w w w. h a m k. f i Impact of Cultural dimensions on Leadership in Education in Finland – and in China – in the Future -Antti Isoviita, Häme University of Applied Sciences, HAMK -Manager of Global Education,

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Objectives for this presentation Understand the main cultural differences between the Finnish/European and Chinese Education Know the key concepts unique to the Finnish/European and Chinese cultures Understand the Impact of Cultural dimens- ions on Leadership in Education in Finland – and in China – in the Future ©Paljakka 2010

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ICT

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An Investment in Knowlwedge always pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin

w w w. h a m k. f i 8 Characteristics of Finnish Schools & Firms Small Innovative and Creative Competitive (No 1) Flexible, but punctual Efficient – team work Equal (low Power Distance) Teachers are Honest and Frank (Yes = Yes) Corruption-free (No 1)

w w w. h a m k. f i 8 Drivers of Finnish Schools & Firms Internal Atmosphere – Equality School/Firm Spirit Team work Innovativeness Utilizing Information Student/Customer in the Center Cost-efficiency Networking

w w w. h a m k. f i The biggest challenges in the future working life in Finland (HR-Barometer ) Competencies Leadership Renewal of motivation of the current employees Interaction and communication Wellbeing of employees

w w w. h a m k. f i The biggest challenges… Competencies Rapid and surprising changes Employees part of strategic planning Technical competencies – digitalization Globalization Tacit information Multi competencies Continuous development Continuous change in competencies International young people

w w w. h a m k. f i Finnish leadership High belief and obedience to higher authorities Organisations tend to be flat Very little formalities Leadership model hierarchical but not rigid Delegation of responsibilities is common Negotiations can be conducted by superiors of different rank

w w w. h a m k. f i Challenges of Finnish leadership Dialog vs debate Individual leadership Developing collaborational ways of working Leading teams – according to age and culture Leading change HR part of strategic planning and leadership Working capacity management

w w w. h a m k. f i GenerationBornCharacteristics Baby Boomers The Biggest Generations After the 2nd World War Great Leap Generation of Welfare Generation X The first latchkey kids, exposed to lots of daycare and divorce. Skepticism. Me Generation Y Sophisticated, technology wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches Generation Z Grow up in highly sophisticated media and computer environment and will be more Internet savvy and expert than Gen Y.

w w w. h a m k. f i Expectations of Y & Z -generations Trust Freedom Innovative athmosphere Value mistakes vs. losing faces Support Earning respect based on your skills Delegating – not being authorative Leading by influencing Leading by being a role model Admitting your own limits Serving leader – leader as an enabler

w w w. h a m k. f i Renewal of motivation Different ages – different motivation factors Values What motivates human beings in general? –Independency –Learning new –Know how –Purpose –Human interaction »Daniel Pink

w w w. h a m k. f i Interaction and communication Open dialogue – not debate Continuous, open and transparent communication Face-to-face communication – feeling Community, collaboration and team are created by the energy of feelings

w w w. h a m k. f i Interaction with Y & Z Open Honest Respectful Fairness, just

w w w. h a m k. f i Differences between the Finnish/European and Chinese School Culture

w w w. h a m k. f i Features of the Culture The factors in this section all work together as a whole, it is difficult to isolate single aspects or expect individuals to tightly conform to these ideas. Cultural Dimensions by Hofstede Monochronic vs Polycronic and High context cultures by Hall There are exceptions and you should consider them parts of a greater whole. ©Paljakka 2010

w w w. h a m k. f i The 2 Cultural Dimensions of Hall High-context vs. low-context High-context countries e.g. China and India »Non-verbal communication and guanxi are important Low-context countries; western countries e.g. Finland »Verbal communication is important; »YES = YES Monochronic vs. Polychronic –Do one thing at a time vs. Do many things at once –Punctual vs. Not so punctual –Finland is Monochronic but China is Polychronic

w w w. h a m k. f i High Context Culture High context culture 2 –Silence can express a meaning and not everything needs to be said –Low context cultures expect background information together with communication –High context cultures are more homogenous and individuals can form a pool of common experiences –The Chinese approach topics indirectly –Direct refusals to a request are avoided – you seldom hear someone say no. ©Paljakka Hall (1976), Gelfand & Brett (2004)

w w w. h a m k. f i The 2 Cultural Dimensions of Hall FactorHigh-context culture Low-context culture Overtness of messages Many covert and implicit messages, with use of metaphor and reading between the lines. Many overt and explicit messages that are simple and clear. Locus of control and attribution for failure Inner locus of control and personal acceptance for failure Outer locus of control and blame of others for failure Use of non-verbal communication Much nonverbal communicationMore focus on verbal communi- cation than body language Expression of reaction Reserved, inward reactionsVisible, external, outward reaction Cohesion and separation of groups Strong distinction between ingroup and outgroup. Strong sense of family. Flexible and open grouping patterns, changing as needed People bonds Strong people bonds with affiliation to family and community Fragile bonds between people with little sense of loyalty. Level of commitment to relationships High commitment to long-term relationships. Relationship more important than task. Low commitment to relationship. Task more important than relationships. Flexibility of time Time is open and flexible. Process is more important than product Time is highly organized. Product is more important than process

w w w. h a m k. f i The 2 Cultural Dimensions of Hall FactorMonochronic actionPolychronic action ActionsDo one thing at a timeDo many things at once Focus Concentrate on the job at hand Are easily distracted Attention to time Think about when things must be achieved Think about what will be achieved PriorityPut the job firstPut relationships first Respect for property Seldom borrow or lend things Borrow and lend things often and easily TimelinessEmphasize promptness Base promptness relationship factors

w w w. h a m k. f i The 5 Cultural Dimensions of Hofstede Power Distance Index (PDI) High PDI: Big Boss is Big Boss vs. Equality Individualism (IDV) I vs. We, collectivism, guanxi Masculinity (MAS) vs. Feminity Money and Success vs. Soft values like equality, democracy and green values Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) Long-Term Orientation (LTO)

w w w. h a m k. f i The 5 Cultural Dimensions of Hofstede…

w w w. h a m k. f i Suomi/Finland vs. Kiina/China

w w w. h a m k. f i Power Distance High power distance score 1 (China 80, Asian average 60, Finland 30) –A measure of how much influence or interpersonal power someone has (as perceived by the subordinate) –Can bee seen in tall organizational structures –Chinese corganizations often have a very top-down management style Subordinates are expected to listen to and follow mangers orders ©Paljakka Hofstede (1991; 2005)

w w w. h a m k. f i Individualism (IDV)/Group Orientation Very low individualism score 1 –Chinese are family and group oriented to a great extent –Ones status is not derived from personal achievement but from the position within a group –Family members are expected to take care of each other –Face culture can be derived from low individualism Relations and success require effort and social structures, and the loss of face can occur when acting against these norms ©Paljakka Hofstede (1991; 2005)

w w w. h a m k. f i Masculinity Masculine 1 –Highly masculine cultures expect men to be assertive and focused on material success, while women are expected to be modest and concerned with the quality of life. –Feminine countries have overlapping gender roles, masculine societies aim for high performance China, Japan and United States are examples of masculine countries; Finland, Norway, Costa Rica and Sweden among others are feminine. ©Paljakka Hofstede (1991; 2005)

w w w. h a m k. f i Uncertainty Avoidance Relatively low uncertainty avoidance score 1 –Measures how well organizations and their members deal with unexpected situations –People of low scoring countries are expected to deal with uncertainty as a part of daily life Based on the history of the country, in China laws were a series of broad strokes, not exact codes –Also means emotional outbursts, aggression and conflict are not desirable ©Paljakka Hofstede (1991; 2005)

w w w. h a m k. f i Long-term Orientation Highest rank on Long-term orientation 1 –The Chinese culture is by definition persevering, thrifty and adaptive –Work is not expected to be completed immediately This makes sense when you consider uncertainty a part of daily life, and that you need to build personal relations; that kind of work cannot be finished quickly Hofstede added Long-term orientation to his studies as he was critiqued on excluding China –It is no wonder China ranks #1 when the scale was built with China in mind ©Paljakka Hofstede (1991; 2005)

w w w. h a m k. f i Long-Term Orientation (LTO) Geert Hofstede analysis for China has Long- term Orientation (LTO) the highest-ranking factor (118), which is true for all Asian cultures. This Dimension indicates a society's time perspective and an attitude of persevering; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength.

w w w. h a m k. f i The 5 Cultural Dimensions of Hofstede PDIIDVMASUAILTO China India Japan USA Fin Swe Rus France Germany Average

w w w. h a m k. f i Cultural Differences between the Finns and Chinese ©Paljakka 2010

w w w. h a m k. f i Most Important Characteristics of Finnish Culture Finns take words very seriously –appreciation of silence –directness Honesty & reliability Appreciation of rules and laws Unquestioned appreciation of equality Informality and casuality –Foreigners often perceive Finns very rude

w w w. h a m k. f i Most Important Characteristics of Finnish Culture… Modesty, low self-esteem Pessimistic, melancholic –Finnish conversation is a competition of misery Sauna, sisu, salmiakki and Santa Claus Appreciation of nature, changing seasons Glorification of technology Need for space, hard to approach

w w w. h a m k. f i Most Important Characteristics of Finnish Culture… Hard drinking –alcohol –coffee Patient, neutral, calm, lack of strong opinions or great emotions Appreciation of simple things, quality of life Creative Envious Liberal, tolerate

w w w. h a m k. f i Equality Important part of Finnish culture as in other Nordic countries Attempt to distinguish oneself from others may be viewed with hostility Commonly frowned upon in Nordic cultures to believe yourself to be better than others

w w w. h a m k. f i Gender equality High degree of equality between genders Women holding advanced positions in politics, science, business or other areas of society Chauvinistic attitudes towards women unacceptable Masculine terms replaced with gender- neutral ones (e.g. chairperson) Third person singular pronoun offered in both alternatives (he/she)

w w w. h a m k. f i Life style, Way of Life/ The left side is westerner, the other side is Chinese

w w w. h a m k. f i Time concept, Punctuality/

w w w. h a m k. f i Relationships, Contacts/

w w w. h a m k. f i Queue when Waiting/

w w w. h a m k. f i Ego

w w w. h a m k. f i The Boss/

w w w. h a m k. f i Holiday in the shopping mall, Sundays on the Road/

w w w. h a m k. f i Party/

w w w. h a m k. f i In the restaurant/

w w w. h a m k. f i Expressing ones viewpoint, opinion/

w w w. h a m k. f i Handling of Problems/

w w w. h a m k. f i Anger/

w w w. h a m k. f i Travelling/

w w w. h a m k. f i Three meals a day/

w w w. h a m k. f i Transportation/

w w w. h a m k. f i Elderly in day-to-day life/

w w w. h a m k. f i Moods and Weather/

w w w. h a m k. f i What's Trendy/

w w w. h a m k. f i The child/