Cultural dimension of Greet Hofstede and Fons Tropenaars
HOFSTEDE:
-
the main cultural differences among relations lie in values
POWER DISTANCE
SMALL POWER DISTANCE
-
Inequities among people should be minimized
-
Hierarchy in organizations means an inequity of roles
-
Decentralisation is popular
-
Narrow salary range between top and bottom of organization
-
Subordinates expect to be consulted
-
The ideal boss is a resourceful democrat
-
Privileges and status symbols are forward upon
-
Austria, Israel, GB, Germany, Scandinavian countries
LARGE POWER DISTANCE
-
Inequities among people are expected and desired
-
Less powerful people should be dependent
-
Centralisation is popular
-
Wide salary range
-
Subordinates expect to be told what to do
-
The ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat or good father
-
Privileges and status symbols are expected and popular
-
France, LA, Belgium, Third World Countries
Large power distance
-
children are dependent
-
student-teacher inequity => the educational process is teacher centered, teachers are never publicly criticized or contradicted
-
organizations centralize power as much as possible in a few hands; subordinates expect to be told what to do; hierarchy
-
cultural privileges, status symbols
-
one party political system
Small power distance
-
children – treated as equals; encouraged to be independent
-
need for independence – major component of the mental software
-
teachers – treat students as equal and vice versa, educational process is student centered
-
organizations – decentralized; hierarchical pyramid – flat; small salary range
-
laws guarantee equal rights
-
revolutions – unpopular
-
scandals – end political carriers
Individualism X collectivism
Individualism
-
Everybody for him or herself
-
USA, GB, Germany
Collectivism
-
People should remain attached to tight groups
-
East Asian countries, Arab cultures
Individualism
-
societies in which ties between individuals are loose – everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her family
-
speaking one´s mind is virtue
-
children – encouraged to develop opinion; own pocket money
-
“guilt societies”
-
open discussions at schools
-
relation between an employer and employee – business transactions
Collectivism
-
people – strong, cohesive1 in groups
-
maintenance2 of harmony
-
direct confrontations => rude, undesirable
-
personal opinion doesn´t exist
-
shame society
-
large family – children, parents, uncles, aunts, servants
-
lifelong loyalty to one´s group
MASCULINITY X FEMININITY
MASCULINITY
-
Tough society
-
Dominant values: material success and progress
-
Money and things are important
-
People are supported to be assertive, ambitious and tough
-
Sympathy for the strong
-
Live in order to work
-
Resolution of conflicts by fighting them out
-
German, Japan, GB, USA
FEMININITY
-
Tender society
-
Dominant values: Earning for others
-
People and warm relationships are important
-
People are supported to be modest
-
Sympathy for the weak
-
Work in order to live
-
Resolution of conflicts by compromise
-
Scandinavian countries
Masculinity
-
Batman, Rambo
-
boys/girls learn to be ambitious, competitive
-
students – visible in class, compete openly with others
-
conflicts should be resolved by a good fight
-
manager – visible
-
taxation favours wealthy people
-
fights
Femininity
-
boys/girls learn to be nonambitious, modest
-
motto: just behave as everyone else
-
resolving conflicts by compromise
-
manager is less visible
-
taxation redistributes public wealth
-
compromise, negotiations
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
STRONG UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
-
Uncertainty is a threat and must be fought
-
High stress
-
What is different is dangerous
-
Emotional need for rules
-
Suppression of deviant and new ideas
WEAK UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
-
Uncertainty is a normal feature
-
Low stress
-
What s different is curious
-
Strict rules are not necessary
-
Tolerance of deviant and new ideas
Strong uncertainty
-
classification of what is dirty and dangerous are tight and absolute
-
plenty of taboos
-
teachers – should know all the answers; not supposed to say “I don´t know”
-
formal controlling rights and duties of employers and work process
-
rules are nonessential and dysfunctional => but satisfy people´s emotional need for a formal structure
-
negative feelings toward politics
LONG TERM X SHORT TERM ORIENTATION
LONG TERM ORIENTATION
-
Adaptation of traditions to a modern context
-
Thrift, being sparing with resources
-
Concern with respecting the demand of
-
Virtue
-
East Asian countries
SHORT TERM ORIENTATION
-
Respect for traditions
-
Social pressure “to keep up with the Joneses” even if it means overspending
-
Concern with processing the Truth
-
Anglo-Saxon countries
TROPENAARS:
Culture =
-
the way in which a group of people solves problems and reconciles dilemmas
-
every culture – different way of solving these problems:
-
those which arise from our relationship with other people
-
those which come from the passage of time
-
those which relate to the environment
-
defined seven basic cultural dimensions
Relations with people
UNIVERSALISM vs. PARTICULARISM
Universalists
-
rule-based behaviour
-
fear that once you start to make expectations for illegal conduct, the system will collapse
-
“What is good and right can be defined and always applies”
-
US, Australia, Germany, UK
-
focus is more on rules than on relationships
-
procedures and contracts adhered to very closely
Particularist
-
friendship – 1st place
-
focus on exceptional nature of present circumstances
INDIVDUALISM vs. COMMUNITARIANISM