11/17/2011

GIFTONION

SOCIOLOGY

[Type the document subtitle] | Sheraz Butt

Sociology
Nov. 17

Assignment # 02
Subject: Sociology

Submitted To:

Daniyal Sohail

Submitted By:

Sheraz Ejaz

Topic:

Culture

ID:

09208004

Date: 17-11-2011

Sociology
Nov. 17

My Own Understanding about Culture:

In my views culture is a term which shows a direction to a man to spend his life in a specific manner and build a personality according to the society which is accepted by all the aspects of a society. But on the other hand it is also a culture who tells us about the standards, beliefs and norms of a person, from which culture he is belonged. It is our culture to celebrate the different rituals and traditions in our different functions and festivals. When I was a child and my mother tells me that its your duty to respect your elders rather he\she is interconnected with us or not, its part of my culture which my mother transfer me which he get from her parents. But in the U.S the all game opposite to it, parents become fearful from his Childs because in the U.S Childs have judicial favor.

Web Help:
Understanding culture is critical for educators because our individual cultural orientation is present in every interaction. Too often, we make assumptions about a persons beliefs or behaviors based on a single cultural indicator, particularly race or ethnicity, when in reality, our cultural identities are a complex weave of all the cultural groups we belong to that influence our values, beliefs, and behaviors. Usually, when people talk about culture, there is an assumption that we are talking about the big four- African American, Native American, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latino American, but we ALL are members of cultural groups, and develop cultural identities based on those memberships and influences. Cultural identity development is an ongoing process, as we are exposed to more and different sets of beliefs and values, and may choose to adopt ones that were not part of our original upbringing. Cultural identity is constructed within the individual, but continually influenced by the interactions among and between people in society. Cultural identity is informed by socio-cultural and historical perspectives that interact with psychological and intrapersonal characteristics so that all are present it. Reference:
http://urbanschools.org/pdf/understanding.culture.LETTER.pdf

Sociology
Nov. 17

Components of Culture:

y Norms:
Norms are all those thinks which is acceptable or unacceptable in the society but its a matter of common sense which tells a human conscious to treat in what manner. For example in our society its our norm which helps us to help older peoples and it understands a proper behavior by the others. And same like this in the university dress shirt and pent is a proper dressing and people consider him a decent and respective personality.

Mores: Mores are those things which consider by the society right or wrong. And have a perception about these. For Example in Pakistan it is consider that to give respect to the woman then the men, as same to obey the traffic rules is think right by the all members of society who are even a little bit educated.

Laws: Laws are those which are enforced by the government and political organization of a country. For Example in our society it is declared by the government of Pakistan everybody pay the tax and contribute in the economy for the welfare of society, and same like this government also declared that the minimum wage rate for monthly basis is 7500.

Values: Values are those which are consider by an individual related to him: self image, society level, standard of living and education. For example in our culture an elite class person cannot live in the low standard life, and an educated man cannot live without busyness.

Sociology
Nov. 17

Language: Language is a channel which is used by the members of a society to transfer their culture to the next generation. For example in the European countries the procedure of conveying a message to others is different than our culture, but there are many languages in sub-cultures around the globe.

Web Help:

Artifacts: Artifacts are the physical things that are found that have particular symbolism for a culture. They may even be endowed with mystical properties.The first products of a company. Prizes won in grueling challenges and so on are all artifacts. Artifacts can also be more everyday objects, such as the bunch of flowers in reception. They main thing is that they have special meaning, at the very least for the people in the culture. There may well be stories told about them. y

Stories, histories, myths, legends, joke:

Culture is often embedded and transmitted through stories, whether they are deep and obviously intended as learning devices, or whether they appear more subtly, for example in humor and jokes. A typical story includes a bad guy (often shady and unnamed) and a good guy (often the founder or a prototypical cultural member). There may also be an innocent. The story evolves in a classic format, with the bad guy being spotted and vanquished by the good guy, with the innocent being rescued and learning the greatness of the culture into the bargain.

Sociology
Nov. 17

Symbols and symbolic action:

Symbols, like artifacts, are things which act as triggers to remind people in the culture of its rules, beliefs, etc. They act as a shorthand way to keep people aligned. Symbols can also be used to indicate status within a culture. This includes clothing, office decor and so on. Status symbols signal to others to help them use the correct behavior with others in the hierarchy. They also lock in the users of the symbols into prescribed behaviors that are appropriate for their status and position.

Reference:

http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/elements_of_culture.htm

Business Culture:
Business culture is a culture which shows the working criteria of an organization. In good organization the management tells the new employee about the culture of organization through training workshop Why is culture so important to an organization? Edgar Schein, an MIT Professor of Management and author of Organizational Culture and Leadership: A Dynamic View, suggests that an organization's culture develops to help it cope with its environment. Today, organizational leaders are confronted with many complex issues during their attempts to generate organizational achievement in VUCA environments. A leader's success will depend, to a great extent, upon understanding organizational culture. Schein contends that many of the problems confronting leaders can be traced to their inability to analyze and evaluate organizational cultures. Many leaders, when trying to implement new strategies or a strategic plan leading to a new vision, will discover that their strategies will fail if they are inconsistent with the organization's culture. A CEO, SES, political appointee, or flag officer who comes into an organization prepared to "shake the place up" and institute sweeping changes, often experiences resistance to changes and failure. Difficulties with organizational transformations arise from failures to analyze an organization's existing culture.

Sociology
Nov. 17

Web Help:
WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE?
There is no single definition for organizational culture. The topic has been studied from a variety of perspectives ranging from disciplines such as anthropology and sociology, to the applied disciplines of organizational behavior, management science, and organizational communication. Some of the definitions are listed below: A set of common understandings around which action is organized, finding expression in language whose nuances are peculiar to the group (Becker and Geer 1960). A set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis 1980). A system of knowledge,of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and acting . . . that serve to relate human communities to their environmental settings (Allaire and Firsirotu 1984). The deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are: learned responses to the group's problems of survival in its external environment and its problems of internal integration; are shared by members of an organization; that operate unconsciously; and that define in a basic "taken -for-granted" fashion in an organization's view of itself and its environment (Schein 1988). Any social system arising from a network of shared ideologies consisting of two components: substance-the networks of meaning associated with ideologies, norms, and values; and forms-the practices whereby the meanings are expressed, affirmed, and communicated to members (Trice and Beyer 1984). This sampling of definitions represents the two major camps that exist in the study of organizational culture and its "application strategies." The first camp views culture as implicit in social life. Culture is what naturally emerges as individuals transform themselves into social groups as tribes, communities, and ultimately, nations. The second camp represents the view that culture is an explicit social product arising from social interaction either as an intentional or unintentional consequence of behavior. In other words, culture is comprised of distinct observable forms (e.g., language, use of symbols, ceremonies, customs, methods of problem solving, use of tools or technology, and design of work settings) that groups of people create through social interaction and use to confront the broader social environment. This second

Sociology
Nov. 17

view of culture is most relevant to the analysis and evaluation of organizational culture and to cultural change strategies that leaders can employ to improve organizational performance.

Reference:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch16.html

Types of Culture:

y Family:
The first archetype is that of Family. As in we have a pact that transcends a specific transaction and our shared value of belonging and status is tied to the success of the family, not of the individual. When were in the family, we dont have to be nice-nice or super polite because frankly we just know each other that well. Instead we are frank with each other, because the larger goal supersedes social protocol of strangers. The larger goal is less the defining paradigm than how the group functions and inter-operates to accomplish that goal.

y Deep Optimism:
The final cultural archetype appears to be Deep Optimism. It is the most resonant form of archetype because it is entrepreneurs best way to change the world and in whatever way they can make customers lives better. People come together as the best and push each other to outshine not only the competitors but to outshine what they themselves have created in the past.

Sociology
Nov. 17

y Sadly, they don't usually last:

These archetypes often break down past the stage of start-up because a new set of cultural norms starts to transcend the original ones of wealth, family and optimism. Which is too bad? I think these cultural archetypes when melded together can be really powerful and sustaining to create winning outcomes.

Web Help:
Related cultures: Hire et al (1966) surveyed 3,500 managers in 14 different countries and estimated that 28% of discernible differences in management attitudes were culturally based. They identified 4 main cultural groups: Nordic-European, Latin-European, Anglo-American and developing nations. This started a trend to try and divide the world's complex pattern of cultures into neat, analytical groupings - with all the attendant risks of historical inaccuracy and gross sensitivity.

Psychology and culture: Classification difficulties aside, there is no denying that cultural differences can be deeply imbedded. Chung used the psychology of thinking styles to explain differences between business cultures, arguing that Europeans are taught to think in a linear way, whereas Asians see things as a whole. According to Chung, Europeans value rational logic while Asians think intuitively in circles and leaps (This section of Human Resource Management in a Business Context provides a table of comparison based on Chung's views). (...) Despite the additional insight this model provides, however, we have (once again) a case of two groups of very diverse cultures being lumped together to suit an argument.

Culture and business behavior: This section uses Asia as an example. Western observers have recently come to appreciate the diversity of cultures in Asia. The case included in Human Resource Management in a Business Context shows that: * National cultures vary widely within the region * Courtesy and politeness are valued highly in all these cultures

Sociology
Nov. 17

* Business structure is family-based in some, but not all, of these countries * There is widespread contact and cooperation between Chinese communities throughout the region * Business practices are changing because younger people are being trained in western-style business schools.

Reference: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap5/ch5-links3.html

Family Conflict:
In a society culture creates family conflict because if a person doesnt know about his culture he cannot survive in the family: he doesnt about the basic ethics to deal with elders and youngers, he dont know about the rituals, traditions, events and respect which is demanded from him. Conflict style influences the kinds of disputes families have. It refers to specific tactics and behavioral routines individuals or families typically use when conflicts occur. Individuals have conflict styles of their own. These develop through repeated exposure to conflict situations in the family of origin. The combination of individual styles and the family system results in a family style of conflict. For example, one family member may dominate in all disputes and forcefully settle all conflicts. This is a power assertive style that is based on the power relations that are part of the family system. Another style involves endless bickering in which any kind of settlement or resolution is rare. Such an irrational style often creates a negative family climate that erodes positive family bonds. A family may avoid any kind of conflict at the first sign of trouble. Conflict may be seen as being too stressful or simply inappropriate among family members. Such an avoidant style often includes covert conflict in which secretive actions lead to negative consequences for opponents.

10

Sociology
Nov. 17

A constructive conflict style is an especially important type because it openly addresses the complaints of family members and moves toward rational changes that eliminate the problem. Several other conflict styles have been identified and research in this area continues. Furthermore, it should be noted that each family is unique and thus will have unique elements in its conflict style. But most families tend to use one of the main styles identified above.

Web Help:
y Conflict Style: Family conflict styles are learned in childhood. Years of exposure to the same patterns indoctrinate the child with the family's conflict style. The parents or primary caregivers usually establish the style for the children. Years of participation in the conflict style allow the child to learn the intricacies of using the style to protect or extend their interests. Acquiring a conflict style defines the orientation one brings to any dispute situation. For example, a child in a family with a power assertive style will tend to see any disagreement as a zero-sum game. There must be one winner and one loser. One dominates, the other submits. One must strive to use whatever power one has to defeat the opponent, who is striving to defeat you. Learning a conflict style thus includes assumptions about how interpersonal relationships should be conducted. Conflict styles learned in the family are used by children as they interact with peers and others outside of the family context. This can create difficulties in developing relationships with peers.

Sibling Conflict:

Sibling rivalry has long been recognized as a key element in family conflict. The concept assumes that parents or primary caregivers have a limited amount of affection to give to their children. Children therefore tend to compete for the parental affection, which they want and need. Through that competition, siblings can develop ambivalence toward each other. Siblings have affection for each other, but also some enmity. If parents provide sufficient affection for both siblings, the rivalry dissipates. But if they do not, then the rivalry can be a primary feature of sibling and family relationships through adulthood.

11

Sociology
Nov. 17

In such cases siblings strive to out-do each other to win the approval of a parent or caregiver. Often the siblings are not consciously aware that their striving is based on sibling rivalry. Harmless sibling rivalry is common in most families. But in some cases it fuels long-term destructive conflict between siblings. The negative impact of excessive sibling rivalry can be seen from a developmental perspective. Rivalry can erode the positive interaction dynamics that usually occurs between young siblings. Siblings can help each other learn to walk, talk, share, and show support. Intense rivalry interrupts these processes. In addition, a conflictual relationship with a sibling can be the template for relationships with peers outside the family. Troubled peer relations in childhood are known to be a precursor of negative outcomes later on.

Reference:

http://family.jrank.org/pages/315/Conflict.html

12