CULTURAL PHILOSOPHIES APPLIED IN MANAGEMENT

Well prepared managers acknowledge the important role that employees play in the organization success process and therefore they are constantly exploring and implementing methods and strategies aimed to achieve employee’s motivation and consequently an effective and better performance as they consider that if the job is satisfying then the result will be a stronger commitment.

This is not an easy task since every culture and company has its own way of operating. Take for instance the southern Africa Ubuntu philosophy which is mainly based on human interdependence and is driven by reciprocity and suppression of self interest as everyone understands that together the team can accomplish more than if each individual worked alone and as a result rewards and punishments are shared , they consider that decisions must be taken by consensus and they don’t see time as a finite commodity[1]. As in the African culture Japanese have a similar perception of the organizational environment, they don’t see the company as a entity trying to take advantage of its employees but as a provider of individual security and welfare, there is a strong sense of “us” versus “them”, decision making process also reflects this emphasis on the group, when a proposal arise , each person who reviews it must provide a personal seal of approval , this requiring a lot of time to reach a consensus but generally being implemented easily and faster than for example U.S companies which generally make decisions quickly but spend a great amount of time implementing them.[2]

Even thought this feeling of “belonging” is a positive alternative to achieve organizational success, it might no always work, as I said before it depends on each culture, for example a person that comes from a really individualistic culture would rather prefer to be flattered and reward as an individual rather than as a team and might see as intolerable being punished for other’s faults and mistakes.

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[1] Building competitive advantage from Ubuntu . (2001, 08). Retrieved 10 22, 2010, from academy of management executive: http://www.aomonline.org/aom.asp?id=95

[2} Gannon, M. J. (2010). understanding global cultures. san marcos california : SAGE Publications.

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