world throughout his 67 years life brought him to The Nobel Peace Prize. The global Leadership includes all the concepts/roles of a good leader, but with more sensitivity. A global leader, being a leader of diverse audience, is supposed to me a multicultural approach person, with a sense of belief and faith of various places, religions, nations and communities. Leadership and Global Leadership Distinguishing the Global Leadership Skills from Leadership Skills is an impossible task, as the Global Skills have been extension of the Leadership Skills. Still, Global Leadership Skills have been an advanced level of the Leadership. In the sonario of MultiNational...

Words: 971 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Intercultural Management

...9-11/4/07 in RoC Going for Gold ~ Best Practices in Ed. & Public Paper # : 07-08 Page- 1 /7 Challenges of Intercultural Management: Change implementation in the context of national culture Prof. Taina Savolainen School of Business, Management and Leadership, University of Joensuu, Finland taina.savolainen@joensuu.fi ABSTRACT This keynote address considers change implementation in the globalizing business environment in the context of culture. Organizations seek ways to cope with new situations in order to survive and be competitive. The primary strategic challenge in multicultural change processes is managing and implementing change successfully. The paper discusses the means of creating readiness for change and challenges they present to intercultural management. Keywords: Change, coping, culture, intercultural, implementation, middle management, readiness 1.0 Introduction Sustaining competitiveness force business organizations to adapt major changes and seek strategies that may be realized in varying, different cultural environments. This presents challenges to multicultural management, in general, and change implementation processes, specifically. Change implementation does no more concern organizational culture only. It is also dependent on understanding different national cultures and having behavioural skills accordingly. Organizations face, thus, constant challenge of change in management (Ascari, Rock & Dutta, 1995). Economic and social forces create a...

Words: 3836 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Mgmt 591 Course Project

...Leadership in the Tennessee Army National Guard MGMT 591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior Course Project Instructor: Barbara Vallera October 20, 2013 Introduction The Army National Guard is a military government agency that primarily under the command of the governor of the state. The Militia Act of 1903 organized state militias into what is not the National Guard. The National Guard Bureau, located in Washington, DC, has regulatory authority over National Guard units that are not under orders from the United States Army. The State Head Quarters is located in Nashville, TN. Units of the Army National Guard are dispersed throughout the state. I am currently a Battery Commander with the Army National Guard. I have been a Battery Commander since July, 2013. Prior to becoming the Battery Commander I served on the Command Staff of the Field Artillery. While serving on the Command Staff I was in a position the developed training plans for the entire Battalion of the Field Artillery, a battalion is made up of three firing batteries. I have served as an Executive Officer and a Platoon Leader in a Battery. I was enlisted for over ten years and achieved the rank of Sargent, a Non-Commissioned Officer. I then decided to become an officer and applied for and was accepted to the Officer Candidate program. There were 124 fellow service members that were in my class of Officer Candidates. Of this number there were 19 that graduated and became officers. I...

Words: 3078 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Globe

...Abstract Since its inception in the early 1990s, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) project has investigated the complex relationship between societal culture and organizational behavior. The focus of this paper is on leadership, specifically what we know and have learned from the GLOBE project so far. Among other findings, we demonstrate that national culture indirectly influences leadership behaviors through the leadership expectations of societies. In other words, executives tend to lead in a manner more or less consistent with the leadership prototypes endorsed within their particular culture. In turn, leaders who behave according to expectations are most effective. We also found that some leadership behaviors are universally effective such as charismatic/value-based leadership; others are much more culturally sensitive such as participative leadership. Finally, we identified truly superior (and also truly inferior) CEOs by the degree to which their behaviors exceed (or fail to meet) their society's expectations. All in all, understanding national culture gives us a heads-up as to which kinds of leadership will likely be enacted and effective in each society. We believe that the GLOBE journey has helped us understand the complex, tricky, and fascinating relationships among societal culture, organizational behavior, and leadership processes. This paper is a celebration of twenty years of collaborative work conducted by more than 200 researchers...

Words: 12081 - Pages: 49

Premium Essay

Wuhan Erie Polymers Joint Venture

...Joint venture. Though he was very pleased with his transfer back to Gary, he wasn’t finished yet. He wanted to nominate a successor who would take the company to another level. He was a great leader as he motivated his employees in many aspects and he had also created a unique culture between the Chinese and the western practices. Ans1) if I had to advice the organisation on who to succeed Wong then I would choose MR Henri Boulanger as he has been in the organisation for the past 16 years and he also has 24 years of work experience. Though he lacks Chinese skills he yet gets along well with his Chinese subordinates. He has also been very effective in his current position and he has also introduced certain techniques such as marketing and networking which is very important for any organisation. According to me due to his intelligence and energetic levels he would also be able to inculcate leadership and adapt certain principles in the organisation in order for it to run efficiently and smoothly. He would follow a democratic leadership style where he will consult many employees in the organisation before taking any important decision regarding the company’s future. Certain theories relating to leadership are needed in many organizations for it to perform on a high scale. 1) Trait approach to...

Words: 1908 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Case on Organization Behavior

...article: Sexual harassment Sexual harassment is behavior that denigrates or mistreats an individual due to his or her gender, creates an offensive workplace, and interferes with an individual being able to do the job.[17] Teams[edit] Main article: Team Job-related attitudes and emotions[edit] Organizational behavior deals with employee attitudes and feelings. Job satisfaction is the feelings one has about the job or facets of the job, such as pay or supervision[18] Organizational commitment is the extent to which employees feel attachment to their organization.[19] Emotional labor concerns the requirement that employees display certain emotions, like smiling at customers.[20] Leadership[edit] Main article: Leadership There have been a number of approaches and theories that concern leadership. Early theories focused on characteristics of leaders, while later theories focused on leader behavior, and conditions under which...

Words: 799 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Human Service Organization and Analysis

...National, State, and Local Human Service Organizational Structures and Processes Summary National, State, and Local Human Service Organizational Structures and Processes Summary Team A selected three organizations to analyze and understand their organizational structures and processes, and also to compare and contrast their similarities and differences. The organizations selected include the Red Cross, Arizona Child Protective Services, and Native Connections. Each organization will be examined for their organizational structure and whether the organization is governmental, private, for-profit, or nonprofit. The paper will analyze the departments, divisions, or specific areas of program delivery and how the organization builds community. How building community affects the value of the organization will also be discussed. The organizational culture will be examined and why the culture is important to the organization. The Blake and McCanse’s Leadership Grid and Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model will be related to the each organization’s human relations model. A relevant strategic plan or organizational chart for each organization will be examined and a summary will be given of the differences between the national, state, and county or local human service organizations selected. Organizational Structure Organizational structure defines how the organization is arranged and operates (Lewis, Packard, Lewis, 2007). The Red Cross is structured in a combination...

Words: 2257 - Pages: 10