Spain
Accepting a new job often involves considering many factors. We weigh our personal values and needs, to those of various organizations. Once this decision has been made and a new job is started we must then adjust our behaviors to fit those of our organization. When accepting a position in a foreign country this process becomes much more involved. Not only do we have to make the normal adjustments to a new work environment, but we must also adapt to a new culture. This paper aims to examine the country of Spain, in anticipation of starting a job there in three months time. We will investigate the history of the country in hopes of not only learning about their culture, but also how that culture was formed. We will examine various aspects of that culture; such as the language, attitudes, beliefs, and the norms of the society.
After establishing a good basis for what to expect from the society as a whole, we will examine their corporate culture. Learning all we can about Spain's organizational behavior, will help not only in everyday Spanish life, but most importantly how to function in a new job. This can be achieved by looking at the various aspects of corporate culture including: management styles, human resource policy trends, dress, norms and ethics. Also valuable will be the examination of how work and social cultures mix.
Culture can be defined in many ways. Generally it is understood to be "the set of values, customs, and beliefs that people have in common with other members of a social unit (e.g. a nation) (Greenberg, 14). As United States citizens we share a culture uniquely American. In order to be better prepared for life in Spain we must learn the Spanish culture. Often times "when people are faced with a new culture, it is not unus ...