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Inter-Cultural Dimensions

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Rubins vase

Hofstedes definition:

collective mental programming or the software of mind.

Stereotype = a fixed idea or image that many people have of

a particular type of person or thing, but which is not true in

reality. In intercultural communication it is important to distinguish

between a persons cultural background and personality.

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Culturerefers to the cumulative depositof knowledge, experience, beliefs, values,attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles,spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and

possessions acquired by a group of people in the course ofgenerations through individual and group striving. Culture is the sum total of the learned behavior of a group of

people that are generally considered to be the tradition of thatpeople and are transmitted from generation to generation.

Culture is a collective programming of the mind thatdistinguishes the members of one group or category of peoplefrom another

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Globalization means that there is now one business

culture everywhere in the world.

If they want to do business with me, they will have to

adapt to my culture. It is impossible to generalize about culturesthere are

too many.

Intercultural training just confirms stereotypes

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PERSONALITY

CULTURE

HUMAN NATURE

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We know we are living in a global age.

Technology has brought the world much

closer together. This means that people of

different cultures find themselves working

together and communicating more and more.

This is exciting and interesting, but it can also be frustrating

and fraught with uncertainty. How do you relate to someone of

another culture? What do you say, or not say, to start a

conversation off right? Are there cultural taboos you need to

be aware of?

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National cultures can be described according to the analysisof Geert Hofstede - an influential Dutch writer on theinteractions between national cultures and organizationalcultures.

His ideas were based on a large research project into

national culture differences in a multinational corporation(IBM) in 64 countries. Subsequent studies by otherscovered students in 23 countries, elites in 19 countries,commercial airline pilots in 23 countries, up-marketconsumers in 15 countries, and civil service managers in 14

countries.

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With access to people working for the same organization inover 40 countries of the world, Hofstede collected cultural

data and analyzed his findings. He initially identified four

distinct cultural dimensions that served to distinguish one

culture from another. Later he added a fifth dimension and that

is how the model stands today.

He scored each country using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for

each dimension. The higher the score, the more that dimension

is exhibited in society.

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Power Dstance Index Individualism vs. Collectivism Masulinity vs. Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index

Long Term Orientation Indulgence vs. Restraint

The Hofstede Model of Cultural Dimensions can be of greatuse when it comes to analyzing a countrys culture. There

are however a few things one has to keep in mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNntW_DA0x0

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Hofstedes Power distance Index measures the extentto which the less powerful members of organizationsand institutions (like the family) accept and expect that

power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but

defined from below, not from above. It suggests that asocietys level of inequality is endorsed by the

followers as much as by the leaders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqaa42gbqhA

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High PD - Characteristics

Centralized companies.

Strong hierarchies. Large gaps in compensation, authority, and respect. High PD - Tips

Acknowledge a leader's power. Be aware that you may need to go to the top for answers

Low PD - Characteristics

Flatter organizations. Supervisors and employees are considered almost as equals.

Low PD - Tips

Use teamwork Involve as many people as possible in decision making.

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For example, Germany has a 35 on the cultural scale ofHofstedes analysis.

Compared to Arab countries where the power distance isvery high (80) and Austria where it very low (11), Germany

is somewhat in the middle. Germany does not have a large gap between the wealthy

and the poor, but have a strong belief in equality for eachcitizen. Germans have the opportunity to rise in society.

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On the other hand, the power distance in the United

States scores a 40 on the cultural scale. The United

States exhibits a more unequal distribution of wealth

compared to German society. As the years go by it

seems that the distance between the have and have-

nots grows larger and larger.

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Individualism is the opposite of collectivism, that is the degree towhich individuals are integrated into groups.

On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties

between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look afterhim/herself and his/her immediate family.

On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people frombirth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups,

often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents)which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioningloyalty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW7aWKXB5J4

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For example, Germany can be considered as individualisticwith a high score (89) on the scale of Hofstede compared to

a country like Guatemala where they have strongcollectivism (6 on the scale).

In Germany people stress on personal achievements andindividual rights. Germans expect from each other to fulfill

their own needs. Group work is important, but everybodyhas the right of his own opinion an is expected to reflectthose. In an individual country like Germany people tend tohave more loose relationships than countries where there isa collectivism where people have large extended families.

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The United States can clearly be seen as

individualistic (scoring a 91). The American dream is

clearly a representation of this. This is the Americans

hope for a better quality of life and a higher standard of

living than their parents. This belief is that anyone,

regardless of their status can pull up their boot straps

and raise themselves from poverty.

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Masculinity versus femininity refers to the distribution of rolesbetween the genders .

The IBM studies revealed that:(a) womens values differ less among societies than mensvalues;

(b) mens values from one country to another contain adimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally

different from womens values on the one side, to modest andcaring and similar to womens values on the other.

The assertive pole has been called masculine and the modest,caring pole feminine.

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For example, Germany has a masculine culture with a

66 on the scale of Hofstede (Netherlands 14).

Masculine traits include assertiveness,

materialism/material success, self-centeredness, power,

strength, and individual achievements. The United

States scored a 62 on Hofstedes scale. So these two

cultures share, in terms of masculinity, similar values.

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Uncertainty avoidance deals with a societys tolerance foruncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to manssearch for Truth.

It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members

to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructuredsituations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown,surprising, and different from usual.

Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize thepossibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety

and security measures, and on the philosophical andreligious level by a belief in absolute Truth; there can onlybe one Truth and we have it.

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High UAI - people with high UAI work well within astructured environment, under strict laws, rules and

guidelines.

In a high UAI workplace, employees perform at their best

with clear directives and follow standards & procedures. Low UAI - people with low UAI can tolerate uncertainty

and welcome freedom of opinions, try to have as few rules

as possible.

In a low UAI workplace, employees tend to "go with theflow," are more flexible and do not require instructions and

rules to perform well.

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For example, in Germany there is a reasonable highuncertainty avoidance (65) compared to countries asSingapore (8) and neighboring country Denmark (23).

Germans are not to keen on uncertainty, by planningeverything carefully they try to avoid the uncertainty. InGermany there is a society that relies on rules, laws andregulations. Germany wants to reduce its risks to the

minimum and proceed with changes step by step. The United States scores a 46 compared to the 65 of the

German culture. Uncertainty avoidance in the US isrelatively low, which can clearly be viewed through the

national cultures.

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Long-Term Orientation is the fifth

dimension of Hofstede which was added after the original

four to try to distinguish the difference in thinking betweenthe East and West.

From the original IBM studies, this difference was

something that could not be deduced.

Therefore, Hofstede created a Chinese value survey whichwas distributed across 23 countries. From these results, and

with an understanding of the influence of the teaching of

Confucius on the East, long term vs. short term

orientationbecame the fifth cultural dimension.

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Long term orientation-persistence-ordering relationships by status and observing thisorder

-thrift-having a sense of shame

Short term orientation-personal steadiness and stability

-protecting your face-respect or tradition-reciprocation of greetings, favors, and gifts

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LTO refers to the degree to which the society upholdstraditional values. High or low dimensions predispose

countries to resist or accept change.

High LTO - In a high LTO workplace, the society is

entrenched in traditions of yore, which often means that

long term commitments and hard work as a plan for

future rewards outweigh the need for rapid change.

Low LTO - In a low LTO workplace, a society changecan occur faster since long term traditions do not

impede them.

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Indulgence stands for a society that allows relativelyfree gratification of basic and natural human drives

related to enjoying life and having fun.

Restraint stands for a society that suppresses

gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict

social norms.

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In response to a disability, individuals from a culture ofindulgence feel that they have control over their future levelof function and participation in life activities;

Individuals from a background of cultural restraint mayhave a sense of helplessness and be less actively involved in

taking control over their involvement in functionalactivities outside of the clinic.

Additionally, in cultures valuing restraint, leisure activitiesare of lesser value, which may prove important to considerin selecting functional therapy activities. Cultures valuing

indulgence place higher importance on leisure and soactivities considered enjoyable may be more appropriate forindividuals with this cultural trait.

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Indulgent cultures (such as Mexico and the USA) tendto be happier, more optimistic and extrovert. They

place a high value on friendship, leisure time andhealth, and believe that it's important to have control

over your own life. Restrained cultures, on the other hand (such as Egypt)

tend to take a more frugal and cynical outlook,favouring moral discipline and believing

that gratification should be repressed. These are oftenvery religious cultures, formed of tightly-knitcommunities.

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Tips for Indulgent cultures:

Make interactions fun

Give away entertaining freebies

Use and encourage user generated content

Provide honest discussion Reflect loose gender roles by using a range of models

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Key Points: Cultural norms play a large part in the mechanics and

interpersonal relationships at work. When you grow up in aculture you take your norms of behavior for granted. Youdon't have to think about your reactions, preferences, and

feelings.

When you step into a foreign culture, suddenly things seemdifferent. You don't know what to do or say. UsingHofstede's Cultural Dimensions as a starting point, you can

evaluate your approach, your decisions, and actions basedon a general sense of how the society might think and reactto you.

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We readily acknowledge that culturaldifferences exist. It is apparent looking at cities like Shanghai

and Sydney that the differences are profound. Yet, within abusiness context we often think that the differences have fadedaway to be replaced with a generic international businessculture, one-size-fits-all from Sydney to Shanghai toStockholm.

This perception is often supported by our initial view ofbusiness in those cities. Businesspeople dress similarly andseem to behave similarly. While art and decor have somevariations, the standard office furniture exists in any of theselocations. And yet, a few close observations will reveal the

differences that do exist.

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The furniture and layout of the offices can provide an

indication of the differences. Are the offices open-plan or

cubicles? If it is a combination of the two, what positions have

offices? How are those offices decorated or furnished? Theseaspects can give you an indication of how status is viewed,

and who deserves respect. Are the doors open or shut? Even

the position of the guests chairs in the office can show you the

extent of personal space that people feel comfortable with inthis business culture.

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1. Managers at one American company were startledwhen they discovered that the brand name of the

cooking oil they were marketing in a Latin Americancountry translated into Spanish as "Jackass Oil.

2. American Motors tried to market its new car, theMatador, based on the image of courage and strength.

However, in Puerto Rico the name means "killer" andwas not popular on the hazardous roads in thecountry.

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3. A sales manager in Hong Kong tried to control employee'spromptness at work. He insisted they come to work on timeinstead of 15 minutes late. They complied, but then leftexactly on time instead of working into the evening as theypreviously had done. Much work was left unfinished until

the manager relented and they returned to their usual timeschedule.4. A US telephone company tried to market its products and

services to Latinos by showing a commercial in which aLatino wife tells her husband to call a friend, telling her

they would be late for dinner. The commercial bombedsince Latino women do not order their husbands around andtheir use of time would not require a call about lateness.

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5. Proctor & Gamble used a television commercial in Japan

that was popular in Europe. The ad showed a woman

bathing, her husband entering the bathroom and touchingher. The Japanese considered this ad an invasion of privacy,

inappropriate behavior, and very poor taste.

6. An American business person refused an offer of a cup of

coffee from a Saudi businessman. Such a rejection isconsidered very rude and the business negotiations became

stalled.