North American Organizational culture
We had the presentation for this week regarding North America. This region has an area about 24’700.000 square kilometers which represents the 4,8% of the earth’s surface and the 16,5% of its land.
North America is located at the northern and western hemisphere and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean and by the Caribbean Sea. The region is considered the third biggest continent in the world (regarding its area), and it is the fourth in terms of population (around 530 million people). The North American Free Trade Agreement unifies Canada, the United States and Mexico in terms of commerce, making it one of the strongest economic blocs in the world.
English, Spanish, and French are the most common languages. Specifically Canada is officially bilingual and in some of its cities, French is the official language.
There are different conceptions of what North America is, For the United Nations, Mexico belongs to Central America. But in England, people consider that Canada, the United States, and Mexico are North America.
In North America is possible to identify the three main racial groups, which are: Whites, Mestizos and Blacks.
North American managerial style and its differences
In order to have some idea of how organizations are managed in North America, I decided to make an approach to each country that belongs to the region, taking in count the have some differences which I consider important to mention.
United states management style
Is possible to describe the American management style as individualistic in approach, this means managers are responsible for the decisions made within the areas they are in charge of.
Even though important decisions might be discussed in open forum, the responsibilities for the consequences of the decision are up to the boss, the support will vanish when things go wrong. The American dream idea is the creator of this responsibility, since people believe that outstanding success will inevitably bring outstanding rewards.American managers are more expected to not taking in count the opinions of subordinates. Big difference when comparing to managers in other more consensus or compromise oriented cultures.
Regarding costumes and culture I found out that, United States people are are very individualist and competitive, for them freedom also means freedom to compete. This competence is open and very hard.
When talking about managers the use to think “time is money”, since they like to have results as soon as they can. Most of the managerial positions are occupied by men, , nevertheless the number of women in these positions is increasing. Women in high positions expect to be treated seriously and with the respect they deserve according to their position.
North American people like open conversations, they are polite and kind, Handshaking is short, and greetings can be followed by questions about the trip, health or weather. Eye contact shows honesty and open treatment.
Canadian Management style: Canadian managers are expected to be decisive, this means they’re not expected to manage in an authoritarian or paternalistic way.
The Canadian Management style is known as informal and friendly with managers preferring to be seen as one of the guys, rather than a distant figure who stands apart from everybody else in the company.
The manager will be judged more on his or her ability to manage the team, since he is not expected to be the most technically competent person in the team.
Mexican Organization Culture
The organizational culture in Mexico is basically based on centralized decision-making approach, this means all decisions of any importance is made by a few key individuals at the top of the company.
A Mexican organization has a high level of collectivism. The manager expects loyalty, and as a return for this the boss will look after the interest of subordinates. Mexican normally works in team.
Mexican culture is characterized by high power distance, this means the management style tends to be paternalistic.
Trade and culture in North America
In United States the cultural topic is a little bit complex since a lot of foreign people came to the country bringing also their own culture, this means their culture is really diverse blending many cultures from around the world.
United States is seen in the world as the favored destination of people leaving their homelands in search of a new country, in search of the American dream, looking fo better opportunities and better life conditions, then American culture became a rich and complex mixture of cultures from around the world.
Canadian culture is a diverse blend of indigenous, French and British traditions that have been significantly broadened by a wave of immigration from Europe and Asia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. Each province in Canada has its own culture, religious background and sense of identity
The regional differences are inevitable because Canada has a varied population which includes many Asian, Chinese, Italian, Ukrainian and indigenous communities spread throughout the country.
In the last few years, the world have witnessed a teenage behaviour that shocked the world around, i would like to go deeper on this issue, violence in America has been increasing and its considered nowadays a sensible topic that must be treated.
North America is located at the northern and western hemisphere and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean and by the Caribbean Sea. The region is considered the third biggest continent in the world (regarding its area), and it is the fourth in terms of population (around 530 million people). The North American Free Trade Agreement unifies Canada, the United States and Mexico in terms of commerce, making it one of the strongest economic blocs in the world.
English, Spanish, and French are the most common languages. Specifically Canada is officially bilingual and in some of its cities, French is the official language.
There are different conceptions of what North America is, For the United Nations, Mexico belongs to Central America. But in England, people consider that Canada, the United States, and Mexico are North America.
In North America is possible to identify the three main racial groups, which are: Whites, Mestizos and Blacks.
North American managerial style and its differences
In order to have some idea of how organizations are managed in North America, I decided to make an approach to each country that belongs to the region, taking in count the have some differences which I consider important to mention.
United states management style
Is possible to describe the American management style as individualistic in approach, this means managers are responsible for the decisions made within the areas they are in charge of.
Even though important decisions might be discussed in open forum, the responsibilities for the consequences of the decision are up to the boss, the support will vanish when things go wrong. The American dream idea is the creator of this responsibility, since people believe that outstanding success will inevitably bring outstanding rewards.American managers are more expected to not taking in count the opinions of subordinates. Big difference when comparing to managers in other more consensus or compromise oriented cultures.
Regarding costumes and culture I found out that, United States people are are very individualist and competitive, for them freedom also means freedom to compete. This competence is open and very hard.
When talking about managers the use to think “time is money”, since they like to have results as soon as they can. Most of the managerial positions are occupied by men, , nevertheless the number of women in these positions is increasing. Women in high positions expect to be treated seriously and with the respect they deserve according to their position.
North American people like open conversations, they are polite and kind, Handshaking is short, and greetings can be followed by questions about the trip, health or weather. Eye contact shows honesty and open treatment.
Canadian Management style: Canadian managers are expected to be decisive, this means they’re not expected to manage in an authoritarian or paternalistic way.
The Canadian Management style is known as informal and friendly with managers preferring to be seen as one of the guys, rather than a distant figure who stands apart from everybody else in the company.
The manager will be judged more on his or her ability to manage the team, since he is not expected to be the most technically competent person in the team.
Mexican Organization Culture
The organizational culture in Mexico is basically based on centralized decision-making approach, this means all decisions of any importance is made by a few key individuals at the top of the company.
A Mexican organization has a high level of collectivism. The manager expects loyalty, and as a return for this the boss will look after the interest of subordinates. Mexican normally works in team.
Mexican culture is characterized by high power distance, this means the management style tends to be paternalistic.
Trade and culture in North America
In United States the cultural topic is a little bit complex since a lot of foreign people came to the country bringing also their own culture, this means their culture is really diverse blending many cultures from around the world.
United States is seen in the world as the favored destination of people leaving their homelands in search of a new country, in search of the American dream, looking fo better opportunities and better life conditions, then American culture became a rich and complex mixture of cultures from around the world.
Canadian culture is a diverse blend of indigenous, French and British traditions that have been significantly broadened by a wave of immigration from Europe and Asia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. Each province in Canada has its own culture, religious background and sense of identity
The regional differences are inevitable because Canada has a varied population which includes many Asian, Chinese, Italian, Ukrainian and indigenous communities spread throughout the country.
In the last few years, the world have witnessed a teenage behaviour that shocked the world around, i would like to go deeper on this issue, violence in America has been increasing and its considered nowadays a sensible topic that must be treated.
I found out an article from the university of Georgia about this theme, it doesnt even have a title or author but i found it really interesting, it cites many other authors. i’ll highlight in blue the most important phrases, then this made me wonder...... Is violence part of North American culture?
North American culture is becoming increasingly violent and uncontrollable. With schools representing a pooling of the community, standards of behavior within the community and those learned at home are being brought to school. Acts of violence disrupt the normal functioning of a school, and the fear of violence prevents both students and teachers from concentrating on meaningful learning and teaching. The American education system needs to realize that there is a problem with violence and start implementing programs that will help prevent further violent acts within the system. Many scholars have reflected on things that might trigger violence, who should be held responsible, and ways to prevent violence in schools.
The future of America will be partially determined by the students of today’s schools. The affects of violence on society in the future depend upon the action society takes today towards ridding the schools of violence. Communities, local and federal governments, as well as teachers and parents need to join forces in the fight against school violence. The ideal climate for learning cannot be established by a single leader within a school. Community-wide care and dedication are required to make a difference in the safety of America’s schools and to prevent future problems with violence in society.
A school’s environment not only affects learning capabilities; it also affects how students conform to society. The social environment of a school can influence how students behave more powerfully than the home or community. The fear of physical harm is often debilitating to students, restraining their ability to learn. Fear also creates other problems within the school, such as truancy and dropout rates. According to the National Education Association, 160,000 children skip school each day because of intimidation by their peers (Jerome, 2001, p. 56).
SueEllen and Paula Fried state that, “bullies seem to share the same traits, like many bullies have been abused at home. So when a child (bully) sees someone at school who is vulnerable looking they feel threatened because it reminds them of the shame and humiliation of their own victimization” (1996, p. 87). The U.S. Secret Service conducted a study last fall that found of the 37 school shootings since 1974, that two-thirds of the attackers felt “persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured”(Jerome, 2001, p.57).
In U.S. culture, media plays a huge part of everyday life. Violence is portrayed in cartoons, movies, soap operas, and especially in the news. As a child watches Saturday morning cartoons, he or she is supplied with 26.4 incidents of violence per hour (Hill & Hill, 1994, p. 7).
It has been estimated that by the time a child is twelve years old, he or she will have been exposed to 18,000 television murders (Sadovnik, Cookson, &Semel, 2001, p.131). The message that materialism, easy sex, drug use, and violence is glamorous saturates children’s senses during the years when value structures are being formed (Hill et al, 1994, p. 7). Attaining the material goods that the media portrays as “cool” is a source of high status for adolescents. Members of lower socioeconomic classes become stressed due to the lack of means to acquire such goods, therefore resulting to the “take what I want” mentality. Media translates being “bad” as being tough and smart consequently distorting the idea to adolescents who often look to the media for guidance.
The media also misguides adolescents with inquiring minds about the use of alcohol. Before a child is eighteen, he or she will have seen over 100,000 beer commercials (Hill et al, 1994, p. 7). Drinking is portrayed as glamorous and fun often leaving the consequences and responsibilities of drinking out. Students have been sneaking alcohol into school functions for years. Movies and television shows have constantly used the typical instance of a student pouring alcohol into the punch at a school dance. The arousal and cognitive effects of alcohol include, but are not limited to, the loss of inhibitions, inability to judge the degree of situations, and intensification of emotions (Fagan & Wilkinson, 1998, p. 75). Irresponsible use of drugs and alcohol can lead to senseless acts of violence. It is the parent’s responsibility to supervise what their children watch on television. New cable and television systems are making it even easier for parents to block programs and channels that are inappropriate for their children. Children annually experience 100,000 hours of unsupervised television that contains five to eight violent acts per hour and there are at least two million school-aged children with no adult supervision after school (Duhon-Sells, 1995, p. 9). The overexposure of media violence to students plays a role in school violence. Basically kids are copycats. When a young boy sees the Power Rangers kicking and fighting to get rid of the bad guys, he will imitate their behavior. The evidence for this is a personal experience of one of the group members. However, the role of the media and the bully are only two factors that can trigger violence.
The origin of school violence is often not found in the child’s experience at school, but in the child’s home life. Children from single-parent homes are twice as likely to drop out of school and more likely to be late, in trouble, and truant while enrolled in school (Hill et al, 1994, p. 3). Teen pregnancy, homelessness, and chemically dependent parents are also contributors. In one reported incident, “just before lunch an angry kindergartner hit his teacher with a chair, when we arrived at his home to talk with his mother, she opened the door naked and stoned,” stated Hill and Hill (1994, p.2).
While most of the arguments and research agree on the various types of school violence that cause problems and the areas from which they originate, there is opposition about whom
should take responsibility. Many say it is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children the difference between right and wrong and what is socially acceptable behavior. Others state that the teachers and administrators of the school system should take their responsibility in the punishment of disorderly and violent behavior among students.
In order to solve the problem of school violence it is necessary to admit that there is a problem. Identifying an actual or possible problem says that the foresight, knowledge, and planning skills are a part of the school board’s agenda (Landen, 1994, p. 78). Metal detectors, drug sniffing dogs, security personnel, and restrictive rules are not solutions they are only techniques for handling violence on an incident basis. These measures will help regain control, but will not disintegrate the problem. The development of an overall plan for school discipline and safety is the responsibility of the policy makers (Landen, 1994, p. 79). Educational policy makers can take such measures as updating policies so that they are appropriate for current and anticipated situations, give clear guidance to administration for providing a disciplined and secure learning environments, as well as getting advice from legal counsel concerning the schools and the board’s liabilities (Landen, 1994, p.79).
References
Arango, Maria Isabel. 2009. Class notes, organisations and cultures, Eafit.
University of Georgia, 2009. North American culture is becoming increasingly violent and uncontrollable. Available at: http://www.coe.uga.edu/ctl/portfolios/socfound/schoolviolence.pdf Accessed on: October 15th 2009
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