However, the calibre of the decision maker directly affects the quality of the decisions made. Would this culture be a good fit for you? Tweet. The students will reflect on how Johnson’s factors and elements vary in a low power distance organization versus a high power distance organization and fill out the form table below. There is an overwhelming amount of ideals in this world, and with social and other types of media, even the smallest action is made into a worldwide spectacle and debate. Many respondents said the Chinese as well as the American versions of US history had had a strong impact on the formation of their views. Though they perceived the US as a “wealthy, civilized, and liberal” country, they were acquainted with news about the conflicts and seamy side of American society, which also came from movies about gangsters and was confirmed by media reports. Today’s college students will become the backbone of society and, hence, have an impact on future Sino-US relationship. In fact, "The Devil Wears Prada" and the documentary "The November Issue" are perfect depictions of Power Cultures. Before embarking on any organizational culture transformation, it pays to be aware of the positives and negatives of cultural change. Many Chinese students saw startling high technologies, lingering and loyal love stories, strong patriotism and the eternal spirit to strive for excellence in Hollywood movies. In general, the students surmised: The power of culture is inseparable from the power of politics and economy. They were exposed to many media channels, which often offered conflicting images of the US, and had to sort, analyze, compare and integrate a variety of information before reaching their respective conclusions. There are few rules and regulations in a power culture. Take this quick assessment to find out. Others said their initial impression of the US began with films and TV dramas, but they realized that was not the best way to know the country. The advantage of a Power Culture is that decisions can be made very quickly. Gerry Johnson (1988) described a cultural web, identifying a number of elements that can be used to describe or influence organizational culture. The students, interviewed over four years from 2008, revealed that the media indeed had a great impact on the formation and alteration of their views on the US. Aug 06 , 2012. print. A power culture is usually a strong culture, though it can swiftly turn toxic. Chinese Cultural Soft Power in Africa: Is it Really Soft Power, Examining China’s Soft Power and Cultural Influence, Sport as China’s Soft Power in Central Asia. You have to believe in the infallibility of the leader in a Power Culture or you'll be miserable. The respondents were college students who could blend their sentiments and perceptions with strong rational thinking to reach a conclusion. Receive email on workshops, events and ebooks. Very early stage startups with charismatic leaders tend to be Power Cultures, but you'll find them in other types of organizations as well. Advantages and Disadvantages of Role Culture Table 3: Advantages and Disadvantages of Role Culture 2.1.2.3 Task Culture Task culture refers to a team based approach to complete a particular task. The Business Culture, Who Are These Guys? The general view of the students on the US, however, was that it is a country with limited equality (equality in American society is equality among whites, not inter-racial equality), relative freedom and liberty (mostly referring to freedom of speech), absolute openness (all kinds of stimulating activities to seek fun and excitement), hegemonic politics, developed economy and false human rights claims (interfering with domestic affairs of other countries and playing the role of global police). Working with Other People. Employees are generally judged by what they achieve rather than how they do things or how they act. Since access to the leader(s) means so much, you can expect a lot of jockeying to be the Chief's BFF. Accordingly, there are few rules and not much bureaucracy in a Power Culture because whatever the Chief says, that's the law. Most of the students said they also sourced their information from international news on TV and weekly magazines, mostly read by elites in China. Did the image of the US they had formed during pre-college years change with time and accumulation of wider knowledge? All the respondents said their perspectives of the US had changed since childhood, the change being closely associated with the channels of communication they had been exposed to. Other Theories of… You'll flourish in a Power Culture if you make relationships easily, can work in an less-structured environment, and don't mind (or actually enjoy) the political wrangling. In this era of well-developed technology, it is possible to change our stereotype view of another country or culture without crossing national borders. Their impression: the US seemed to occupy the center stage of international news. Pros and Cons of Organizational Culture Transformation. You have to believe in the infallibility of the leader in a Power Culture or you'll be miserable. A study involving 114 Chinese college students was conducted to find out how they viewed the United States and how they formed their views. Sometimes, a student’s reaction to and cognition of American cultural products changed with the passage of time. Hollywood movies have been the most influential factor in creating the US’ image as the “dream nation” among Chinese students. One of the students said: “When sitting for exams in political science and answering questions on the US, words such as hegemony, power politics and imperialism kept popping up in my mind without any prompting.”, But another student seemed to contradict the first: “Our perspectives of the US, of China, and even the whole world, are undergoing slow but subtle changes. Most of the students alluded to the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 when they talked about how they formed their views on the US. It is not easy to differentiate organization culture with structure. To conclude, Chinese college students’ perspective of the US comprises perceptual as well as conceptual knowledge gathered from a variety of sources, of which the mass media are the main channel. Regardless of whether they admired or despised the US, they said that American TV dramas had greatly influenced their views on the US. Pros and cons of soft power. Apart from Chinese media, the other sources that influenced the students’ views were American movies, music, TV dramas, novels, news reports, sports (especially NBA), Western festivals, chatting websites and occasional acquaintances with Americans. (Click here to watch a video on this content). Chinese college students love American films and TV dramas but are also aware of the US’ hegemonic and seamy side. Organization structure works within the culture. Organization culture defines the type and style of organization structure. The Chinese media mainly served as information provider. Some of them admired the US for being a great power, some hated it for using its strength to bully weaker countries, while others called it somewhat of an “upstart” country with a brief history and little legacy. (c) 2011-2020 Douglas Kalish. They started asking: Why Chinese films and TV dramas don’t have the same influence to infiltrate other countries and cultures? Though the accounts of the US that some of the students had read in newspapers and magazines during adolescence left an indelible mark on them, they began seeing new facets of the US after they entered college. The advantage of a Power Culture is that decisions can be made very quickly. Most of the respondents said that though their high school curriculum for subjects like history, geography and English initially provided a rational idea about the US, it created different attitudes among them. The pros of culture change can include: A better work environment. A consequence of this can be quick decision-making, even if those decisions aren't in the best long-term interests of the organisation. What kind of place is this? This culture is popular in today’s modern businesses. With cultural relativism, nearly any action that is made can be passed off as a cultural difference. Apple under Steve Jobs and the early days of Facebook were Power Cultures. Since access to the leader (s) means so much, you can expect a lot of jockeying to be the Chief's BFF. All rights reserved. Fashion, publishing, and film come to mind. We do not confine ourselves to the information fed us by the traditional media. However, cultural change comes at a price, and it is not always the right path to take. What those with power decide is what happens. No spam or third-parties and you can unsubscribe at any time. Pros: A shared commitment to innovation at every level of the organization; Competitive advantage in the marketplace; An inclusive environment that welcomes all ideas; Cons: Internal competition can become unhealthy if not handled appropriately; There is potential to create a culture of secrecy 2.1: Relationship between Organizational Culture and Structure: Organization culture is the main picture of the organization. Chen Yanru is a professor with the School of Journalism & Communication at Xiamen University. Power is concentrated among a few people, and your relationship with that person matters a lot more than your title. By integrating the voluminous amount of information available to us through the Internet, we construct one ‘brave new world’ after another for ourselves.”. While this may seem like a con, there are certainly pros to it. Hollywood movies have been the most influential factor in creating the US’ image as the “dream nation” among Chinese students. Consciously or unconsciously, China’s mainstream media have defined the US’ political image for many Chinese youths. How can the US successfully use all kinds of media to promote American values? Hollywood movies penetrated their hearts and minds, while American TV dramas, all downloaded from the Internet, opened a window to the “American spirit and American character”. Many of them expressed mixed feelings about the US. 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