REVIEW OF GLOBAL CULTURAL WEB

When dealing with organisational change management, a useful tool to diagnose the status quo of a
company’s culture is the culture web. It can be defined as a representation of the paradigm of an
organisation and how it is manifested in terms of day-to-day behaviour.
Basically the culture web refers to the assumptions that are core to a company’s culture.

It helps the senior management and those who are involved with change management to assess some
specific areas and ask questions that are aimed at identifying strengths and weaknesses of the change
management initiative. By assessing these areas change managers and change agents can determine
whether there are blockages to change interventions and how to better overcome potential issues. In
some cases the culture web highlights that a specific strategy aimed at modifying certain elements
that are embedded in the company’s culture are doomed for failure unless significant modifications
in the interventions are introduced.

“The culture web refers to the assumptions that are core to a company’s culture.”

In this context of Global cultural web for global multinational business, the following are discussed.
Customs & Manners, Religion, Aesthetics, Attitudes Believes & Values, Language & Communication
and lastly Dietary preferences on how positively or negatively they affect business outsourcing,
develop relations with one or more organization as well as locating an operations in my country.

An understanding of how different cultures view authority (through a hierarchic or equality lens) can
help establish the most efficient protocols for making decisions and distributing responsibility. People
in a culture that has a hierarchical preference might assign specific decisions to different levels in the
organization, expecting feedback and input to move in a predictable, differentiated way. Those in an
egalitarian culture would prefer a consensus- or committee-based method of making decisions. Both
approaches have benefits and challenges that need to be assessed.
Emphasis on an awareness of time preferences can help create clarity around deadlines, work cycles
and completion targets. Those in a fixed-time culture might focus on speed at the expense of a
redundant quality process, while those in a fluid-time culture see the value in the ability to slow down
a process in order to spend more time analysing an issue. One approach is faster but a bit riskier, the
other approach is slower but may identify critical process issues that can be improved for longer-term
efficiencies.

Cultures operate on many dimensions and often with contradictory and complex behaviours that
make all human interactions unpredictable and challenging. At the same time, by focusing on aligning
cultures in global supply chains, organizations can gain competitive advantage through harnessing the
diversity of cultures present in their workforces to improve speed and reduce inefficiencies.

From the below relationship diagram, the global paradigm has interception with all the elements
which are factors to determine on how they affect operations and supply chain processes whether on
supply chain distribution or locating an organization of such in my country.
 Customs &
Manners

Attitudes Believes &

Religion
Values

The Global
Paradigm

Language &
Communication Aesthetics

Dietary preferences

Customs and Manners

The traditional customs of every society is the determinant of how the people behave. In Nigeria,
various customs exist among the various different ethic groups, basically, we have the Hausa, Yoruba
and Ibo customs. . In some regions in Nigeria, there are behaviours ( Traditional dos and don’ts) that
are not acceptable. What is acceptable in one region is not acceptable in another region. In order to
supply any product among theses ethnics, there would be need for company representatives to be
familiar with their customs and learn their manners in order to supply products that are acceptable to
their traditions. Before you can penetrate with your products there is need to know the rules and
regulation of the locality to avoid embarrassment which will lead to unacceptability of your products.

Religion

Nigeria is one of most religious country in the World, we have basically Christianity, Islam and
Traditional believers in Nigeria, and base on religion, there are some products that are not religiously
acceptable by different faiths. In some area, you will need to be converted before they believe in
whatever you have to offer. There is also discrimination even among same faith as well as inter- faith;
which makes some part of the country not to be business friendly. Examples are Boko Haram vs
Christians, Shiites vs Sunni Muslims

Aesthetics

Beauty and taste are one qualities every consumer will like to have, In Nigeria, there are various
degrees of taste and class in different parts of the country and across classes of people. You must
understand they taste of people before supply any products to them. The South-South and South-East
of the country are more inclined to beauty and taste, followed by South-West, The Northern part are
less in this category. With this understanding, you know the quality of products that is likely acceptable
by regions.

Dietary preferences

Carbohydrates are the most consumable food in Nigeria. Likewise prefer foreign foods to locals,
especially the elites. This will give clue to any business supplies in Nigeria. While the locals prefer their
produce, the wealthy go for imported foods.

Language and Communications

We have about 540 languages in Nigeria. For a supply to penetrate to the non-English speaking areas,
organization would need to train their staff with the local languages, or get an interpreter for the
business relations. Communication is key to the sale of every product. Large percentage of rural
dwellers cannot read nor write, hence a challenge to business operation in most localities.

Attitudes, Believes and Values.

Information or knowledge about every business or their products determine the attitudes of people
toward the product whether it will be acceptable or not, it is the acceptability that make the believing
in the product and the value to be attached.