1.4 POWER DISTANCE

WARM UP Examine individualism index from the prior lesson. Recap the individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures. Remember that all individuals are along the continuum, but collections of individuals of different cultures tend to one section of the continuum.

Essential Questions What is power distance? How can you see power distance in different cultures? Where does America fit in in regard to the high power – low power distance continuum in relation to other countries.

Video Activity: 15 minutes The class will be divided into thirds. Ask one third of the class to describe the classroom, one third to describe the students, and one third to describe the teacher.

Video Discussion: 15 minutes Get to the bottom of WHY we feel the way we do about this classroom. Identify the “why.” Do not be surprised if this is difficult for them. Complete statements like: “In an ideal class... “The classroom should _________ (What should the classroom look like? What should be on the walls? How should the desks be arranged? What resources should be used? ).” “The teacher should ___________ (What should the teacher look like? Do? Where should he stand? How should he move? Should he interact more or less with the students?” “The students should ______ (How should they sit? How should they look? What should they do?).”

What is Power? : 10 minutes What is power? What does it mean to be powerful? When you think of the word power, what do you think of? If a person is powerful, what does that mean? Create a class mind map of all of the words students use to describe power or powerful people. Answer the following questions: Does a person’s power differ according to situations? Can you think of examples of this in your life? How do you feel about power differentials or inequality? This is the essence of power distance.

Power Distance Discussion Slide 4: Hofstede defines power distance as the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with international experience will be aware that 'all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others'. Look back at how we reacted to the classroom in the video. The way the class is set up indicates a high power distance. We reacted to it in this way because the U.S. has a relatively low power distance. But, the class is in the U.S., you say? True. How we react to this kind of setting is what shows how comfortable we feel with the distance that the teacher is showing in his power and that of his students. Inequality exists everywhere. The concept of power distance explains how less powerful people feel about others holding power over them. Some people accept that some people are smarter or make more money or should be leaders. This is a high power distance concept. Those cultures recognize power differentials, but generally think they are simply for the sake of convenience and are not permanent or innate

Power Distance Activity: 20 minutes Power Distance Activity Handout – Identify whether each statement is high or low power?

Power Distance Research: 20 minutes Arabic-speaking World Egypt (pp ) Kuwait (pp ) Saudi Arabia (pp ) Chinese-speaking World China (pp ) Hong Kong (pp ) Taiwan (pp ) Spanish-speaking World Colombia (pp ) Mexico (pp ) Spain (pp )

JOURNAL Watch video on Hofstede talking about Power Distance. What is power distance? How can you see power distance in different cultures?