Essay Example on Power distance is a theological and practical paradox

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According to Hofstede power distance is defined the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally Malaysia scored the highest on this which means that we accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further explanation The second dimension is the individualist or collectivist societies This is defined as the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members Malaysia scored 26 and falls into the collectivistic society The third dimension is the masculine vs feminine High score defines as a masculine indicates that the society will be driven by competition achievement and success with success being defined by the winner in the field Meanwhile low score on this dimension means that the values in society are caring for others and quality of life Malaysia scored 50 and makes us in between of both the dimension The forth dimension is the uncertainty avoidance which has to do with the way a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known The extent to which the members of a culture feels threatened by ambiguous or unknown situation Malaysia has scored 36 a low preference for avoiding uncertainty Means we are more relaxed in which practice counts more than principles The final dimension is the long term orientation It is described how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future As Malaysia falls under low score of 41 means that we are concerned with establishing the absolute truth exhibit great respect for traditions and focus on achieving quick results It is true enough I am been shaped in the way of the culture in Malaysia Hofstede research got it right I respect the elder people and also dare not to question the decisions of someone in power regardless what the outcome might be Before my adventure to US relationship are important and valued In the area of collective or individualistic my journey to the west actually made me to be individualist and believe that is the way to go to safeguard myself from hurt and I am called to fulfil my personal destiny

The journey to the west also challenged me to do things out of norm but after coming back to Malaysia my unpleasant experience made me to retreat back to the original low preference on uncertainty avoidance In his book Leading Across Cultures Plueddemann contextualise the ideas into practicality In chapter five he wrote about in low context cultures people pay special attention to explicit communication and to ideas They are immersed in the world of concepts principles and ideas Low context communication can seem cold in high context cultures and high context communication can seem dishonest to idea oriented people In chapter six he spoke about power distance he said Some cultures assume a large status gap between those who have power and those who don t In these cultures both leaders and followers assume that the power gap is natural and good These societies are called high power distance cultures The leader has special privileges and can make decisions and expect unquestioned obedience Low power distance cultures expect a more consultative approach to leadership He also pointed out that Power distance is a theological and practical paradox In chapter seven he wrote in collectivistic cultures harmony is important A public show of displeasure results in shame and must be avoided In an individualistic culture personal self respect is a driving force and a person's conscience makes him feel guilt An understanding of the role of the team may differ radically between cultures and misunderstandings arise when individualistic leaders motivate by praising the individual in a collectivist culture

Biblically we are called to be collectivist instead of individualist In chapter eight low uncertainty avoidance community or person set precise goals to make long range plans and many more But not every society fears uncertainty I agree to Plueddemann analysis as he describes in context and application basic to the culture one about to minister Hofstede analysis were more towards information and bring awareness and limited to application Personally I relate more to Plueddemann context compared to Hofstede yet it is important to have the detailed understanding before relating to Plueddemann context, In general, I can clearly differentiate my leadership profile after studying both the books Hofstede helped me to see my overall culture stand as country in all the five dimension Meanwhile the Plueddemann have taken me to much deep association to my actions and behavior to people with different context I have to bring the Truth that will transform the culture regardless if it is good or bad to the culture of the Kingdom of heaven is Jesus Christ came down from heaven to show us the right context the context of the kingdom of God Where we are called for collectivist life low power distance mid in uncertainty avoidance because Christ is our hope and glory

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