The values across cultures: " Individualism vs Collectivism, Power Distance, Achievement- Nurturing"

Nowadays, there are many values that people and organizations usually practices. The key values that play a pivotal role and probably effect the people and organisations are tend to subscribe is individual-collectivism, power distance and achievement-nurturing. In other word I will discuss all the above with sharing some of my experiences to make us more understand on these values. Individualism versus collectivism Individualism and the collectivism is the two commonly mentioned across-cultural value. The individualism is the extent to which a person values independence and personal uniqueness, while the collectivism is extent to which people value duty to groups to which they belong and to group harmony Individualism and collectivism are cultural traits that describe the common attitude toward the individual as compared to the group (Kim & Hakkoe, 1994). For example a canonical comparison of individualism and collectivism on the cultural scale are the United States, which ranks as a highly individualist society, and Japan, which ranks as a highly collectivist society. Individualism is more focus on the personals goal, hard work and individual achievement purpose rather than the groups. Some said that Individualism has a controversial relationship with egoism (selfishness). For example, the Singaporean are likely to be said is very highly individualism which the employees will always fight for the benefit by themselves and they are very egoism intense of sharing skill or knowledge among themselves because want to protect their career. For info, I had the experience which my friend who are very highly individualism. This person is very self-sufficiency and very personal freedom where he is very independence when doing their assignment alone and didn’t need their friend help. Mean that this person is very high individualism because he don’t like doing the assignment in the group because he want to keep their work in personally with he ability. Some time he gets the low score in their assignment is because the assignments sometime need a group discussion to do better than individual. In contrast, collectivism is focus on strong association to groups including family and work units. For example, blame for making bad decision is share among group members. Beside that, I had a experience in this collectivism value where my best friend invite me playing futsal with other friend and during the match our team have a some misleading in the pointed and make the situation come worse and hopefully my friend are able to control the situation to be comedown. So in the case, my friend is very caring with us during the match and asks the result our team wins the match in excited. Power Distance The power distance is a degree to which a society expects there to be differences in the levels of power. A high score suggests that there is an expectation that some individuals with larger amounts of power than others. A low score reflects the view that all people should have equal rights. Power distance is importance and it considers very high values in the Asian countries including in Malaysia. For example, New Zealand and Denmark expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. People relate to one another more as equals regardless of formal positions. Subordinates are more comfortable with and demand the right to contribute to and critique the decision making of those in power. In large power distance countries, Malaysia is less powerful accepts power relations that are more autocratic and paternalistic. Subordinates acknowledge the power of others simply based on where they are situated in certain formal, hierarchical positions. As such the Power Distance Index Hofstede defines does not reflect an objective difference in power distribution but rather the way people perceive power differences. (Geert hofstede 2001) Achievement versus nurturing Achievement-nurturing orientation reflects a competitive versus cooperation view of relations with other people. People with high achievement orientation value assertiveness, competitiveness, and materialism. They appreciate people who are tough and favor the acquisition of money and the material goods. In contrast, people in nurturing oriented cultures emphasize relationships and the well being of others. They focus on human interaction and caring rather than competition and personal success. For example, the people in Norway can be score in low achievement oriented because the Norway People are not materialist as we can see that Norway is the low crime rate in the world. Beside that, I had experience which my friend are very high achievement because he always very greedy in term of material because when i In other hand, nurturing is focus on caring with other people who need assistance and support. In our life, our parent is nurturing us until we are able to independence. They always make sure we all are growth in the better life with enough wear, use, eat and protection. Beside that also, nurse also play an importance role when the patient are in sick. Nurse is example of the nurturing person n the human life when the patients need the caring. I had is experience when my uncle are caring by the nurse when we are not around my uncle. They give my uncle a very comfortable service and tool that needed by patient. The above cross-cultural values are very importance to the all kinds of organizational but they have the difference value across boundary. Difference culture have difference values, and it same to the difference countries too. The successful apply the better value will help the organisation more sustainable and gain more profitable than others. REFERENCES 1. Mc Shane, SL & Von Glinow, MA2008 Organizational Behavior, 4TH edn, McGraw- Hill, USA 2. http://www.itchybrainscentral.com/personality-culture-individualism-collectivism-paper.html 3. http://www.wikipedia.org/ 4. Ivancevich, JM, Konopaske, R & Matteson, MT 2008, Organizational Behavior and Management, 8th edn., McGraw-Hill, USA.

values play a pivotal role in KFC restaurant

Today, the successful organisation to competitive advantages in the businesses is more depend on the value that applied in the organisation. The key values that organisations tend to subscribe are such as individual-collectivism, power distance, achievement-nurturing and the several key values. When we talking about quick-fast services and food we will always thinking about the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Mc Donald, and Kenny Roger restaurants. Today what I want talking is we always feed at this kind of the service product but have we think that this organisational value or cultures are? Of course, we will not think about that, but what I would like to share is the organisation value of these entities (KFC restaurant). See first what is KFC restaurants http://www.kfc.com.my. Before I go on, I would like to clear that the high values are important in certain organization to determine that the success of the organisation goal and mission. The value of an organisation are determining by the better value culture of the organisation. In Malaysia KFC restaurants, the value culture among the staff can be saying high or moderate but is depend on certain area or branch. For example, I have seen that the relationship among the staff and employees in KFC restaurant in Gajah Berang, Malacca is very good during my secondary school time and this create a better value culture to the organisation. The benefit of the high or moderate value culture also leads to the low turnover among the staff or employees and the organisation can gain more profits due to the more skillful and experiences workers. Individualism and the collectivism is the two commonly mentioned cross-cultural value. The individualism is the extent to which a person values independence and personal uniqueness, while the collectivism is extent to which people value duty to groups to which they belong and to group harmony. Individualism value in KFC restaurants can be tend moderate low because most of their workers are been control by their staff or top management people, so they are not freedom or self-sufficient during working time. In contrast, collectivism value could be say high because the organisations are prepared the security and the uniform for their workers. For example, the workers who wear the company uniform with the KFC logo can be easy known among of them and these create a tradition and conformity of the company. Power distance is importance and it considers very high values in the Asian countries including in Malaysia. The power distance is the extent to which people accept unequal distribution of power in a society. The power distance in this organisation can be considered high. For example I have seen that branch manager given the command to the new staffs about the cleanness of the company and the staffs are receiving without any prejudice or egoism. My experiences also have seen a new staffs are able to conduct my order and even sometime also the staffs are aided by their senior or superior indirectly through formal procedures rather than directly. The achievement-nurturing is reflecting a competitive versus cooperative view of relations with other people. Example people with high achievement orientation value assertiveness, materialism and competitiveness. While in contrast, the nurturing oriented cultures are emphasize relationship and the well-being of others. They are very high achievement oriented in this organization and their people. Why I has saying it? What will I mention later may be some of the people will agree with it. I have the experiences before and recently on this restaurant in one of the Malacca branch where when I need to pay the order is all RM 6.90 for that meal and I give RM 10 for the transaction and the counter did not paying back in RM3.10 but RM3.00, when I asking where is the balance of RM0.10 and she say that is not coin. So the people in the organisation are sometime very materialistic. However, the nurturing oriented in these restaurants could be saying moderate high because each of the workers in this kind of restaurants is same. As we known, malaysian people are very caring and human interaction. Why I saying that because this is ours value cultural for the centuries ago. We can saw that people in Malaysia are more caring the people around them without look at race, religion and nation. The experience I have in this restaurant where their services are better good and difference we got from others restaurants. For example, when I have an order the staff will ask as with more manners and preparing meal in a few minute only and sometime I have see that the manager come out and ask for the customers about their services, products and cleanness of their restaurant. Sometime I have say that KFC restaurants is more nurturing oriented is because their meal especially meat are in the safe-keeping by HALAL in Malaysia. The halal in Malaysia is more responsibilities in doing jobs rather than the outside of our countries because some countries we can see they slaughtered the animals in very cruelty. So my opinion was the KFC restaurant in Malaysia are very nurturing on Malaysian people or consumers and this will bring the consumer have the trust on the organisation while make more return or profit to the organisation. http://www.youtube.com and type in chicken process. The uncertainty avoidance is the degree to which people tolerate ambiguity or feel threatened by ambiguity and uncertainty. The uncertainty avoidance score on these restaurants can be considering moderate high. The restaurant employee is usually preferred to direct communication. Example when the employee have doing the wrong order their will make a new order for the customers. The above cross-cultural values are very importance to the all kinds of organizational but they have the difference value across boundary. Difference culture have difference values, and it same to the difference countries too. The successful apply the better value will help the organisation more sustainable and gain more profitable than others. 863 words Reference: 1. Mc Shane, SL & Von Glinow, MA2008 Organizational Behavior, 4TH edn, McGraw- Hill, USA 2. Chanpoux, JE 2006, Organizational Bahavior: Integrating individuals, groups and organizations, Thomson, USA. 3.Ivancevich, JM, Konopaske, R & Matteson, MT 2008, Organizational Behavior and Management, 8th edn., McGraw-Hill, USA. 4. www.kfc.com.my