OBAT WORK94 Part 1 Understanding the Workplace
BREAKOUT GROUPEXERCISES
Form small groups to discuss the following topics, as assigned by your instructor. Each person in the group should first iden-
tify 3 to 5 key personal values.
1 .Identify the extent to which values overlap in your group.
2.Try to uncover with your group members the source of some of your key values (e.g., parents, peer group, teachers,
church).
3.What kind of workplace would be most suitable for the values that you hold most closely?ETHICAL DILEMMAEXERCISE
Is It a Bribe or a Gift?
The Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act prohibits
Canadian firms from making payments to foreign government
officials with the aim of gaining or maintaining business. But
payments are acceptable if they don’t violate local laws. For
instance, payments to officers working for foreign corporations
are legal. Many countries don’t have such legal guidelines.
Bribery is a common way of doing business in many under-
developed countries. Government jobs there often don’t pay
very well, so it’s tempting for officials to supplement their
income with bribes. In addition, in many countries, the penal-
ties for demanding and receiving bribes are few or nonexistent.
You are a Canadian who works for a large European multi-
national computer manufacturer. You are currently working to
sell a $5 million system to a government agency in Nigeria.
The Nigerian official who heads up the team that will decide
who gets this contract has asked you for a payment of$20 000. He says this payment will not guarantee you get the
order, but without it he cannot be very encouraging. Your
company’s policy is very flexible on the issue of “gifts” to
facilitate sales. Your boss says that it’s OK to pay the $20 000,
but only if you can be relatively assured of the order.
You are not sure what you should do. The Nigerian official
has told you specifically that any payment to him is not to be
mentioned to anyone else on the Nigerian team. You know
for certain that three other companies are also negotiating,
but it’s unconfirmed whether two of those companies have
turned down the payment request.
What would you do?Source:This exercise is based on M. Allen, “Here Comes the Bribe,”
Entrepreneur,October 2000, p. 48.WORKINGWITH OTHERS EXERCISE
Understanding Cultural Values
Objective To compare the cultural values of two countries, and determine how differences might affect group
behaviour.
Time Approximately 30 minutes.
Procedure
1 .Break into groups of 5 or 6.
2.Pretend that you are a group of students working on a project. Half of you are from Canada and hold typically
“Canadian” cultural values; the other half are from the country assigned and hold that country’s cultural values.
3.Consider the values of power distance, individualism /collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance, and discuss the dif-
ferences between Canadian cultural values and the values of the country assigned to you. (Refer to Exhibit 3-3 on
page 76 to identify the values of your assigned country.)
4.Answer the following questions: What challenges might you expect in working together? What steps could be
taken to work together more effectively?