Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Social System
What is a Social System?
A Social System is a complex set of human relationships interacting in various
ways.
In a single organization, the social system includes all the people in it and their
relationships to one another and to the bigger outside world.
Two points that stand out in the complex interactions among people in a social
system:
o The behavior of the individual
o His relation to any other individual
v Social Systems are Open Systems that:
It keeps on interacting with their environments awareness of the nature of
their surroundings
Has an impact on other members both within and outside their own social
system.
Equilibrium in the Social System
A social system is a state of equilibrium when all the variables in an
organizational system operate in a dynamic working balance with its independent
parts.
Minor- they are absorbed by adjustments sub-system within the system which
eventually regains its equilibrium state.
Major- the untimely death of a key executive, or a series of smaller but faster
changes, may throw an organization out of balance; and consequently, impede
its progress until it reaches a new equilibrium.
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Functional effects
o creative
o enthusiastic
o productive
o constantly seek to improve the quality of the organizations product or
service
Dysfunctional effects
o tardy
o frequently absent
o uncooperative
o poor attitude to share their talents and most often, resistant to
organizational changes.
Economic contract time, effort, and talent are use in exchange of wages
and reasonable working conditions.
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It is mans social heritage which has been transmitted from one generation to
another through language.
It represents the design of living, the interrelated network of norms and roles.
Culture
Is indispensable to an organization which is composed of workers who share a
common culture or one that is made up of different people who are interacting on
the basis of shared beliefs, customs, values and activities.
As an organization becomes more established, its organizational culture
becomes more developed and stable. This is so because as the workers realize
the importance of preserving their cultural values, the more cooperative they
become.
Organizational culture
It is a set of assumptions, beliefs, values and norms that are shared by the
members.
It represents an important element of the work environment in which workers
perform their tasks.
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SOCIALIZATION OF WORKERS
Socialization
The process whereby the individual is converted into the person. As a process,
the individual learns to conform with the norms of his social group, acquire a
status and play a corresponding role.
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Workers learn to depend on their culture for it gives them stability and security,
because they can better understand what is going on in their cultural
environment and know how to respond accordingly.
Values are the expressions of ultimate ends, goals, or purpose of social actions:
these involve the quality or power of expressing ones attitude and emotion
towards a thing.
The presence of strong social values, such as social responsibility, has a power
influence in organizations and their actions. This, in effect, leads these
organizations to use a socioeconomic model of decision-making, considering
both social costs and benefits.
Social responsibility reflects the assumptions that the values of the workers can
be a potent force in the accomplishment of organizational goals. These values,
although intangible, can immediately influence a workers positive behavior.
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Classification of Culture
High context - people from high context cultures use situational cues to
develop a complete picture of a visitor.
Ex: China, Japan, Korea- tends to emphasize personal relation by placing
high value on trust.
Low context - people from low context cultures tend to interpret cues
more literally.
Ex: Germany, United States they tend to rely no prescribed rules and a
legal document, business like relationships, and puts a high premium on
expertise and performance.
Figure 1
Paradigm of Inhibiting Forces and Cultural Adaptation
INHIBITING FORCES
SUPPORTING FORCES
Individual difference
Careful selection
Parochialism
Cultural
Compatible assignments
Ethnocentrism
Adaptation
Pre-departure training
Cultural distance
Cultural shock
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Individual Differences
The complex sets of norms and values function as built-in mechanisms that
make an individual learn in early life.
o Example: of Behavioral norms: reciprocal exchange of foods and services,
emphasis on word of honor, self-esteem and other super-naturally
oriented forms of social controls.
o Example of Basic values of a person: cultural attitudes, opinions, mores,
customs and traditions which have been a part of his life and, to a great
extent, his behavior.
Ethnocentrism
It is the tendency to use oneself and one's own culture as the standard for
judging others.
In order to integrate the imported and local systems, migrant workers need to
develop cultural empathy. This is awareness and understanding of
differences across cultures.
Cultural Distance
Range of difference between two social systems.
Migrant tend to be somewhat ethnocentric and to judge conditions in a new
country according to the standards and practices of their homeland. Migrant
workers should be able to adjust to the new environment.
Cultural Shock
A feeling of surprise and disorientation that is experienced when people
witness cultural practices different from their own.
They are conscious about their behavior and might be lose their confidence
when the wrong responses are made.
Example, when migrant workers went to another country:
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o They are often excited and stimulated by the challenge of the new job,
new environment and new culture: Every day is filled with new
discoveries.
o Their attitudes may soon be followed by disillusionment when they
start to discover various problems they had not anticipated and
expected.
o They suffer severe culture shock caused by the insecurity and
disorientation brought about by different cultures.
o Usually; if they can survive the extreme melancholy during the first few
weeks, they start to accept the new culture; regain a sense of selfesteem; and positively to their new surroundings and become adopted.
Culture shock is universal
It occurs in response to dramatic differences in language, religion, customs
and traditions, and cultural orientations.
It is interesting to note that social customs vary widely among countries.
Some factors that contribute to culture shock:
1. Different management philosophies
2. An unfamiliar language
3. New foods, styles of dress, modes of social patterns, and driving patterns
4. An unfamiliar currency system
5. Reduced availability of goods
6. Different attitudes toward work and productivity
7. Separation from family, friends and work colleagues
Guidelines to Overcome Barriers to Cultural Adaptation
1. Careful selection.
Workers who may be low in ethnocentrism can be chosen. The desire to go to
other places and to experience another culture may be an important prerequisite
attitude worth considering. Potential workers may be considered on the learning
attitudes they demonstrate during the selection process.
2. Compatible assignments.
Workers, who are likely to be assigned to a new work environment similar to their
culture, may find adjustment easier. Some cultures are relatively similar and can
be grouped together.
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