Differences Between in Culture Between U.S. and Cambodia

Differences between in culture between U.S. and Cambodia

Differences in culture

The United States is an ethnically heterogeneous state the harbors many different people who have different cultural beliefs. It is ethnically diverse. On the other hand, Cambodia is ethnically homogeneous consisting of approximately ninety percent of the Khmer community, (Das, 2007).

Despite consisting of a diverse population, the U.S. speaks only one language which is the U.S. English, (McGee & New York Public Library, 2008). This makes interaction between the citizens much easier. In Cambodia the majority of citizens are Khmer and the most commonly spoken language is the Khmer language.

A majority of Cambodians do not believe in conventional medicine which is the only trusted mode of treatment in the U.S. Instead, the Cambodians still believe in traditional medicine which in a majority of case, one medication is used to treat more than one infection. Hitherto the Cambodians still believe that the common imbalance is the result of spiritual causes.

In most cases, the Cambodians would call upon a spiritual healer to administer a remedy to a particular ailment. In U.S. though, conventional doctors are used prescribe treatment of diseases.

Family planning which is a common practice in the U.S. is viewed as a “punishment” to humanity. This practice is very rarely practiced with the Cambodian citizens.

Management system

The management system in the U.S. is hierarchical in that managers set standards and gives instructions on what needs to be done while deploying his or her subordinates to execute the plans, (Connecteast.net, 2015). The decision making process in this case is bottom-up in which the employees identify a problem and provide their suggestion to solving the problem but the final decision comes from the manager. This management style is important since it helps saves time.

On the other hand, in Cambodia, the manager acts as a supervisor who ensures that everything is done as required. Although decision making process in this case is also hierarchical, the managers also interact more with the employees. This is essential in the quality delivery of the employees’ work output (Forster, 2005). In the Cambodian system of management, decisions are solely made by the manager without the consultation of the employees whose main role is to execute what has been decided. This Cambodian system of management promotes the lack of accountability since in most cases work is done in a group.

Although the paternalistic nature of the managers in Cambodia is exhibited in the meetings, praises are always for the entire group. In the U.S., the managers are most respected and are usually worth all the praises except when the manager chooses who praises should be directed to.

In the U.S., numerous strategies are always set aside before an action is executed. This is usually done to prevent a project from going to a standstill, such that if one strategy fails another is put to action. In Cambodia however, change of plans is not usually welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm. Besides, the Cambodians are not usually ready to take risks.