Pygmalion effect

The Pygmalion effect is when the expected behavior of someone conditions the result, it means that the expectations you have on someone in certain aspect or in doing an specific task, influence in that person for doing that task in the way you thought he would do it, and it’s not on propose, it is just that when you believe in someone abilities that person would fulfill the expectations you have on him, this is mostly unconsciously that’s why its an effect, also known as the self-fulfilling prophecy, that was “conceptualized by Robert Merton a professor of sociology at Columbia University. In a 1957 work called (social theory and social structure), Merton said the phenomenon occurs when a false definition of the situation evokes a new behavior which makes the original false conception come true”

Better management by perception (n.d) retrieved august 29, 2010, from

(http://www.accel-team.com/pygmalion/index.html).

image retrieved august 29, 2010, from

http://inwiki.pabo-inholland.nl/pygmalion-effect

Examples of Pygmalion effect in racism

The Pygmalion effect can also result from racial expectations. This effect is seen during Jane Elliott’s blue-eyed versus brown-eyed discrimination exercise, where third graders were divided based on eye color. One group was given preference and regarded as "superior" because of their eye color, with the other group repeatedly being considered inferior in intelligence and learning ability. On the second day of the experiment, the groups were completely reversed, with those oppressed against one day being regarded as superior the next.
Elliott gave spelling tests to both groups on each day of the experiment. The students scored very low on the day they were racially "inferior" and very high on the day they were considered racially "superior."

retrieved august 29, 2010, from

(http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=120561561296418)

Here is an interesting video about the topic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wl_MZc1cTU&NR=1

Masculinity Vs Femininity

image retrieved from

http://masculinityandfemininityinthemedia.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

Masculinity Vs Femininity

Colombia has a high level of masculinity, what means that in our culture there are values such as: materialism, individual achievements, success in terms of generating high incomes, and regarding to negotiation we found firmly defined the premise that “the end justifies the means”, so for achieve an objective people appeal to threats, tricks and punishments when they are negotiating, like the stick approach.

If a manager of a country with high levels of masculinity for example Colombia or Japan is sent to work to another country with very low levels of masculinity such as Netherlands, his performance as a professional could be affected, because the cultural bases are too different, specifically in business, because their values clash with the values of a feminist country and in this kind of countries the transparency, the good intentions and achieving a common goal are main characteristics in business and even are above of achieving the expected incomes and benefits; so it would be against the costumes and values of an enterprise of that country a manager that overcomes the truth and transparency to achieve their own goals and profits.

image retrieved from

http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/073/culture.html