A presentation on the culture of Singapore

Presented by: Pallavi Gogoi Reg. No. PG20102228

Facts and Figures

Location: Southeastern Asia, island between Malaysia and Indonesia

Capital: Singapore
Population: 43,53,893 Ethnic Make-up: Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%

Religions: Buddhist(Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh,

Taoist, Confucianist Languages: Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, English and Singlish

Political stability in Singapore

Singapores ruling party is the Peoples Action Party (PAP).

Singapore, under the leadership of the PAP, possesses a distinct political culture:
authoritarian, pragmatic, rational and legalistic. Singapores power structure is highly centralized, characterized by a top-down style. It features appointment rather than election to most offices.

Economic growth and political stability are maintained by the paternal guidance of
the PAP. Thus, Singapore is not administered by politicians, but by bureaucrats, in a meritocracy where power is gained through skill, performance, and loyalty to the nation and its policies. There is a dominance of government-controlled companies in the local economy. But in spite of its powerful position, the Singapore government has maintained a clean, corruption-free image.

Economy
GDP was S$326.8 billion in 2011. The country was recently ranked as the third wealthiest nation in the world

The economy is driven by exports in electronics manufacturing and machinery,

financial services, tourism, the worlds largest cargo seaport. Manufacturing sector contributes 20-30% of Singapores GDP. Major industries are electronics, pharmaceutical, construction and ship-building. Financial services industry also plays a major role in Singapores economy

Public debt: Since 1995, the Singapore government has maintained zero foreign debt. However, the total outstanding government borrowing was S$312b as at December 2010. The money it borrows is usually for investment purposes and the ROI is more than sufficient to meet this debt figure. The Singapore government has a strong balance sheet and its assets outweigh its liabilities.

Cultural stability
The Family
The concepts of group, harmony, and mutual security are more important than that of the individual. The family is the centre of the social structure and emphasizes unity, loyalty and respect for the elderly. The term, 'family' generally includes extended family and close friends who are treated as family members. Respect for the elderly and seeing the family as the place one goes to for support, both help retain core values in this island nation.

The concept of FACE

Having face indicates personal dignity. Face is a prized commodity that can be given, lost, taken away or earned. It is a mark of personal qualities such as a good name, good character, and being held in esteem by one's peers. It can also be greater than the person and extend to family, school, company, and even the nation itself. Face is what makes Singaporeans strive for harmonious relationships.

Cultural stability
Hierarchy
Singaporeans claim they are an egalitarian society, yet they retain strong hierarchical relationships that can be observed in the relationship between parents and children, teachers and students, and employers and employees. This reliance on hierarchy is drawn from Confucianism, which emphasizes respecting age and status, even blind obedience to one's elders. In the workplace this is seen in the increased deference that is paid to employees who are older. The elderly are always treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. Even if you do not personally know the individual, you will be expected to give special consideration. Elders are introduced first, are given preferential seating, are given the choicest food, and in general put on a pedestal. There was a law passed in 1996 that mandated that children must assume financial responsibility for their elderly parents should the need arise. This is indicative of the high status of the elderly and the challenges facing the small country as the next generation becomes more individualistic.

 Ethnic Diversity Singapore is a multi-ethnic society where Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions coexist beneath the veneer of a western cosmopolitan metropolis.

Non-Verbal Communication
Singaporeans are group dependent and rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell them what someone feels. They often trust non-verbal messages more than the spoken word. They tend to be subtle, indirect and implicit in their communications. They hint at a point rather than making a direct statement, since that might cause the other person to lose face. Rather than say 'no', they might say, 'I will try', or 'I'll see what I can do'. This allows the person making the request and the person turning it down to save face and maintain harmony in their relationship. Silence is an important element of Singaporean communication. Pausing before responding to a question indicates that they have given the question appropriate thought and considered their response carefully. They do not understand western cultures ability to respond to a question hastily and think this indicates thoughtlessness and rude behavior.

Hofstede model
Power distance: High(74)

Uncertainty avoidance: low(8)

Individualism Vs collectivism: Low in individualism(20) Masculinity Vs. Femininity: Moderately low in masculinity(48) Long-term Vs. short-term orientation: Moderately low in Long term orientation(48)

HR practices in Singapore
Political forces such as unions, professional associations and government play a major role as determinants of HR practices in Singapore.

Compensation and benefits

Singapore has a National Wages Council (NWC), consisting of representatives from the government, employer associations and trade unions. The NWC makes recommendations on guidelines for annual wage adjustments, and although these are not mandatory, these guidelines are generally accepted and adopted by most organizations and trade unions (Tan, 2004). Singapore has no mandated minimum salary and wage rates are purely dependent on the private and mutual agreement reached between an employer and an employee. Overtime cannot exceed 72 hours per month without prior approval from the Commissioner of Labor. Singapore has 11 public holidays, employees entitlement to paid sick leave for 14 days a year.

Compensation and Benefits

Singapore has a Workers Compensation Act which makes certain that workers

receive compensation for any injuries suffered at the workplace.

Singapore also has a compulsory savings scheme for all citizens, called the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which employees may only withdraw funds from during their old age or for specific investments such as buying a home.

Recruitments
In Singapore, local daily newspapers have extensive classified ads for job

vacancies. The print media is used most widely to recruit all levels of employees
such as operators, supervisors and managers. With the exception of executive search firms (the second most frequently used method for managers), companies use the following methods regardless of job levels: employee referrals, walk-ins, employment agencies and rehires. Other innovative methods include career fairs, electronic media and campus drives

Performance appraisals
Singapore has lesser interest in performance management and appraisal. In general, appraisals are done once a year, with the likelihood of rank-and-file and supervisors being appraised more frequently. The most commonly used performance management and appraisal system design of companies in Singapore is the trait-based approach with 35.6% of companies doing so. This is followed by performance management, with adopted by 26.7% of Singaporean organizations. Government policies have far-reaching implications for HR practices at the organizational level for Singapore. When the National Wages Council recommended a flexible wage policy, the government pushed for the introduction of performance appraisal so that performance-based bonus payments could be implemented smoothly.

Training and development

Although Singapore is far from a leading practitioner of HRM, there has been increasing emphasis placed on the importance of training and skill upgrading for employees. Government ministers and leading unionists constantly remind Singaporean workers that they should constantly upgrade their skills, accept changes and prepare to work for more than one employer in their lifetime

THANK YOU!
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