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In my imaginary scenario, I will be accepting a job in Brazil. The United States and Brazil differ greatly in certain areas of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Starting with power distance, the United States is rated lower in this area as Americans do not appreciate there being a direct display structure enforcing a hierarchy. Brazil, is the opposite, as this country has a higher power distance and does respect having set hierarchies in place. Authority figures are highly regarded and it is important for subordinates to respect and listen to them, not question them as they may in the US.

The second cultural dimension is individualism vs. collectivism. The United States represents an individualist culture where people are focused on their own success and freedoms. Brazil is the opposite in this regard, as there is a strong collectivist culture focusing on how families and groups are connected and influence the lives and decision making of societal members.

With the third dimension, the US and Brazil have some more common ground. This dimension is masculinity vs. femininity and in both cultures, there is an emphasis on masculinity, which involves the competitiveness in society. The US has a stronger focus on masculinity since there is a lack of emphasis on the importance of community compared to Brazil, but both cultures are towards this side rather than the other.

The fourth dimension of uncertainty avoidance sees the US and Brazil at opposite ends again as Brazil has high uncertainty avoidance or not trusting the unknown compared to the United States who has low uncertainty avoidance where members do believe in taking risks.

Brazil and the United States are on the same page again when it comes to long-term vs. short-term orientation as both countries enjoy the short-term benefits of achieving rewards or receiving results sooner. The two countries are also similar in regard to the final sixth dimension that focuses on indulgence vs. restraint as both Brazil and the US believe in having fun and relaxing.

Given what I know about the differences between the US and Brazil, it would be my focus as a business employee to work on building relationships as soon as I arrived at the new job. Getting to know my colleagues and building a strong community with my team would help me fit in to the collectivist culture. I would also make sure I was respecting those in higher positions than me and making it clear I am in charge of my subordinates. Upholding the respect and understanding of hierarchy in Brazilian culture would be important for me to establish early on. This strategy fits well with the recommendations featured in the Harvard Business Review Article “Three Keys to Getting an Overseas Assignment Right,” which include: doing my homework, building a support network for myself, and focusing on my personal development. In applying that last suggestion to the collectivist culture of Brazil, it may involve focusing on the personal development of myself within my team and making sure I am supporting my colleagues as well.

I would be convinced to take this job for the new experience of working in a business in a new country. This would be a challenge, but it would teach me a number of vital skills needed to be capable of adapting to any business environment and learn how to incorporate myself into a new culture and a functioning business within that culture.

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-dimensions-of-national-culture-of-Hofstede-for-Brazil-Source-authors-adaptation_fig1_350544037

https://www.theculturefactor.com/country-comparison-tool

https://hbr.org/2009/10/three-keys-to-getting-an-overseas-assignment-right

One training I had that I found beneficial was when I started a summer job at a ranch event center. The training was effective because I was first given a four hour training on how to properly work in all areas of the ranch. Then, on my first day I was  paired with someone who worked at the job and was able to show me around the facility. I shadowed the individual through the daily tasks of the job, which included setting guests up on the rock wall and dunk tank. It also helped that the company chose to pair us up at each station, so even once I had moved through the initial training I had the opportunity to learn from others and with others at each assigned task. 

An example of a training that was not beneficial to me was when I started my job at Trader Joe’s. A new store had just opened, and I was initially told by my boss that I would be transferred to a store that was already open to get trained before our store opened. I think my boss became so busy with opening the store that this was forgotten. I had my first day at the job on opening day and was very nervous when I first walked in. I asked what I should do to help out and was told to bag groceries. From there it was a slow process of learning tasks around the store myself, but eventually I became friends with someone who had been training for a few months at a different store and was able to learn a lot and be more confident in my role. 

Overall I think the level of investment my bosses showed in my training and development was the key difference between my beneficial training experience and the one that left me learning the job the hard way. In HBR’s article, “Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly,” it shares that it is important to spend up to as much as a year coaching and training employees to become more knowledgeable of their company. More time and opportunity to learn the ways of the job would have been beneficial to me, particularly for my second job experience. 

 Relationships were another key factor that helped me be successful in both jobs. From the lecture outline, it shares that interpersonal relationships are very important in the workplace. I was able to have mentoring relationships with my coworkers and have collegial peers to help me in my development through the jobs. 

When one’s company and leadership shows interest in their onboarding into the company and are provided with opportunities to fit in with the company culture and form friendships, they will experience a much more significant and beneficial training experience.

Sources: 

Ellis, A. M., Nifadkar, S. S., Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan, B. (2017, June 20). Your new hires won’t succeed unless you onboard them properly. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/06/your-new-hires-wont-succeed-unless-you-onboard-them-properly

Course Materials: Outline-Training and Development.docx

Four companies from the 2020 Fortune Best Companies to Work are Workiva, Deloitte, Slalom, and Baird. From employee feedback, it is noted that at Workiva, the company places a great deal of effort into developing their employees and investing in their career goals. At Deloitte, employees note that employees at every level are valued. At Slalom, the company culture and strong set of core values are noted. At Baird, employees share that the culture continues to stay strong, even with the expansion the company has undergone since its original founding. 

                      

The book, First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, shares that to help measure the strength of a workplace, there are twelve questions that can be asked. These questions relate to employee feelings of being valued, heard, and cared about. If companies are able to do well on these surveys, they will be able to “…attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees” (Buckingham and Coffman, p.17). The feedback being provided by employees from the four companies shares how they feel their talent is valued and invested in by their companies. Employees from these companies feel there is a strong positive culture they are proud to be a part of.

 

In examining what type of manager I want to be, and which aspects are most challenging, the article “How Google sold its engineers on management,” shares the behaviors strong managers possess. My goals for my management style align with these, as I want to be a good coach for each employee on my team. To me, being a good coach means motivating my employees to put forth their best work and checking in with them to help monitor their progress. I believe the most challenging aspect of a manager’s job is becoming an expert strategist in navigating company goals and the needs of employees. When managers explain the “why” behind company directives and work to maintain a high morale, the manager will be able to utilize HR management to effectively lead their employees to make a positive impact on the company as a whole. 

Sources: 

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2016). First, break all the rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently (2016 ed., pp. 7-34). Gallup Press.

Garvin, D. A. (2013). How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management. Harvard Business Review, 91(12), 74-82.

Great Place to Work. (2020). Fortune 100 best companies to work for 2020. Great Place to Work. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2020