2. Part # 1
What does it mean to handle the unknown?
Part # 2
In which cultures do people avoid the unknown?
Part # 3
In which cultures do people embrace the unknown?
3. Part # 1
What does it mean to
handle the unknown?
4. Degree of rule focus
Handling
the unknown
Speed of
decision making
Degree to which it is
expected to be open and
express feelings
Attitudes towards people
who are different
Part of time spent
on planning and
structuring
Part of income put in
savings accounts
Part of income spent
on insurance
Degree of order, precision,
and perfectionism
Degree to which people
suffer from stress
Time and money spent
on trying new ideas out
Time and money spent
on idea development
Part of people who
resist change
5. Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance
try to minimize uncertainty through strict
laws and rules as well as safety and
security measures.
http://suite101.com/article/risk-adverse-trade-cultures-a42761
6. How many
rules does
a company,
you work
for, have?
http://www.imagebase.net/Concept/concept-_78_
7. Characteristics of rule-based cultures
# 1: People respect the rules for their own sake.
# 2: Compliance with rules is often encouraged by guilt
feelings and fear of punishment.
http://repository.cmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=tepper
8. People in rule-based cultures seek security and
predictability by structuring their
environment, and in particular by structuring their
time.
They tend to set aside a time slot for each
activity, resulting in appointments and strict
schedules.
http://repository.cmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=tepper
9. To be efficient To be creative
Plan. Let things emerge.
Impose process and structure. Avoid process and encourage
unstructured interaction.
Govindarajan, Vijay & Trimble, Chris: 10 rules for strategic innovators, p. 3.
10. Much of the typical risk aversion related to smaller investments
can be attributed to a combination of 2 well-documented
behavioral biases.
1. Loss aversion
People fear losses more than they value equivalent gains.
2. Narrow framing
People weigh potential risks as if there were only a single
potential outcome – as opposed to many outcomes in the long
term.
https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Corporate_Finance/Performance/Overcoming_a_bias_against_risk_3004
11. Graham Duncan
You indicate that small and large corporations have different
motivations for using social media. Why is big business so slow to
catch on to social media?
Paul Gillin
There are lots of reasons, including bureaucracy, conservatism,
shareholder pressure, regulatory requirements, legal concerns,
internal politics, and brand equity.
http://www.ideaconnection.com/open-innovation-articles/00121-Influencing-Innovation.html
12. Study shows that as the days grow shorter,
people feel less and less like taking risk.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3024600/bottom-line/how-seasonal-affective-disorder-twists-our-decisions
http://www.businessinsider.com/psychological-reasons-people-take-risks-2014-8
13. Part # 2
In which cultures do people
avoid the unknown?
17. People with international business
experience have confirmed many times that
German organizations need more structure.
Hofstede, Geert: Cultures and Organizations, p. 305.
18. “When people must park their cars driving
backwards, focus on security is strengthened.”
http://epn.dk/samfund/article2207191.ece
Tanja Thorsteinsson,
Siemens Wind Power.
19. Much of the country's [Germany’s] best
homegrown talent is locked inside the
country's great corporations, leaving
young companies hard-pressed to find
qualified employees.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/innovation-thrives-among-german-firms-though-hurdles-persist/
24. Russia, China and many Arab states,
which want more Internet regulation, a
greater governmental control and have been
pushing to expand the treaty beyond traditional
telecom operators.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8B913L20121210
25. Who is watching you now?
Do you know?
http://www.imagebase.net/Concept/276-copy
26. In the United Arab Emirates and
Saudi Arabia, Viber was blocked.
http://mashable.com/2013/06/06/saudi-arabia-bans-viber-skype/
27. When you look around
where you live / work, how
large a part of the doors
and gates are locked?
Why are they locked?
30. Fascism and racism find their most fertile
ground in cultures with strong uncertainty
avoidance plus pronouncedly masculine
values.
Hofstede, Geert: Cultures and Organizations, p. 255.
31. Part # 3
In which cultures do people
embrace the unknown?
32. People from Singapore, the nordic countries, Great
Britain, the USA, and Hong Kong feel most
comfortable in a world with few rules.
They are more likely to stimulate innovations and
emphasize new ideas, are more flexible and more
acting than reacting on changes occurring inside and
outside of business.
http://intpmcomms.com/uncertainty-avoidance-in-international-project-communications/
http://www.via-web.de/uncertainty-avoidance/
34. The United States, Europe, and Canada
want a hands-off approach to Internet
regulation and want to limit the new treaty's
scope to telecom companies.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8B913L20121210
36. High spending on education in Scandinavia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacmao/6422522391/sizes/l/in/contacts/
37. When people in Thailand do not do
what they are supposed to do, other
people may just smile and let it go.
http://home.sandiego.edu/~pavett/docs/msgl_503/dim_of_cult.pdf
39. Cultures with Chinese-speaking
populations and Confucian tradition tend
to score lower on uncertainty avoidance.
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11711_Chapter7.pdf
40. The about 16'000 chinese mines are the most
dangerous in the world.
In 2008, more than 3,000 people were killed in
mine floods, explosions, collapses and other
accidents in China’s coal-mining industry.
http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/panorama/china_bergwerk_unglueck_1.4047426.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5AK08Y20091123?
41. How safe is your work environment?
http://www.imagebase.net/People/IMG_5256-copy