South Africa

South Africa (country) culture effects on organization

South Africa is country in Africa composed of individuals/citizens from different races. This contributes to the fact that South Africa is possesses different cultures. These cultures have different effects on organizations in the country. The country is white dominated thus the white-culture rules the South African society. The country is divided in the sense of individualism vs. collectivism. Individualism culture is widely associated with the white in the country while collectivism is associated with African society/blacks in South Africa. The rate of individualism is high in the country. Everything revolves around the individual. Personal gains and goals are encouraged in the country. ‘I’ characterize organizations instead of ‘we’. This has greater effect in business organizations or group meeting as individuals usually try to stand out in the midst of the group. No inter-personal relationships within organizations as employees are encouraged to work independently. Laws and norms protect individual interest and freedom of speech. There is little room for group discussion when it comes to decision making as individuals take control of decision-making process (Robbins, pg 105).

South African culture favors masculinity as opposed to femininity. Male citizens of the country dominate the organizations. Women of the country are deprived on income power, education opportunities and employment opportunities. These make them miss the economic ladder, which is widely dominated by their male counterparts. This demonstrates gender inequality where race plays a major role, as the most deprived are African women. In the social and business groups, male citizens have greater say than women do especially in the black society. Men occupy privileged positions in organizations for instance the managerial positions in companies and industries. This is transmitted to religion and politics organizations where male species control majority happenings (Marja & Wells, pg 86).

Cultural value dimensions in South Africa

South Africa houses many ethnic groups thus has a culture characterized by different languages. The country has eleven different official languages with English acting as the common language of interaction. Family acts as the basic unit of South African society. The emphasis deployed in nuclear and extended families differs in relation to an individual’s race. The white exerts more emphasis on nuclear families and its importance while the black Africans subscribes to the importance of extended families as a source of support and security. South Africa is characterized with different greeting styles depending on one’s race or gender. When meeting a foreigner, handshake is important while maintaining appealing facial expression. Some women of this society do not subscribe to the theory of handshaking thus, they simply node as a show of greeting acceptance (Domini, pg 4-10).

Gifts and celebration of birthdays and Christmas, defines the South African society. Much emphasis is put on the 21st and 40th birthdays as huge parties are organized to celebrate. Whenever an individual is invited to a South African home, he/she is expected to carry a bottle of wine, flowers and good chocolate. Gifts are also required to be wrapped well to show the extra effort by the presenter. These gifts are opened as soon as they are received. South Africans are always slow and cautious when conducting business deals thus when dealing with them, one is advised not to rush the process. Individuals are addressed with their surnames and titles as a show of respect and status. When presenting a gift in South Africa, one is not allowed to use the left hand. The use of both hands and the right hand is encouraged while presenting the gift. Organization meetings are usually held over lunchtime or dinnertime in hotels and appointments are made usually early in the day as from 9 am (Domini, pg16).

Works Cited

Spierenburg, Marja, and Harry Wels. Culture, Organization, and Management in South Africa.       New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2006. Print.86

Farley, John U., Scott Hoenig, and Zenobia Ismail. “Organizational Culture, Innovativeness,       Market Orientation and Firm Performance in South Africa: An Interdisciplinary        Perspective.” Journal of African Business 9.1 (2008): 59-76. EconLit with Full Text. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.

Robbins, Stephen P. Organisational Behaviour: Global and Southern African Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa, 2009. Print.105

Clark, Domini. South Africa: The Culture. New York: Crabtree Pub. Co, 2009. Print.