Identifying and Transforming Filipino Cultural Malaises: Dr. Ben Teehankee

Identifying & Transforming
Filipino Cultural Malaises
Dr. Benito Teehankee
Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Associate
Professor in Business and Governance
De La Salle University

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Outline
• What is culture?
• How does culture develop?
• How does culture relate to productivity?
• How can Filipino cultural values be
harnessed for productivity?
2

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What are cultural values?
• Common values and beliefs learned
through time in close contact with groups
• What works for people as they try to:
– Build identity in a group (integration)
– Protect themselves from the harshness of the
world (adaptation)
• Taught to others as the “right” way (i.e.,
family, friends, school, workplace, Church,
etc.)
3

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How does culture form?
An experiment

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Organization with mis-aligned values
Highly committed;
aligned member
Vision
&
Values
Completely misaligned,
Less committed;
non-compliant member
5
Less aligned member

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Organization with aligned values
Highly committed;
aligned leader
Vision
&
Values
Less committed;
aligned member
6

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Filipino value imperatives
• Personal worth (dangal); avoidance of
shame (hiya)
• In-group relatedness and identity
(pakikipag-kapwa; hindi ibang-tao; ma-
aasahan)
7

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Issues on Filipino Culture
and Productivity
• Criticized values:
– Pakikisama, pwede na, bahala na, Filipino
time, takipan, regionalism, etc.
• What are the cultural causes of these?
What are their effects on the organization?
• What should be done about these, given
that they are part of our culture? Is there a
way to transform our culture?
8

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The Distribution of
Philippine Poverty
2003
Above 30.4% Poverty
Philippine
Below 30.4% Poverty
geography, weather
calamities and
uneven economic
development
reinforces cultural
values for group
identity and survival
e.g. Hillary Clinton
comment
From NEDA MDG Report citing
9
Philippine Daily Inquirer
NSCB data

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No room for unconnected
• “I know how smart the Filipino people are. I
know how hard they work. I’m not sure there’s
any group of people anywhere in the world that
works harder than Filipinos…
• “But let’s be honest here. Too many of them feel
that they cannot progress in their own country.
Too many of them feel that the elite in business
and politics basically call the shots, and there’s
not much room for someone who’s hardworking,
but not connected”
• --US Sec of State Hillary Clinton
10

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