NORTH AMERICA

North America is the third largest continent in the world. It compounds the Caribbean, Central America countries, Canada, Mexico, the United States and Greenland.
According to the class presentation we can focus on the most developed North American countries like Canada and the United States.



similarities:

both have an individualistic western culture and low context form of communication.
Although Canadians feel that it their own culture and sometimes feel that to be called American is an insult.

Canada

Proclaims Not be Americans adding to this they try to avoid flashy displays of status or wealth, instructively avoiding material possession that would seem an attempt to be better than others.
Nevertheless Canada is a multicultural country, where converge many cultures from everywhere, it is mainly because Canadians are more open minded than others. The main characteristic there is they have a good appreciation to foreign cultures.

The United States

It is characterized by individualism that is reflected on the American Football in this way they have a metaphor which is the manner to practice business by Americans as equal as playing football, like the constant movement, the high degree of specialization, the consistent aggressiveness, and the intense competition in football: typify the American culture.

Huddle: means “How offensive teams gather together before each play to call a certain plan into action”. It is typically used in most American groups and organizations in order to handle their problems and achieve their objective.

DREAM: is The American cultural code for America and also of the explorers, the entrepreneurs, the immigrants, the new explorers. An example is the Constitution that is a dream: to achieve a better society. American primarily mission, to keep the dream alive. In order to this there are some philosophies for Americans:

Work and Money

They believed that:

1. They are what they do in their jobs.


2. Unemployed = nobody.


3. Work hard to get something.

Quality and Perfection
The American culture Code of Quality is IT WORKS: A simple and clear quality demand for products:

1. They need to work.
2. They don’t expect anyone to make the perfect product; they expect them to break down.
3. They expect problems to be resolved quickly and with a minimum of disruption.
4. For Americans great service is more important than great quality.
   

CASE STUDY: "The HP Way"*
The proposed case study for this module illustrates the importance of organizational culture in the context of the USA. It also enables the reader to understand the strong relationship between national and organizational culture.
Based on the class presentations and the assigned case study, please answer the following questions:

1. List and explain 3 strategies used by HP in order to develop and sustain a strong organizational culture - "The HP Way".

Hewlett Packard has developed over the years the 'HP way' that is a very specific and carefully defined management philosophy. It is a rather unique and effective way of working with people. HP Way effectively represents a formal statement of Hewlett Packard's corporate culture which the company's corporate objectives were described at the time as being ‘somewhat similar to the US Constitution’. The HP Way involved a participative management style that supported individual freedom and the initiative while emphasizing unity of purpose and teamwork.
HP’s culture has also operated as a control device, although by providing a framework of values that encourage self-directed employees to develop personal autonomy, goal setting, self-learning and self-discipline.

STRATEGIES:
1. The selection of new recruits: who either share or can easily adapt to the company's values. HP has always been very selective in considering job applicants and has used a variety of techniques as part of its selection process (the thick screening processes). There is clearly an emphasis on adaptability and cultural ‘fit’ with HP and, once employed by the company, all employees were offered some degree of job security.
2. The telling of company stories: These help to clarify as well as communicate the values and attitudes that are important within the company. Stories can also have an important symbolic function when describing important historical moments in the company history or exemplifying company role models and ‘heroes’ - remarkable individuals who personify the values of the culture (Forster et al,1999).
3. To employees' actions being guided by the company's values: the day to- day activities of HP employees have been primarily directed by a system of management by objectives (MBO). This was introduced in the early 1950s to ‘provide a well-defined objective, give the person as much freedom as possible in working towards that objective....’ The MBO system has also been the main control system over the product divisions particularly as managers are set divisional targets as their personal objectives.

2. By 2001, Carly Fiorina was facing a huge dilemma in terms of organizational culture. "Should Fiorina try to revitalize the HP way or attempt to replace it with a “better” culture than the one established by Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett in the 1940’s?” Explain your answer.

I strongly believe that Carly Fiorina should attempt to replace the traditional HP way that was created by Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett in the 1940’s, because everything needs a change within she looked forwards innovation in technology and improvement rather than employees benefits which could be the cause that the ‘better’ change for the company failed. Because of the fear of change, and the belief that everything works better following tradition rather innovation, nevertheless all innovation does not mean improvement but it worth when people try to make a difference.

REFERENCES

• Rapaille, Clotaire. 2006. “Working for a living: the codes of work and money”. In: The Culture Code New York: Broadway.


• *Forster, Nick. 2002. “Managing excellence through corporate culture: the HP way” The Management Case Study Journal 2(1): 13-25.


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