China and its

organizations
_____ A Cultural perspective
By Dr.Yunxia Feng
The business school, Renmin
University of China
yunxia@ruc.edu.cn
 The cultural-cognitive
characteristics of China
Watch a humorous PPT
 What is culture?
 Collective mental programming
 The way of solving problems
 The values, heroes, symbols and
practices

 Different cultures have differen

histories, a great variety of concepts
of good and evil.
 5 dimensions
 Power distance

 Uncertainty avoidance

 Individualism and collectivism

 Masculinity/femininity

 Long-term/short-term
Power distance
Uncertainty avoidance
 Individualism/collectivism
Self: dependent on self and connection
with others or collectivity.
I or we; we or they

The boundary between the personal

life and the collective life
Particularism vs. universalism
 People
 Family and group  Individualism
 Norm and affect  Instrumental
 MIANZI
 market
 Paternalistic
 legal
Authority
the dimension is not about being female or male, but about
behaving in masculine or feminine way

 Masculinity: man’s world  Femininity: soft skills

In feminine national
 Women in executive cultures, such as in the
positions are smart and Nordic countries or The
have learned to adapt and Netherlands, soft skills are
behave in a masculine way not only chosen by
to compete in a man’s women, but are also
world. practiced by men.

 Such women are less likely

to demonstrate ‘‘soft’’
skills, especially in
masculine national
cultures.
 Cultural differences
List according to Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions of six countries
（ 100 ＝ top ； 50 ＝ medium ）

Uncertain Long-
Power ty Individuali Masculin term
Country
Distance Avoidanc sm ity Orientatio
e n
China 89 44 39 54 100

USA 30 21 100 74 35

Britain 21 12 96 84 27

France 73 78 82 35 -

Germany 21 47 74 84 48

Japan 32 89 55 100 -
 Lockett
 Group orientation: family, school,
work group (danwei)

 Guanxi: three dimensions:

instrumental, affective and
normative; reciprocity

 Respect for age and hierarchy

 The cultural changes are very
gradual.
 The earthquake in Sichuang on 5-12
proves this: young generations are
reciprocal, offering helps; the
identification with the nations; high
respect for the present premier, Wen
Jiabao, etc.
 Fundamental Beliefs and
Values
Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism

Relationship Rules
Social Structures Filial Piety
Family Collectivism/Face
Networks Limited and Bounded
Ethnicity Trust and Non-cooperation

Rules for Action

Work Ethic
Money and Frugality
Pramatism

Forms of Cognition
 Confucianism: interpersonal relations

 Taoism: the relations between person and

nature

 Buddhism: the relation between human

and super nature
 Chinese version of Maslow’s
hierarchical needs
 social belongingness are higher

 autonomy and self-actualization needs

are lower

 Success of Chinese tends to be group

enterprise rather than a striking out on an
individual path of discovery. The form of
self-actualization is in the service of
society
Legacies of
Chinese social Patrimonialism obligation bonding bonded trust
history

At the level
of
organization Managerial
Clear hierarchy professionalism not
Mutual vertical encouraged
obligations Benevolent autocracy
Family atmosphere Personalistic relations
Protection of key Small scale
subordinates Non-rational power
and control

Power equals
ownership
 China Eur ope Jap an

Much 4
HIG infl uence
Top management Top management Top management

H
Middle management

M o d e r at e
influence 3 Middle management

Middle management F ore men

L i t t l e2 F ore men
infl uence

F ore men
Worke rs

L O Worke rs

W No influence
1 Worke rs
Three stages, from isolation
to open; from ‘socialism’ to
capitalism
 Mao’s era
1949, Revolution, political,
planning economy, survival
 Deng’s era
 1978, Open and reform, pragmatism,
planning + market

 “to get rich is glorious.”

 Hu’s era
2002, Globalization and
harmony, WTO, Olympic
2008, sustainable
development
 Transformation in these years, in
business side
 People-based  Ration-based
authority authority
 Political managerial  Technical process
process
 Moral control  System control

 Survival and  Prosperity and

maintenance instrumental