A person who comes from a society high in power distance and collectivism will inevitably have certain presuppositions about how organizations should work. Canada is an example of a country with a relatively low power distance and high individualism. When a person from a high distance, high collectivist society comes to Canada to work, their professional conduct will differ from the standard one, which may lead to misunderstanding, but also to gaining an advantage.
High-power-distance people usually do not challenge the authority, believing that people have different social statuses because of the extent of their knowledge and expertise. Accepting the power inequality, Individuals with high power distance take the opinions of the superiors as a given and do not try to present their point of view. According to Lin et al. (2017), “employees with higher values of power distance have significantly exacerbated “psychological hurdles” preventing employees from voicing their opinions” (p. 6). On the other hand, in Canada, because of the low power distance, employees of any position are expected to share their thoughts and ideas on the company’s situation. Thus, it can be supposed that when individuals with the aforementioned tendencies enter the Canadian corporate environment, they may struggle with presenting their perspectives at meetings. Likewise, when such individuals occupy managerial positions, they may dismiss the opinions of the subordinates, assuming that it is not the task that fits their ranking, both situations can cause considerable misunderstanding.
Collectivism implies a strong organizational commitment, a person from South Asia is likely to be extremely loyal to their company and diligent in performing their professional duties, prioritizing the company’s interests over their own. On the other hand, individualism, which is characteristic of Canada, promotes independence and autonomous decision-making, these qualities contribute to employees’ creativity. Thus, it can be inferred that a South Asian person in Canada will be assiduous in their job performance but may initially lack creativity, which can hinder their career advancement. Nevertheless, gradually this person may develop dynamic collectivism, which “allows organizational members of a group to prioritize their orientation depending upon situations and contexts” (Kim, 2019, p. 4). Thus, a person high in collectivism, by entering an individualistic environment, can master a comprehensive attitude that will combine both approaches, which will increase their professional value and give them an advantage.
A person from South Asia who starts working in Canada will face significant challenges during the first years of their new job. The difference in high and low power distance may affect the person’s ability to actively participate in meetings that require everyone to share their opinions. A South Asian person who is high in collectivism may also experience difficulty in creating new ideas, which will slow their career growth. Nevertheless, mastering a mixed approach that combines the best of individualism and collectivism will put the person into an advantageous position.
The five-factor model (FFM) is a psychological framework that helps analyze any individual according to personality traits belonging to five basic dimensions. These include extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness, they are also called the Big Five traits. The FFM assists different professionals and researchers in carrying out comprehensive analyses and assessments of individuals in various spheres, including academic, corporate, and clinical ones. The five-factor model can also be used to determine the best candidate for a store manager position, in this case, the most important factors are openness to experience, neuroticism, and conscientiousness.
Each of the model’s factors comprises a variety of traits that are used in analyzing individuals’ personalities. The positive traits of extraversion include being outgoing, active, and talkative, while the opposite ones include staying reserved and tired of social contact. People who score high in conscientiousness can be characterized as responsible, well-organized, and strict, while the ones with the low score are careless and undisciplined. High neuroticism is linked to anxiety, stress, and mood swings, while the opposite traits include staying calm, resilient, and emotionally stable (Stricker et al., 2019). Openness to experience is often called the essential factor, among positive traits of which there are curiosity, creativity, an unconventional approach, the opposite traits include adherence to routine, aversion to change, high predictability. Agreeableness also plays a vital role in defining individuals’ personalities, people high in this factor are modest, empathic, and altruistic, while those with low scores are arrogant, demanding, and skeptical.
Applying this model of assessment to potential candidates for a managerial position at a retail store, it is important to consider all factors, but three of them should be analyzed most thoroughly. The first of them is openness to experience; a store manager must constantly introduce new approaches and adapt to the customers’ needs, this is why staying curious and creative is a must. Another important factor is neuroticism, it affects managers’ ability to work with subordinates, “individuals who lack positive psychological adjustment and emotional stability…may not be appropriate in a role that requires teamwork” (Bui, 2017, p. 28). The final factor is conscientiousness, it reflects managers’ capacity to develop a detailed road map and stick to it, people who act carelessly and impulsively are unable to plan and succeed in the long term. Thus, these are three factors that must be taken into consideration in the first place in assessing a potential store manager.
The five-factor model (FFM) allows psychologists to assess every person based on five factors that comprise individual traits. These five factors are extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness, and are also referred to as the Big Five traits. Good store managers must be creative to adapt to new situations on the market, emotionally stable to work well in a team, and highly organized to be able to plan for the future. Thus, the factors that are essential for each store manager are openness to experience, neuroticism, and conscientiousness.
References
Lin, X., Chen, Z. X., Tse, H. H. M., Wei, W., & Ma, C. (2017). Why and when do employees like to speak up more under humble leaders? The roles of personal sense of power and power distance. Journal of Business Ethics. 158(4), 937-950. Springer. Web.
Kim, M. (2019). Effects of collectivism and individualism on performance: Dynamic collectivism in Korean firms. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(7), 1–15. Web.
Stricker, J., Buecker, S., Schneider, M., & Preckel, F. (2019). Multidimensional perfectionism and the big five personality traits: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Personality. 33(2), 176-196. Wiley. Web.
Bui, H. T. (2017). Big five personality traits and job satisfaction. Journal of General Management, 42(3), 21–30. Web.