Leadership: Differences In Culture

1000 Words4 Pages

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the role played by a leader when differences in culture occur. For a leader it is very important to understand the obstacles represented by culture and consequently to avoid problems that can arise. As we learnt during the course Leadership at MCI, leadership is a process, which includes also the ability of the leader to manage difficult situations, conflicts and diversities in the group of workers. This is only possible when he creates a relationship with the employees aimed in understanding the personal and cultural background that characterised their behaviour and values. 2. Cultural Intelligence Culture is a system of shared, developed values and attitudes within a social system, which could be a …show more content…

The first one is also called intercultural engagement and represents the motivation and efforts of a leader in finding solutions when many cultures are involved. The second one is referred to as cultural understanding and is based on the knowledge a leader has about another culture, encompassing also cognitive and mental flexibility. The last one, known as intercultural communication, is about the behaviour of a leader in practice, what he does according to the data collected, influencing the way he speaks, communicates, listens, asks. As the picture below shows, these are basic pillars and influence one …show more content…

The ideal boss in such cultures tries to look as impressive as possible, and subordinates expect to be told what to do, and not to be consulted . 2- Individualism Index describes the extent to which individuals define themselves through their individuality. People define themselves more through their role or position in the group and less through their personality. 3- Uncertainty avoidance index represents the degree to which uncertainty and ambiguity are felt as threats by employees. This shows also how they can handle anxiety and stress at work. 4- Masculinity. Social genders are treated differently in many cultures. This dimension describes this behaviour and the degree to which values as competitiveness, materialism, quality of life and relationships are relevant in a certain culture. 5- Long-Term Orientation Index describes the extent to which a culture relates to the past and deals with the challenges of the future. In the business sector this dimension is known as the relationship between pragmatic behaviour and normative