Business

In a world which has effectively become globalized and flat, the ability of individuals as well as companies to have an effective presence internationally is considered an important ingredient for their personal and commercial success.   This means that they should not only be aware of the differences in how the business in conducted in different parts of the world, but should also have an understanding of the behavior and cultural attributes of its clients. Hence, it can be said that understanding of the cultural difference plays a key role in the international success of any business. Through gaining the understanding of the difference in response of clients, what the clients actually means by what they say and how the results are evaluated in different cultures, companies conducting their businesses globally have a better chance of developing their strength in the international market. On personal basis as well, individual that are constantly on the move, need to have a similar understanding and attitude toward others in order to work successfully with teams from different cultural backgrounds (Kinicki  Kreitner, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to highlight how cultures differentiate from each other and the steps that can be taken to address to reduce the most significant differences. For this purpose a scenario has been used which states that a manager working for a typical individual US organization has been asked to relocate to Brazil in order to lead a team of locals on a relatively long term basis. In order to be successful, it is important to understand the cultural difference that would be experienced by the manager and the locals as well and steps should be taken in order to reduce any major cultural differences. This paper will analyze how the culture in the US and Brazil differ from each other and what could be done in order to prevent a cultural shock in such a situations.

The Attributes of Cultural Dimensions
In order to understand how two cultures differentiate from each other it is important to understand their various dimensions which contribute toward the behavior of individuals that are part of them. One of the most significant researches that have been carried out in this regard is the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness research which has identified 9 cultural dimensions which have to be analyzed by businesses or individuals in order to effectively conduct their work in a foreign environment. These dimensions are Assertiveness, Future Orientation, Gender Differentiation, Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Institutional Collectivism, Family Collectivism, Performance Orientation and Humane Orientation. An analysis of these dimensions for both US and Brazil is provided in the lines below (Chhokar, Brodback,  House, 2007).

Cultural Differences in Brazil and the US
The cultures of Brazil and the US differ in a number of ways. Economy wise the US is significantly ahead of Brazil, offering its inhabitants a good lifestyle and opportunities, in contrast to Brazil which still copes with poverty related issues and is significantly below in terms of its economy and opportunities that it offer to its people. This fact is represented in Brazil as the fact that majority of its residents believe that the power is distributed unequally which may lead the manager to experience either a very obedient attitude or a significantly hostile attitude from the locals as they would always differentiate themselves from the manager due to his higher position. This is in contrast to how the distribution of power is perceived in the US society where the majority of individuals perceive that power is distributed in an equal manner. Furthermore, the culture in the US is mostly male dominated, where much of the roles in the society are performed by male individuals, as compare to Brazil which has a relatively equally distribution of roles in the society between both females and males, therefore it might be expected that the team of the locals in Brazil that the manager will work with will have a greater number of female individuals then the team he was managing in the US.

Furthermore, the society in Brazil thrives on collectivism at both workplace and with family. This means that Brazilians can be expected to bond together strongly while working in team and depend on each other for support. They can be expected to be loyal to the group they belong to, be it their family or work colleagues. Contrary to this, the cultural values in the US promote a highly individualistic behavior. In the US, individuals can be expected to be self reliant and look out for themselves while maintaining a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with each other. Furthermore, the society in Brazil is more long-term oriented than that in the US which means that two common characteristic of Brazilian society are thrift and perseverance among individuals, as compared to the US Society which has more respect for tradition and fulfilling social obligations. Another radical difference between the Brazilian and US culture is that of Uncertainty avoidance.

The people in Brazil tend to have low level of tolerance for uncertainty, which implicates that strict rules and regulations, policies and laws are adopted and implemented in order to control the uncertainty factor. In the US, however, the populace has a more relaxing attitude toward the control of uncertainly and is indicative of that fact that fewer rules and regulation have been implemented in the society to control outcomes and results. It also shows that the US society is more open toward a variety of ideas, thoughts and beliefs (Hofstede, 2009). Among the literature available on the identification of cultural differences, it has also been identified that thought independence and rewards base entirely on efforts are considered important in the US society Brazilians are very much impressed by those individuals who possess the means and the personality to achieve results. In other words, while performance is valued in the US culture, Brazilian believes that a successful individual is born to be that way (Sarpa, 2005).

Cultural Shocks between Brazil and the US
The first cultural shock that would be experienced by the manager and the team will be the difference in the level of individualism among them. While the manager will be used to work with teams that could perform tasks independently of each other, the local team would expect that work would be assigned to them in the form of groups where they can support each other. Furthermore, the different in perception of powers distribution may also create a shock for the manager which would experience a total acceptance of order without much deliberation, in contrast to the US society where one is expected to think or even question others. Furthermore, the difference in the level of acceptance of uncertainty would also be a major difference among them as Brazilian would be less adamant to any change that would be brought in by the new manager, who would be expecting the team to accept the change more readily.

Priorities and Steps Taken to Minimize the Cultural Difference
In order to effectively manage the local team, the manager must take care of the differences with regards to individualism, uncertainty avoidance and performance orientation. In order to communicate and work effectively, the manager would have to lay out a careful plan. In order to tackle the difference in individualism characteristics, the manager will have to plan work in such a way that would allow his team to work in group as well as support each other. Furthermore, since change is a part of any business, therefore the manager would be required to communicate effectively with his team as well as run a training program in order to address the issues his team might have and attempt to convince them of the advantages of the change. In this regard, informal meetings and gathering can be used to build up a relationship and trust with the team, which would entice them toward accepting the change. Furthermore, pushing the limit of the capabilities of the team will also be important to the manager. Hence, the manager would also require its team to think positively about their capabilities. Through positive evaluation sessions and implementation of a reward program, the manager can effectively interest his team into performing beyond what they think they are capable of.

Conclusion
The cultural differences between the US and Brazil are significant. However, in this particular case the importance of individualism, uncertainty avoidance and performance orientation is high due the fact that management of a team is required which would require the manager to connect with its team and create a strong link with them. Through effective communication, addressing of issues of the team and implementation of reward programs, the manager would not only be able to successfully manage the team but would perform the task in a very effective manner while building a strong relationship with his team.