Transcript Ch. 9: Dimensions of Culture

Ch. 7: Dimensions of Culture
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How to compare cultures
Case Study: Japanese Culture
Sustainability values
Hofstede’s Value Dimensions
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Dutch management researcher Geert
Hofstede surveyed over 100,000
employees of IBM in 40 countries.
The results of his survey are used to
describe culture.
Hofstede identified four dimensions individualism, masculinity, power
distance, and uncertainty avoidance.
Hofstede’s Value Dimensions-2
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A fifth dimension was found in 1984, a
Confucian dynamism labeled long-term
orientation versus short-term orientation
to life.
This dimension describes cultures that
range from short-term values respecting
tradition & reciprocity in social
relationships to valuing persistence and
ordering relationships by status.
Things to consider when
exploring cultural dimensions
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Statistics reveal an average of
responses. NOT everyone in a culture
will exhibit these traits.
Be wary of using the dimensions to
stereotype.
The goal of the dimensions is to point
out how culture shapes communication
and vice versa.
Focus on Theory
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Knowledge about what makes a culture
individual or collective helps inform our
understanding in the study of numerous
fields.
Individualism/collectivism(Kim, 2005) and
high/low context (Hall, 1976) are
complementary theories.
Refers to how people define themselves
in relationship to others.
Individualism
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The interests of the individual takes
priority over those of others.
Ties between individuals are loose.
People look after themselves and their
immediate families.
Goals take self & possibly immediate
family into consideration.
The United States ranks highest in
individualism (pg. 171).
Individualism
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Cultures high in
individuality have
wealthier citizens.
Countries with
moderate and colder
climates.
Self-sufficient.
Birth rates are lower.
Collectivism
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The interests of the group are given
priority.
People belong to strong, cohesive, ingroups that protects and support in
exchange to group loyalty.
Goals are set taking the group into
account.
Highly integrated.
Collectivism
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Countries with
higher birth rates
tend towards
collectivism
Confucian cultures
are highly collective.
Associated with
indirect forms of
communication.
Case Study:
Japan as a homogeneous culture
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History
Religion
Cultural Patterns
Sports (see insert)
Masculinity and Femininity
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Hofstede found women’s social roles vary
less from culture to culture than men’s.
Cultures that highly value assertiveness,
competition, and material wealth are
masculine and emphasize the
differences.
Feminine cultures are those that allow for
more overlap between gender roles.
These cultures also emphasis quality of
life, relationships, and care.
Masculinity and Femininity
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Remember that both men and women
express the value characteristics of their
culture.
Both men and women in masculine
cultures exhibit ambition.
Both men women in feminine cultures
learn to be modest and seek cohesion.
Feminine cultures allow more crossover between roles.
High and Low Power Distance
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The way cultures deal with inequalities,
i.e. money, power, status, birth.
Power distance is learned in families.
Cultures with high power distance have
power concentrated in the hands of the
few rather than distributed throughout
the population.
http://www.aflcio.org/Corporate-Watch/Paywatch-2014What
about the U.S.
Uncertainty Avoidance
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This identifies the extent that people
feel threatened by uncertainty or the
unknown in the culture.
Hallmarks of cultures high in uncertainty
avoidance include: strict codes of
behavior and beliefs in absolute truths.
People with high needs for certainty are
often characterized as active,
aggressive, emotional, compulsive, and
intolerant.
Uncertainty Avoidance-2
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Those with low needs for certainty
are characterized as contemplative,
unemotional, relaxed, accepting of
personal risk, and relatively tolerant.
Hofstede looked at the relationship
between religion and power distance
and history.
Greece is ranked highest in this
dimension (see table. 7.6).
Long-Term vs. Short-Term
Orientation
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Called “Confucian work dynamism” at
first, now we refer to it as long and short
term orientation to LIFE.
This dimension includes such values as
thrift, persistence, having a sense of
shame, and ordering relationships.
This value is present in cultures that
show high degrees of responsibility,
motivation, dedication and belief in
education (see table 7.7).
Environmental Sustainability
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Sustainability is “development which
meets the needs of the present w/o
compromising the ability of the future
generations to meet their own needs” p.
190.
Husted (2005) & Hofstede conclude: Low
power distance, high individualism, low
masculinity support “sustainable”
values.
See table 7.8. Env. Perf. Index
Focus on Theory: Criticism of
Hofstede’s Value Dimensions
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Nations are not the best units to study.
Survey sample data is small.
Survey data is old and outdated.
Data drawn from only one company that
cannot provide information about entire
national cultures.
Four or five dimensions limits insight
into cultures.