Running head: Assignment 3.

Assignment 3.1

Timothy L. Sherman

Argosy University

Dr. Robert Berg

Due 7/20/2009

Submitted 7/26/2009
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The thought of belonging to an idea, concept, or something is not a new theory. Countries

and organizations have been founded on this ideology. Individualism, collectivism, regionalism;

which ideology do you attest to belong to? Is one’s belief somehow better then the other? Are

they that different in beliefs or are they more similar then not on basic concerns? Cultures have

embraced new ideas and beliefs, while others have chosen to remain segregated. Two regions of

the world which have been a living testament to the change [and none change] are Russia and

China.

Globalization and technology has made the world an even smaller place then it was once

originally believed to be. Global businesses no longer only consist of one corporate culture. They

may consist of several cultural characteristics that move up the global culture of the company,

(Maloney and Zellmer-Bruhn, 2006). Asia has been a mystery to the world for decades if not

centuries. Isolated in certain areas by challenging terrain, it had been difficult to reach most

areas. For decades Russia and China were the backbone of communism. Russia has long since

given way to the theories of communism. Their current system is still a mystery to rest of the

world. Recent developments [regime changes] have seen slight hints of a return to some forms of

socialism. China continues to hold on to the theories of communism. However, China has begun

a calculated shift from the die-hard socialistic views to a more mutated socialistic ideology with

capitalistic tendencies. Russia and China’s economic beliefs and systems may have changed,

however their cultural beliefs remain fully intact.

Russians have a very high “power distance” then most cultures. Their culture has been

built on the fact that under communism there was a clear distinction between the haves and the

have not. This belief also held true in the business world. Management practiced the policy of
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retaining information from co-workers, subordinates, support teams, even allies all in the name

of authority/ power security, (Hutchings & Michailova, 2006). In short, Russia’s don’t trust

anyone. But is this philosophy that different from other cultures? There are some American

business cultures that follow the same beliefs. He with the most knowledge, is he with the most

power and job security [Well this was true until the recent recession]. Is this helpful to the

organization? Or does it satisfy a greater cause, that greater cause being the advancement of the

individual. This is a concept [individualism] that is entrenched in the American culture.

China on the other hand, clearly is on the opposite end of the spectrum. China is a

collective sociality. One of the most ancient of cultures is the Chinese culture. The Chinese

culture is a culture that is rich with tradition and wisdom. These beliefs are deeply rooted in the

activities and cultures of home nation companies. In the Chinese culture tends to follow a

servitude concept in the workplace, as well as in their personal lives, (Connerley & Pedersen,

2005).

The Chinese culture is a culture that believes that knowledge comes from wisdom and

wisdom comes with seniority. Senior personnel are looked upon with the greatest of admiration.

There is a high level of servitude on the part of the senior to the subordinate, but the level of

respect that the subordinate displays to superior out weighs the two. It would be a serious sign of

disrespect if a subordinate were to correct a superior. Such actions would imply that the superior

was incompdent thereby disgracing the superior, (Hutchings & Michailova, 2006).

Corporate investment in both Russia and China is on the rise. However, corporate

investors are finding that it will be a challenge to successfully merge with the workplace

standards of the countries. Corporate investors are finding that there is very little workplace

equality. As stated earlier, Russia and China have been very isolated for years. A willingness on
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their part to be more open to outsiders would go against the pure essence of their cultures. This

could pose a problem when dealing/ doing business with most westernized companies.

Good partnerships are built on trust and sharing of information. In the business world, all

cultures aside, all sides tends to be cautious but they understand that openness and sharing is the

way to a profitable venture. Russia and China would see all outsiders as minorities. Minorities

[in the since of non-Russia’s or Chinese] would face the compressing task of trying to develop

solid personal relationships with their Russia [Chinese] counterpart or superior. As stated earlier,

Russia’s and Chinese have been isolationalist. Relationships are not easily established.

Minorities [outsiders] are expected to know that they [Russia and Chinese superiors] are never

wrong, i.e. they never make mistakes. They should never be questioned by a subordinate in front

of a group, nor should a subordinate disagree with a superior. Clearly these actions would have a

separatist effect on the workplace behavior for both parties.

Human capital is considered to be the most valued asset of a business. The proficiency of

these workers depends on their level of training and work experience, among other things. In

multicultural organizations, training not only consists of the technical aspects of the job, but

should also consist of the human relations aspect of multiple cultures. Training should assist in

the development of new skills needed to support change agents and change efforts within an

organization, (Grigoruta, 2006).

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Resources

Mary M Maloney, Mary Zellmer-Bruhn. (2006). Building Bridges, Windows and Cultures:

Mediating Mechanisms between Team Heterogeneity and Performance in Global

Teams. Management International Review, 46(6), 697-720. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from

ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1211361051).

Kate Hutchings, & Snejina Michailova. (2006). The impact of group membership on knowledge

sharing in Russia and China. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 1(1), 21-34. Retrieved

July 26, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1139556151).

Mary L. Connerley, Paul B. Pedersen. (2005). Leadership in a Diverse and Multicultural

Environment- Developing Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills. Sage Publication, Inc. Thousand

Oaks, California. Pg 152-153.

Maria Viorica Grigoruta. (2006). Change in Romanian organizations: a management culture

approach. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 19(6), 747-752. Retrieved July 20,

2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1150370041).