scholarly journals Task and Relationship Orientation of Professionals in Afghanistan and Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-20
Author(s):  
Bahaudin G. Mujtaba ◽  
Tipakorn Senathip ◽  
Jatuporn Sungkhawan
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Leadership Orientations ◽  
Relationship Orientation ◽  
Working Adult ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Relationship Orientations ◽  
Significant Support

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leadership styles and approaches that are linked to Afghan and Thai respondents by exploring their task and relationship orientations to glean best practices for application in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan. To continue gathering more data, we have consistently been using Northouse’s Style Questionnaire to collect responses from different cultures over the past two decades. More specifically, for this latest study, we compared the leadership orientations of working adult respondents from Thailand and Afghanistan based on their nationality and socialization in each culture on the task and relationship-orientation continuum of leadership. To gain practical insights across these two Asian cultures, we reflect and explore the Afghan orientation and compare it with the cultural practices of people in Thailand, where politicians have managed their political affairs more peacefully with their neighbors. Both Afghanistan and Thailand’s cultures are rooted in thousands of years of Asian philosophies, and both are high-context and collective; therefore, people are presumed to be more relationship-oriented, and this study found statistically significant support for this presumption. While respondents from both countries do have a stronger focus on their relationships, data shows that their task orientation is significantly lower. Analysis, recommendations for inclusion training, dealing with societal / workplace mobbing, and the study’s limitations are presented toward the end of the paper. The findings are useful for training purposes with managers, political leaders, and expatriates working in these two South and East Asian countries. For example, currently the political leaders in Afghanistan are working with the international community to unite all Afghans so they can become less dependent on foreign forces to keep the country peaceful. As such, they can capitalize on their task and relationship orientation skills to work on this gigantic task. Similarly, as of May 2021, Thailand has been experiencing another wave of the Covid-19 coronavirus, with about 10,000 infection cases on some days; as such, Thai leaders have to build strong relationships with everyone in the country to effectively manage this task of limiting the spread of this deadly infection through strict quarantine rules and quick vaccination of their large population.

scholarly journals Leadership Orientation of Afghan and Japanese Respondents: A Study of “Guzaara” or Getting Along in Asia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-39
Author(s):  
Bahaudin G. Mujtaba
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Work Culture ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Leadership Orientations ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Relationship Orientation ◽  
As Relationship ◽  
Relationship Orientations

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leadership tendencies of Afghan and Japaneserespondents by exploring their task and relationship orientations. While there are many published studies onthe Japanese work culture and leadership practices, research about Afghan working adults is limited. Usingthe Style Questionnaire, this research collected and compared the leadership orientations of 400 respondentsfrom each country based on national culture on the task and relationship-orientation continuums. To deepenthe understanding of Afghan leadership tendencies, we explore their culture of “guzaara” (getting along)practices. Similarly, we discuss the Japanese concept of “ba” (interactive knowledge creation) as one exampleof a best practice that can be benchmarked by others in society. Both Afghanistan and Japan are high-contextcultures; therefore, people are expected to be more relationship-oriented. While respondents from bothcountries do have a stronger focus on their relationships, data shows that Afghans have a significantly higherscore on both the task-orientation as well as relationship-orientation continuums, compared to their Japanesecounterparts. Implications, recommendations and limitations of the study are provided. The findings thatJapanese and Afghan employees are indeed focused on their relationships, and that they have a moderatelyhigh task orientation scores, are useful for managers and expatriates working in these two Asian countries.

Stories from Ultrasonographic Abyss

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matylda Szewczyk
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Care ◽  
New Media ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Prenatal Ultrasound ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Medical Imagery ◽  
The Future ◽  
Different Cultures

The article presents a reflection on the experience of prenatal ultrasound and on the nature of cultural beings, it creates. It exploits chosen ethnographic and cultural descriptions of prenatal ultrasounds in different cultures, as well as documentary and artistic reflections on medical imagery and new media technologies. It discusses different ways of defining the role of ultrasound in prenatal care and the cultural contexts build around it. Although the prenatal ultrasounds often function in the space of enormous tensions (although they are also supposed to give pleasure), it seems they will accompany us further in the future. It is worthwhile to find some new ways of describing them and to invent new cultural practices to deal with them.

scholarly journals A Global Leadership Model and Its Empirical Applicability

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Kisuk Cho ◽  
Minam Sohn ◽  
Jisook Hong
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Competencies ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Global Leadership ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Leadership Model ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Relationship Orientation

This study attempts to present a global leadership model, which incorporates effective global leadership competencies and makes empirical assessments possible. This global leadership model captures the dynamic interaction of five dimensions of leadership competencies based on common denominators effective: global leadership extracted from former research. The study also explores empirical applicability of the model in Korean companies and the results confirm some assumptions of the model by illustrating that there exists tension between task-orientation and relationship-orientation in the organizations.

scholarly journals Matto da slegare. Bioetica tra rispetto della prassi tradizionale e diritti umani / Madmen to untie. Bioethics between respect of cultural practices and human rights

2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-165
Author(s):  
Alessia Maccaro
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Demonic Possession ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Concrete Blocks ◽  
Religious Sects ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Very High

Demonologia, culti, ritualità e miti religiosi molto spesso in territorio africano si congiungono con questioni relative alla cura. Ad oggi ancora diffusissima è la sovrapposizione tra insanità mentale e possessione diabolica, tipica della mentalità animista che conduce al gravoso problema dell’emarginazione e della contenzione del paziente psichiatrico. Il malato mentale incute paura alla comunità che ne teme il contagio, sicché il più delle volte, si affida il malato a sette religiose o a centri di preghiera, in cui i sedicenti guaritori, sciamani e santoni si fanno pagare cifre molto elevate per imprigionare all’interno di tronchi di albero o incatenare a ceppi o blocchi di cemento l’ammalato, così da neutralizzare la potenza maligna. La vita in catene rende gli ammalati storpi, talvolta li porta alla morte per malnutrizione ed incuria. In questo modo questioni relative alla salute, alla cura, incrociandosi con ritualità religiose, chiamano irrimediabilmente in causa la bioetica ed i diritti rispetto ad un problema non più posponibile. Si tratta di una barbarie che avviene nel completo disinteresse dell’OMS e delle grandi organizzazioni internazionali che conoscono l’incubo di questi “prigionieri” almeno da 30 anni, da quando il beninese Gregoire Ahongbonon, il “Basaglia nero” ha fondato in Costa d’Avorio la sua “Saint Camille de Lellis di Bouaké” e ha cominciato – letteralmente – a liberare i malati di mente dalle catene. L’analisi proposta intende precisare che, pur nel rispetto delle differenti culture, c’è un limite che non è possibile valicare: quello del rispetto dei diritti umani che è la base ed alla base di ogni discorso sul pluralismo e sull’Intercultura. ---------- In Africa, demonology, cults, rituals and religious myths are very often combined with issues related to health care. Today the overlap between insanity and demonic possession is still widely widespread. It is typical of the animist mentality that leads to the serious problem of psychiatric patient marginalization and restraint. The mentally ill arouses dread in the community that fears the contagion, so in most cases, the patient commits herself/himself to religious sects or to prayer centers, where the healers, shamans and gurus charge very high prices to imprison the patient in tree trunks or to chain up the patient to stumps or concrete blocks, in order to neutralize the evil force. Life in chains makes the sick patients lame, and sometimes leads them to death for malnutrition and neglect. In this way, issues related to health and health care, intersecting with religious rituals, involve bioethics and rights compared with a problem that cannot be postponed any further. It is a matter of barbarity that takes place in the complete disregard of WHO and of the major international organizations, aware of the nightmare experienced by these “prisoners” since at least 30 years, when Gregoire Ahongbonon from Benin, the “black Basaglia”, established in the Ivory Coast his “Saint Camille de Lellis of Bouaké” and – literally – began to release the mentally ill patients from the chains. The proposed analysis aims to clarify that, even if respecting the different cultures, there is a limit that cannot be crossed: the respect of human rights that is the basis and the foundation of every discourse on pluralism and interculture.

Impact of Cropping Sequences and Alternative Hosts on Take-all Management of Winter Wheat in Arkansas

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Eugene A. Milus ◽  
Richard D. Cartwright ◽  
Craig S. Rothrock ◽  
Merle Anders ◽  
Nathan Slaton
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Italian Ryegrass ◽  
Gaeumannomyces Graminis ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Rotational Crop ◽  
One Year ◽  
Summer Fallow ◽  
Take All

Cultural practices are the principle means for managing take-all of wheat caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. This research identified cropping sequences that can be used to manage take-all in Arkansas. For dryland fields where the opportunity to grow rotational crops is limited, summer fallow was the best option for managing take-all. For irrigated fields, rotation out of wheat for at least one year reduced incidence and severity of take-all, and rice was the most effective rotational crop. Summer fallow or a rice crop was more detrimental to survival of take-all inoculum compared to corn or soybean. Reductions in inoculum were associated with elevated soil temperatures during the summer in fallow fields and with soil anoxia in flooded rice fields. Managing grassy weeds is important during rotations out of wheat. Rescuegrass was the most susceptible grassy weed to G. graminis var. tritici in this study. Although Italian ryegrass was only moderately susceptible, it likely plays a major role in maintaining inoculum because of its wide distribution and large population size. Accepted for publication 11 April 2009. Published 12 May 2009.

Cross-Culture Management

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lam D. Nguyen ◽  
Kuo-Hao Lee ◽  
Bahaudin G. Mujtaba ◽  
Alexander Ruijs
Keyword(s):  
Practical Application ◽  
Cross Culture ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Stress Perception ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Multicultural Organizations ◽  
Stress Orientations ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Relationship Orientations

Human capital plays an important role and acts as a strategic resource that helps firms achieve strategic competitiveness. In the global business context, understanding the expectations and behaviors of employees in different cultures is paramount for international and multicultural organizations to succeed. This paper examines the task and relationship orientations as well as the work overload stress perception of people in the low-context culture of the Netherlands and in the high-context culture of Vietnam. As a result of the analysis of 396 responses, some significant differences were found between the two samples. It appears that Vietnamese have significantly higher scores on task, relationship and stress orientations than Dutch respondents. While gender is a significant factor in task and relationship orientations, it did not demonstrate any differences in the stress perceptions of these respondents. In this paper, literature on Dutch and Vietnamese cultures is presented along with practical application, suggestions and implications for future studies.

Online Consumers' Switching Behavior

2011 ◽  
pp. 216-227
Author(s):  
Dahui Li ◽  
Glenn J. Browne ◽  
James C. Wetherbe
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Discriminant Analysis ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Relationship Orientation ◽  
Online Consumer ◽  
Comparison Level ◽  
Relationship Orientations

Limited studies have investigated online consumer loyalty and retention from a relationship orientation in electronic commerce research. It is important to understand the differences in relationship orientations between people who have the propensity to stick to particular web sites (“stayers”) and people who have the propensity to switch to alternative web sites (“switchers”). This study proposes a relationship-based classification schema consisting of five dimensions, i.e., commitment, trust, satisfaction, comparison level of the alternatives, and non-retrievable investment. Data were collected from 299 college students who had experience with e-commerce websites. Using discriminant analysis, we found that stayers and switchers were significantly different along the five research dimensions. Satisfaction with the current website was the most important discriminant factor, followed by trust, commitment, comparison level of alternative websites, and non-retrievable investment in the current website. Implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Synergistic effect of technology and customer relationship orientations: consequences for market performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Salojärvi ◽  
Paavo Ritala ◽  
Liisa-Maija Sainio ◽  
Sami Saarenketo
Keyword(s):  
Market Performance ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Orientations ◽  
Relationship Orientation ◽  
Technology Orientation ◽  
Relationship Orientations ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose – This study aims to examine the effect of firm-specific customer relationship orientation, technology orientation and the marketing–R & D cooperation on market performance. Although the importance of customer focus in R & D has been widely recognized in the literature, less attention has been paid to customer relationship orientation and the simultaneous effect of the three constructs on market performance. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses are tested on a multi-industry survey study of 209 R & D-intensive firms in Finland using hierarchical regression analyses, including both direct and interactional effects. Findings – The findings show that customer relationship orientation has a direct positive effect on market performance and that technology orientation also has a positive, yet non-significant effect. In addition, the effect of both of these strategic orientations is accentuated when collaboration between marketing and R & D departments is high, providing evidence on the significant moderating effects of these types of processes. Research limitations/implications – The implications of the research can be interpreted as being generalizable at least to some extent due to the multi-industry nature of the sample. However, the research is bound to a certain type of firm (R & D-intensive) and to a certain national context (Finland), which poses limitations to the study. Practical implications – The results suggest specific benefits for integrating specialist, complementary knowledge into a firm in terms of R & D and marketing knowledge. Practicing managers across departments should thus consider not only focusing on their specialist areas in markets (e.g. customers or technology) but also utilizing complementary insights within the firm to reap benefits in their fields. Originality/value – The study focuses on the less-researched concept of customer relationship orientation in parallel with the more established technology orientation. It also provides novel evidence on how the effectiveness of these orientations benefits from firm-internal knowledge transfer between the marketing and R & D departments.

scholarly journals Worldfulness, Role-enrichment & Moving Rituals: Design Ideas for CRPGs

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Champion
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Traditional Cultures ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Design Ideas

Roles and rituals are essential for creating, situating and maintaining cultural practices. Computer Role-Playing games (CRPGs) and virtual online worlds that appear to simulate different cultures are well known and highly popular. So it might appear that the roles and rituals of traditional cultures are easily ported to computer games. However, I contend that the meaning behind worlds, rituals and roles are not fully explored in these digital games and virtual worlds and that more needs to be done in order to create worldfulness, moving rituals and role enrichment. I will provide examples from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The ElderScrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda, 2006, 2011) to reveal some of the difficulties in creating digitally simulated social and cultural worlds, but I will also suggest some design ideas that could improve them in terms of cultural presence and social presence.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document