Competency
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:
Examine dimensions of culture to support effective intercultural interactions
Scenario
You work for Quantigration, Inc., a semiconductor manufacturing plant headquartered in the United States. Quantigrations main fabrication plant produces microchips used in mobile phones and laptops around the world. Capitalizing on advancements in its product, Quantigration has aggressively expanded and recently acquired two fabrication plants and workers from around the world.
Due to these acquisitions and partnerships, Quantigration must develop a plan to assist employees of different nationalities in understanding each other and working well together.
Yesterday, the plant supervisor, Gregory, called you into his office. He has some concerns about these cultural differences and is worried that the acquisitions might not go smoothly. The culture of a manufacturing plant in one country could be noticeably different from one in another part of the world. Gregory realizes that these differences could lead to conflict. To handle this issue, he has decided that Quantigration needs to update its company values to be more culturally inclusive.
Directions
Gregory would like you to begin by doing background research and analysis. He would like you to take stock of the current culture at Quantigration and then compare it to the national cultures of the two new acquisitions.
Part 1: Cultural Analysis
First, examine your own national culture as a representative sample of the current Quantigration workforce. Think about how your own nationality relates to your culture. Consider the ways that your culture views interactions with others, workplace culture, teamwork, and communication.
Then, select two countries different than your own. You may select two countries from the Understanding Global Cultures e-book, or, you may choose others that you have a particular interest in. You can find more information about some of the countries in the A to Z World Business resource and the Hofstede Insights Country Comparison Tool in the Supporting Materials section.
Using what you have found, write a cultural analysis containing 250- to 500-word summaries of each of your selected cultures. Also include a summary of your own culture in this document. In these summaries, pay particular attention to how members of each culture interact with others, what values they consider important, and how they view work, family, and obligation.
Once you have completed your summaries of your selected countries, write a 500-word summary comparison to help Gregory understand the major difference and similarities between the cultures. In your comparison, identify three major cultural differences and three similarities between the cultures youve analyzed. As you write, consider common cultural dimensions that these cultures share, and the ways that they differ most.
Part 2: Cultural Value Reaction
Now that you have finished your analyses, Gregory would like you to examine Quantigrations company values. (Read the article How to Write a Company Value Statement That Will Achieve Strategic Impact in the Supporting Materials section for more information on how company value statements can motivate employees and reflect company objectives.)
Review the three company values Gregory has given you:
Family: Everyone who works here is part of the Quantigration family.
Process: Following processes will result in quality products.
Numbers: Precision engineering requires precision thinking.
Consider each company value from the viewpoint of each selected culture from your cultural analysis. Think about how these values relate to the cultural values you have uncovered in each of the countries you analyzed. Then, write a brief reaction for Gregory that examines the values.
For each company value, write a 200-word summary explaining whether it does or does not represent the values of the three cultures you have examined, providing specific reasons why or why not. In particular, ask yourself the following:
Which company values align closely with the values of the cultures?
Are there any values that seem directly opposed to any of your selected cultures?
Would any of the companys values cause tension for an employee coming from one of your selected countries?
You should also include recommended changes to the values to better align them to your own culture and the cultures you have selected to examine, and to encourage better intercultural interaction.
