Essay Example on Understanding Power Distance in Different Countries

Within the organizations, there exists different believes which take different dimensions depending on the viewpoint of the analyst and existing norm of a particular society. These differences are conveyed differently in different countries.

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• Power distance - Is defined as the degree at which the weak members within an organization or institutions within a particular state accept and expect unequal power distribution. It follows the fact that society has unequal power distribution sanctioned by the leaders as well as the followers Among the three countries, Albania, the United States, and Argentina, Albania has recorded the highest score of 90% which shows that the residents in this particular country readily accept the hierarchy in place and may require little or no adjustment (Okoro, 2012).
• Individualism - refers to the extent of interdependence among the members of society. It is characterized by the society definition in terms of either 'we' or 'I,' organizations supporting individualism focus on personal welfare and their families' only otherwise collectivism. Among the three countries, Albania has the lowest score of individualism. This implies that it's a collectivist country. The members of society focus on the group rather than individual and families (Okoro, 2012).
• Masculinity - focus on the quest for what drives people to want to achieve the best. A high score implies that society is driven by competitiveness, success, and achievements. The "winner" is considered auspicious in this form of organization. This particular dimension is rooted back to school and extends throughout the lifetime. From the comparison graph, Albania can be considered a masculine culture. This is evident throughout the school, work, and other competitive environments (Okoro, 2012).
• Uncertainty avoidance - this deals with the degree at which society members are unaware and afraid of the unknown situations which have believed and the organizations which try to avoid them. It deals with the fact that the future is unpredictable (Calantone, 2002). Albania has recorded the highest score of the three countries; this shows that the organizations have preferences of avoiding uncertainties through rules regarding the facts about the unpredictable future.
• Long term orientation - this dimension focuses on how the present and future challenges are delts with while preserving some past links. The society has a way of distinguishing and prioritizing the two crucial goals (Calantone, 2002). Albania shows a clear pragma with a score of 61. In this kind of society, there is a view that truth has many dependencies on the underlying situations.
• Indulgence - this dimension focuses on how people manage desires and impulses depending on their background growth. The degree of control can be either weak "indulgence" or firm "Restraint" culture in a given society can be classified according to the two dimensions. Albania has the least score of 15, indicating it's a restrained culture. Such a society is characterized by pessimism and cynicism (Calantone, 2002).

The dimensions which are most different among the three groups are individualism, long-term orientation, and power distance. If adequately managed, individualism can serve to benefit the working environment. Individual workers are innovative and competitive because they have a positive belief of achieving the best and emerging the winner in an organization, the workers also have a professional goal setting which allows room for efficiency and effectiveness (Martin, 2012). The workers are productive since there is little or no reliance for others in successfulness. The employees work under the principle of self-motivation and don't rely on supervision by the superior bosses in an organization. In long-term orientation, to achieve the goals of the organization effectively, proper planning of how to deal with the past while maximizing the present, and maintaining plans. Putting into consideration the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) concept, long-term related EO dimensions are realized, such as autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, risk-taking, pro-activeness, and innovativeness (Martin, 2012). Long-term orientation has a positive impact on independence, pro-activeness, and innovativeness, while it negatively relates to competitive aggressiveness and risk-taking. Long term orientation affects the firm's performance and effectiveness, depending on the manipulation of the three principles.

Power distance - its effect on the effectiveness and relationships in a workplace can be viewed by exploring the managers and the level of appreciation of behavioral cultural values implications that society, organizations, and employees hold. A conclusion is made that, employees within a high power distance are more likely to be unwilling to take part in participating in decision making with their managers who give them instructions which they follow unwillingly. Lack of autonomy to workers leads to reduced workplace relation with supervisors and managers and also negatively affect the efficiency of workers productivity (Martin, 2012).

To strengthen these differences in the workplace, the organizations should device new ways to deal with individualism such as regulating the degree of autonomy a worker may have. This will help improve relationships and minimize chaos within the workplace. To fight challenges associated with power distance, the organization should also work towards bridging the gap between the workers and their supervisors; this will enhance productivity and increase efficiency within the workplace.

References

Calantone, R. J., Cavusgil, S. T., & Zhao, Y. (2002). Learning orientation, firm innovation capability, and firm performance. Industrial marketing management, 31(6), 515-524.

Martin, J. S., & Chaney, L. H. (2012). Global business etiquette: A guide to international communication and customs. ABC-CLIO.

Okoro, E. (2012). Cross-cultural etiquette and communication in global business: Toward a strategic framework for managing corporate expansion. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(16), 130.