The Implications Of The Comparison Between The Management Styles Of The Chinese And German Managers In Siemens AG

As the globalization process quickens its pace, China's economy is becoming more and moreglobalized. Many multinational corporations come to China to explore this huge andprofitable market. Literature from both cross-culture studies and management research showsthat culture is a significant factor affecting management behavior. China as a country withlong history of over five thousand years' civilization, its profound culture penetrates intoalmost every aspects of Chinese people's daily life. Difference in cultural backgrounds maylead to divergent opinions on management styles. What will happen when Chinese cultureinteracts with other cultures? This thesis compares the differences of Chinese and Germanmanagers' management styles in Siemens AG from Chinese employees' perspective,measures their satisfaction with these different management styles and tries to explain thesedifferences from cultural perspectives.Hofstede's cultural dimensions and paternalism serve as the theoretical framework of cultureof this thesis. Four patterns of leadership behavior: directive leadership, supportive leadership,contingent reward leadership and contingent punishment leadership are selected to measureChinese and German managers' leadership style. Questionnaire survey is the mainmethodology in this thesis. Results from data analysis show that significant differences existbetween Chinese and German managers' leadership style. Although Chinese employees agreethat they are as satisfied with Chinese manager's leadership style as with that of Germanmanagers, they differ on the effectiveness of these managers' leadership styles. Chinesemanagers are viewed as managing more effectively than their German counterparts. Thethesis finally points out the limitations of the study and proposes some implications forChinese and German managers.