Transcript Schwartz`s and the Globe Cultural Taxonomies

Schwartz’s and the GLOBE
Cultural Taxonomies
by
Sigrid Brevik Wangsness
20 February 2013
Schwartz’s Cultural Taxonomy
• Professor Schwartz’s background and research
• What are the three cultural dimensions that
Shalom Schwartz has singled out? What is his
reasoning for highlighting these three in
particular?
• What is the difference between intellectual and
affective autonomy? Give examples of cultures
that represent these two value orientations.
• How would you explain the idea of embeddedness,
and give examples of cultures that value this ideal.
Schwartz’s Cultural Taxonomy
• How does Schwartz describe the two extremes of
his second dimension? (Exemplified by Spain
and Belgium vs. Turkey and Thailand)
• What is the difference between harmony
cultures and mastery cultures (Schwartz’s third
dimension)? How do you explain that Schwartz
describes the dominant cultures of China and
India as mastery cultures?
Schwartz’s Cultural Taxonomy
• Describe the relationships among Schwartz ’s
cultural value orientations . (See figure 5.1)
• Explain the following quote: ”Whereas each
dimension represents a continuum of possible
cultural responses, a culture’s tendency to
prefer one pole of a given dimension means that
the opposite pole is less emphasized and
therefore less important to that culture.”
The GLOBE Cultural Taxonomy
• What is the GLOBE study?
• How big a research team is it, and what have
they accomplished so far?
• To what extent is the GLOBE study indebted to
Hofstede?
• Outline the nine GLOBE dimensions and their
main cultural characteristics.
The GLOBE Cultural Taxonomy
• Which examples are given as typically high and
low power distance cultures? How is upward
mobility viewed in these cultures?
• What is your reaction to the author’s assertion
that uncertainty avoidance is relatively low in
Russia, Bolivia and South Korea – and that
dissent is tolerated in these cultures?
• Explain the difference between in-group
collectivism and institutional collectivism.
The GLOBE Cultural Taxonomy
• How is Hofstede’s masculinity-femininity
dimension represented in the GLOBE study?
Do you support their division of Hofstede’s
dimension into two separate dimensions?
Why/why not?
• Describe and exemplify the performance
orientation dimension. How is this dimension
linked to Edward T. Hall’s research?
The GLOBE Cultural Taxonomy
• How important do you think the future
orientation dimension is? Mention some
cultural aspects commonly seen in cultures with
low or high future orientation.
• Explain the humane orientation dimension.
Give examples of cultures with high and low
humane orientation.
• How would you evaluate the usefulness of the
GLOBE project?
A Synthesis of Cultural Taxonomies
• What are the seven cultural dimensions that the
authors of this chapter consider fundamental for
our understanding of culture?
• Do you agree that these are essential issues that
all cultures must confront? Are they universal
issues?
• How do the authors of this chapter suggest that
you use these taxonomies to increase your
intercultural competence?