According to Dr. Fons Trompenaar there are many ways to view the idea of ‘culture’, but the onion model is the most popular among them. Similar to an onion, culture also has a number of layers (Ildikó, 2014). The outer layer traditional or architectural differences. Rituals, attitudes, norms form the next layer. The core values of a particular culture reside in the center of the onion. This is the segmentation process of a culture. The cultural model he developed is named Trompenaar’ cultural dimensions distinguishing seven cultural dimensions. These are- Universalism versus Particularism, Individualism versus Communitarianism, Neutral versus Emotional, Specific versus Diffuse, Achievement versus Ascription, Sequential versus Synchronous time and Internal direction versus External direction. Trompenaar says that these seven dimensions will increase empathy and respect for other cultures and for their customs and rituals too. This internal bond will lead to better business deals and ensure persistence of teamwork (youtube.com ,2018).
I have applied Trompenaar’s model in my business culture and have seen radical growth in business relationships. The Universalism versus Particularism dimension asks what is more important, relationships or rules. I have kept a balance between the two cultures by keeping my promises, being consistent, explaining logic behind each of the business activities and decisions. I have also made sure specific rules which are highly important are kept intact. The Individualism versus Communitarianism asks to choose between working as a team or as individuals. I have dealt with this problem by encouraging individuals with performance based rewards and appraisals. The team work spirit is also kept heightened by group work performance rewards. The Neutral versus Emotional dimension questions the display of emotions in workplace. I have specified it in my organizational culture where to show emotions and where not.
Emotions can be expressed while strengthening the workplace bonds, but business meetings should strictly be on the topic and not a little deviation from it. The Specific versus Diffuse dimension judges the separating line between the personal and professional life. I have set strong objectives in my organization as well as built social relationships. The Achievement versus Ascription dimension is the difference between a status that is earned by knowledge skill and abilities and status earned by social position, age or educational qualification. Using titles sometimes and not using sometimes have been proved to be a better way to deal with such cultural differences. The Sequential time versus Synchronous time dimension asks whether one work is done at a time or multiple works get done at once. I have prepared strict deadline schedules as well as provided room for flexible schedules often. The Internal direction versus External direction dimension asks whether our environment controls us or we control our environment. This difference has been managed by setting clear goals and also exchanging feedbacks.
Statistics and other data on population demographics, such as the ABS Population clock, CIA World Fact book and others prove Australia to be a highly multicultural society. In spite of its racist history, enormous religious and cultural diversity, Australia has come up as an extremely well-functioning and successful multicultural society. The Australian society has accepted the immigration process as foundation of Australian culture (australia.gov,2018). This multiculturalism has helped International managers to pick up versatile talents from this mass. An ethnic background and diverse culture are brought about by multiculturalism. A diverse but enriched business culture is built in the workplace It increases the creativity and innovation level, improves the customer service and establishes respect among employees. Once the international managers get to know about the different cultures involved in Australian society, it becomes easy for them to pick up suitable people from various demographic areas, build their cross-cultural management strategies and expect for better outcomes.
Cultural intelligence or ‘cultural quotient’(CQ) is a management theory within organizational psychology. The cultural background of an individual is reflected on the performance which is effective for business. However, it is also necessary to measure the person’s ability to engage properly in any environmental setting. In the year 2004, Christopher Earley and Elaine Mosakowski described what cultural intelligence actually is in the Harvard Business Review (Livermore & Soon, 2015). Cultural quotient provides strategies for the advancement of cultural views which will separate different cultural behaviors. Cultural quotient can be developed by three means such as cognitive means, physical means and motivational means. Cultural intelligence is the understanding of values, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes of a particular mass and the capability to implement them in order to achieve higher goals (youtube.com ,2018). There are mainly three components of the cultural intelligence model. These are skills, knowledge and mindfulness.
Cultural intelligence has been defined by many scholars with a variety of terms over the years, in simple words it is nothing but the ability to communicate or interact confidently on a social or professional level with different people belonging to different cultural backgrounds. People who frequently travel from one country to another and have broader experience in working with different cultures gradually become ‘global chameleons’ growing a high level of cultural intelligence (Groves, Feyerherm & Gu, 2015). While working in an international environment, one needs to understand the social backgrounds, attitudes and beliefs first. There are four ways to enhance the cultural intelligence namely drive, knowledge, strategy and action. Each one is incomplete without the other. As a result of travelling to different countries for business purposes and mingling with a variety of cultures, I have almost become the so called ‘global chameleon’. I can easily mix with different cultured people, accept their values and respect their beliefs. It helps me to continue the business proceedings properly and manage the cultural differences in the workplace.
The chairman of the Wesfarmers company Mr. Michael Chaney AO mentioned few corporate values of Wesfarmers. He points out that the values are everything. Another Wesfarmers ‘corporate value is that they trust on people and expect them to work ethically. The communication is kept open and transparent. They expect that people observe all the rules and regulation by themselves without any outer force. Customers are their primary focus, their needs and desires are their genuine concerns. The suppliers are also highly respected and the workers are treated like family members. The Wesfarmers company observe their environmental responsibilities also. They never stay back from contributing to the society they are working in (wesfarmers.com ,2018).
According to a panel of leaders in Forbes Coaches Council ‘agile leadership’ is a kind of transformational leadership which helps to work more effectively and reduces real estate costs (forbes.com ,2018). It also provides advantages by matching the demands and the resources, multiplies the productivity and advances the talent retention (LIU,2017). I can make myself indispensable at work by adopting agile leadership qualities. I will follow the qualities of agile leadership and be present always to gain insights. I will inspire creativity and innovation in my employees. I will become more agile or swift in all my works. I will try my best to adapt to any situation as it happens. I will develop my ability to become flexible to take fast but confident decisions. Being resilient and creative is another quality of agile leadership which I will follow. I will develop a learning and growth embodying mindset within me to work efficiently. These re the qualities of agile leadership which will make me indispensable at work if I follow them strictly.
References
australia.gov. (2018). Our people | australia.gov.au. Retrieved from https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-people
forbes.com. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2017/03/14/cultural-barriers-to-agile-working/#7158f6a14008
Groves, K. S., Feyerherm, A., & Gu, M. (2015). Examining cultural intelligence and cross-cultural negotiation effectiveness. Journal of Management Education, 39(2), 209-243.
Ildikó, K. K. (2014). The Fit of National and Organisational Cultures in International Scientific Literature. Volume of Management, Enterprise and Benchmarking in the 21st century, 301-314.
LIU, P. (2017). Patterns for Making Leadership Happen and Building Self-organizing Agile Team.
Livermore, D., & Soon, A. N. G. (2015). Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to success. Amacom.
wesfarmers.com. (2018). Governance and corporate culture. Retrieved from https://2016.sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/case-studies/governance/governance-and-corporate-culture/
youtube.com. (2018). Cultural intelligence: the competitive edge for leaders | Julia Middleton | TEDxEastEnd. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izeiRjUMau4
youtube.com. (2018). Dr Fons Trompenaars on Culture. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqNI8le1bF4
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