Yashodhan Mandke
Sullivan Blackboard
3Q-MGT541-X01-01-Culture in Organizations-Summer 2020
30th July 2020.
Midterm
Question 1: According to Hofstede avers that a society with high uncertainty avoidance tends to have less ambiguity and prefer to solve their conflicts using their norms rather than set or structured laws. In the society of the Cherokee tribe, it is imperative to understand that they do not depend or do well with uncertainty and unknown. When there is a conflict, they both used formal and informal channels which involve tribe council and the US Government laws of the land. In this group, the conflict resolution concept, they heavily rely on rule-oriented mechanism as high uncertainty avoidance, Cherokee is less comfortable with unknown concepts and situations. The mitigation of problems and uncertainty relies on the fastens in solving them. High uncertainty avoidance in conflicts reduced chances of instability and problems within the tribe. Cohesions is imperative in maintaining laws and order in all the seven clans of the groups. The tribal council, as well as the US government, contributes to the decision making of the Cherokee.
Question 2: Hofstede (2010) avers that long-term orientation (LTO) in decision making means that the society or group tend to have the tendency to focussing the long-range implications and they are willing to wait for a longer time. Cherokee tribe group are individual who is able to preserve themselves and adapt. The impact of decisions and actions in long term orientation is beneficial in their cultural and economic development. They prefer adapting to new ways and value resistance to have fruitful impact agree longer extended time period. Valuing of traditions and social hierarchy is associated with conflict resolution patterns of the Cherokee people. When they deal with disagreement, they rather use their past and present authority and hierarchy in solving any matter. They are characterized in not using futuristic mechanism and technology in solving crime or conflict. An example is using rituals and rites to determine the guilty party in a conflict, measuring their issues and conflicts in a short term basic shows that there is a link with the tribe’s past in understanding their unknown futures.
Question 3. The Cherokee group have many symbols of unity and cohesion, but they all have specific meaning and functionality. But the most important symbol that stood out is the Cherokee tribe is their colourful flag. The importance of the tribal flag is that it is a unification symbol representing all the seven clans. The clan mainly consists of clan leaders and members of above 50 individuals. Each claim has a representative emblem or symbols, for example, the Wolf tribe which shows the resiliency and qualities of these animals. The use of the Cherokee flag in decision making and conflict resolution is a form of a symbol that reminds the group of their roles and indigenous in preservation peace, law and order. Symbols are important in a cultural aspect as they remind the individuals about what matters more in their group. Among the Cherokee people, their flag is a sign of harmony and togetherness, which is essential to their socio-political structure. The tribe stands for peace and happiness in which the flag tends to portray with its bright colours. There are over 819,000 blooded Cherokee people who have linked to initial tribe members; hence the flag identifies them in each clan, thus giving them a sense of belonging.
Question 4: Among the Cherokee tribe, the two popular rituals are the purification ceremony that is done using a sacred crystal. Another outstanding ritual that is most important is the Green Corn Ceremony that involved harvest the first corn. The group from July to August have to abstain from eating corn before the ceremony. The Cherokee was known to be a group that was agriculturally based meaning which proved that they were cultured people. The importance of this type of ritual is to appreciate their gods or higher being for the gift of food. This group would give thanks to their divine and spiritual being. The Green corn Ceremony is vital as it connected the group to the spiritual world as a form of giving adoration and thanks to their ancestors. The way of life of this tribe highly depends on the livelihood and how they interacted on a social level. The rituals act as a link to their ancestors; hence they feel obligated to perform certain rituals to continue the traditions as a form of respect. This group views rituals a part of their cultural structure and organization.
Question 5: Tsali is one of the greatest heroes in this group because of his contribution to the freedom and sovereignty of the tribe. In the 1830s, the American troops were taking land in the name of the US government in which they faced resistance from Cherokee people. Tsali today was known as an individual who refused to leave his homeland in 1838. He was caught and later executed with his kins. He was seen as a martyr and a resistance against US government oppression. The Indians, over many decades, have been subjected to land grabbing, and it is a fact that before the New World, Northern America was originally owned by Indians. The Tsali resistance shows that Cherokee people were linked and tied to their homeland, and the evictions were a form of disrespect to their culture and traditions. Tsali is a known hero as there is s forest, street and conservation named after him today. The tribe views him as a fundamental hero who reminded the Cherokee tribe that their culture and traditions are what ties them together.
Work cited
Hofstede, Geert H., Gert Jan Hofstede, and Michael Minkov. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. Vol. 2. New York: Mcgraw-hill, 2010.