Transcript Culture Hofstede

Culture Hofstede
Source:
Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind
New York: MCGraw-Hill, 2005
Djamaludin Ancok
Why we study Culture
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Culture is a mental program that determines and
regulate behavior in a certain context of society. ( How
we think, how we feel & how we behave.)
Culture is collective programming of the mind that
distinguishes the members of one group or category of
people from others.
Due differences of culture, frequently become source of
conflict among people of different culture, since
differences of how one thinks, feels and behaves.
Research findings in the western cultures can not be
generalized to the eastern cultures. This mean a theory
that is valid in the western culture may not be valid in the
eastern culture. So research findings of human behavior
in the west has no universal validity.
How culture is developed in a
person
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Through child rearing process an individual
learns about what kind of behavior is accepted
and which one is not.
Culture is similar to a computer software. How a
computer works is dependent upon the type of
software. Culture as ‘software of the mind’.
Different from a computer software which solely
determine the operation of a computer, human
behavior is not solely determined by culture, but
also influenced by the personality and creativity
of the individuals.
Characteristics of Culture
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Culture is a collective entity, which is shared by
majority of people in a certain society.
Culture is a software of the mind that
differentiates one group of people from the
others.
Culture is something acquired through learning,
not something inherited from birth.
Culture is not written habits or regulation that
regulate human interactions.
Culture is relative, there is no one culture of a
certain group of people is better than the
cultures of others. (cultural relativism).
Three levels of Uniqueness in Mental
Programming
Specific to
Individual
Specific to group or
category
Universal
Inherited and Learned
Personality
Culture
Human Nature
Learned
Inherited
Human Nature
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Human uniqueness shared by every
human being.
Thinking
 Fear
 Talking
 Feeling
 Loving
 Shame
 ETC.
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Personality
Uniqueness of individuals that differentiate
an individual from others.
 Behavior that is genetically originated but
being modified by the interaction of
individuals with the culture and
environment. This is a uniqueness of an
individual as a result of learning.
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(Culture relativism)
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Culture relativism affirms that one culture has no
absolute criteria for judging the activities of
another culture as “low” or “noble”
It is wrong to assume that one culture is better
than the other culture.
One should think twice before applying the
norms of one person, groups or, society to
another.
Layers of Culture
Symbols
Heroes
Ritual
Values
Culture Component
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Symbols: words, gestures, pictures, or objects
that carry a particular meaning only recognized
by those who share the culture
Heroes: persons, alive or dead, real or imagery,
who posses characteristics that are highly prized
in a culture and serve as a model.
Rituals: collective activities, technically
superfluous to reaching desired ends, but within
the culture it is socially essential.
Practices: Any behavior that can be seen by
outsiders(symbols, heroes, rituals).
Values
Values is the core of culture
 Values are broad tendencies to prefer
certain state of affairs over others.
 Values arae feelings with an arrow to it:
plus or minus:
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Good vs Bad; Dirty Vs Clean; Dangerous vs
Safe; Forbidden vs Permitted; Decent vs
Indecent; Moral vs Immoral; Ugly vs Beautiful;
Natural vs Unnatural; Normal vs abnormal;
Logical vs Paradoxical; Rational vs Irrational
The Learning Values and Practices
Age
Family
0
Values
School
10
Practices
20
Workplace
Layers of Culture
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A national level, according to one's country (or countries for people
who migrated during their lifetime)
A regional and/or ethnic and/or religious and/or linguistic affiliation
level, as most nations are composed of culturally different regional
and/or ethnic and/or religious and/or language groups
A gender level, according to whether a person was born as a girl or
as a boy
A generation level, separating grandparents from parents from
children
A social class level, associated with educational opportunities and
with a person's occupation or profession
For those who are employed, organizational, departmental, and/or
corporate levels, according to the way employees have been
socialized by their work organization
Source of Cultural Diversity and
Change
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The adaptation to new natural environment
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Societies in cooler climates tended to develop
greater equality among their members than did
society in tropical climate.
Collective migration makes people adapt to the
place where they have migrated.
Military Conquest that force people to be
subordinate of the conqueror.
Missionary zeal that converts people to a new
religion
Culture Defined
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The totality of the pattern of behaviors, beliefs,
institutions, arts, traditions, and the products of
the human mind which become the
characteristics of a community shown in the
social environment
They consists of symbols, rituals and
ceremonies, heroes, values, beliefs, and ideas
Work culture is the totality of assumptions,
beliefs, intentions, and attitudes that are reflected
by the habitual behaviors of people at the
workplace
Culture as Perceived
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SYMBOLS –Words, patterns of movement,
pictures, or objects that have special meanings in
a particular society
RITUALS and CEREMONIES – Daily routine life of
an organization which has been systematically
prepared to give meaning in a particular society
 HEROES – People who personify the values
that are held high within society, showing
that they are worth to follow
VALUES – Basic concepts, beliefs, ideas, and assumptions
about a society that are used as the reference for
the establishment of standards of performance
The Three Levels of Culture
Basic Assumptions
And Beliefs
(Implicit)
Norms and values
Products and behaviors
(explicit)
The Dimensions of Culture [1]
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POWER DISTANCE – The extent to
which the less powerful members of
the organization within a society
expect and accept that power is
distributed unequally
Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Ranking of
Power Distance
By Nations
Source: Hoecklin, L.
Managing Cultural Differences.
New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Power Distance &
Individualism-Collectivism
Source: Hoecklin, L.
Managing Cultural Differences.
New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Power Distance
& Uncertainty
Avoidance
Source: Hoecklin, L.
Managing Cultural Differences.
New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Dimension of Culture (2)
INDIVIDUALISM – Stands for a
community in which the ties between
individuals are loose –
 COLLECTIVISM – Stands for a
community in which people have a
lifelong experience of being integrated
into strong, cohesive in-groups
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Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Ranking of Individualism
By Nation.
Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Individualistic
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“I” and “Me” cultures
Priority given to
individual freedom
and choice
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Israel
Romania
Nigeria
Canada
United States
Source: Kreitner & Kinicki, 2005
Collectivist
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“We” and “Us” cultures
Rank shared goals higher
than individual desires and
goals
Subordinate their own
wishes and goals to those
of the relevant social unit
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Egypt
Nepal
Mexico
India
Japan
Dimension of Culture (3)
MASCULINITY – Stands for a
community in which assertiveness,
firmness of action, and social gender
role are clearly expressed –
 FEMININITY – Stands for a community
in which caring and concern for others
are distinctly expressed
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Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Ranking of Masculinity
By Nations
Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
The Dimensions of Culture [4]
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UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE –
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The extent to which the members of
the organization within a society feel
threatened by uncertain, unknown,
ambiguous, or unstructured situations
Source: Hoecklin, L. Managing Cultural Differences. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995
Dimension of Culture (5)
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LONG-TERM ORIENTATION – Stands for a
community fostering virtues oriented
towards future rewards or independence,
reflected in particular perseverance and thrift
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SHORT-TERM ORIENTATION – Stands for a
community fostering virtues related to the
past and present, in particular respect for
tradition, preservation of “face”, and fulfilling
social needs
Source: Hofstede & Hofsetede (2005)