General characteristics of developing countries

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General characteristics of developing countries

• Productivity of work is low.

Level of technology is low.
Income differences within the society are
large.
Regional differences of development are
large.
Poor physical and social infrastructure.
Poor functioning of public institutions.
Civil society is weak.
The informal sector is large.
Networks function better than hierarchies.
They are not western type of democracies,
at least not in practice.
They do not belong to the western cultural
realm
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A model of culture
Language
Physical contact
Food
Work ethic
Architecture
Public emotion
Music
Pace of life
Noise
Dress
Climate
Literature
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A model of culture
Artifacts and products
Norms and values
Basic Assumptions
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Time orientation

• Think of the past, present and future as being in
  the shape of circles.
• Draw three circles representing past, present and
  future.
• Arrange these circles in any way you want that
  best shows how you feel about the relationship of
  the past, present and future.
• You may use different sizes of circles

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Future oriented discontinuing idea of time
Present oriented continuing idea of time
Past oriented overlapping idea of time
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Past, Present and Future
USA
France
Japan
Spain
UK
Germany
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Time orientation

• USA 1
• Greece 2
• Austria 3
• Italy 5
• Sweden 5
• Singapore 6
• Netherlands (a) 7
• Spain 8
• Netherlands (b) 9

Trompenaars, F. (1985) Culture and Organization
A study of the conception of structure in
different cultures. PhD dissertation, The Wharton
School, University of Pennsylvania
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Do one thing at a time
Do many things at once
Concentrate on the job
Are highly distractible and subject to
interruptions
Take time commitments (deadlines, schedules)
seriously
Consider time commitments an objective to be
achieved, if possible
Are low context and need information
Are high-context and already have information
Are committed to the job
Are committed to people and human relationships
Adhere religiously to plans
Change plans often and easily
Are concerned about not disturbing others follow
rules of privacy and consideration
Are more concerned with those who are closely
related than with privacy
Show great respect for private property seldom
borrow or lend
Borrow and lend things often and easily
Emphasize promptness
Base promptness on the relationship
Are accustomed to short-term relationships
Have strong tendency to build lifetime
relationships
MONOCHRONIC
POLYCHRONIC
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WEST
SOUTH
EAST
time
time
time
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1
6
5
4
7
2
3
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INDIVIDUAL
COLLECTIVE
UNIVERSAL
Three levels of mental programming
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Individualism versus Communitarianism
One said It is obvious that if one has as much
freedom as possible and the maximum opportunity
to develop oneself, the quality of ones life
would improve as a result.
Another said If the individual is continuously
taking care of his or her fellows then the
quality of life for us will improve, even if it
obstructs individual freedom and individual
development.
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Percentage opting for individual freedom
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Individualism in selected countries

• USA 91
• Australia 90
• Great Britain 90
• Canada 80
• The Netherlands 80
• New Zealand 79
• Italy 76
• Belgium 75
• Denmark 74
• Sweden 71
• France 71
• Ireland 70
• Norway 69
• Switzerland 68
• Germany (W) 67
• South Africa 65
• Finland 63
• Austria 55
• Israel 54

• India 48
• Japan 46
• Argentina 46
• Iran 41
• Brazil 38
• Turkey 37
• Greece 35
• Philippines 32
• Mexico 30
• Portugal 27
• Hong Kong 25
• Chile 23
• Singapore 20
• Thailand 20
• Taiwan 17
• Peru 16
• Pakistan 14
• Colombia 13
• Venezuela 12

Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences.
London, Sage
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Collectivism in selected countries

• Germany (W) 3,86
• Netherlands 4,54
• Great Britain 5,06
• Australia 5,06
• New Zealand 5,10
• Sweden 5,30
• Poland 5,36
• Zimbabwe 5,76
• USA 5,82
• Canada 5,84
• Japan 5,85
• Taiwan 5,98
• South Korea 5,99
• Pakistan 6,21
• Nigeria 6,42
• Hong Kong 6,53
• Brazil 6,61
• India 6,68
• Thailand 6,89

Bond, M. (1980). Teasing ethics out of emics The
case of Chinese values. The Chinese University of
Hong Kong
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Internal versus External Control
What happens to me is my own doing.
Internal Control - Dominance over nature
Sometimes I feel that I do not have enough
control over the direction my life is taking.
External Control Subjugation to nature
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Percentage opting for What happens to me is my
own doing
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Neutral versus Affective
In my society, it is considered unprofessional to
express emotions overtly.
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Be undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
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Percentage not expressing emotions overtly
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Attitudes to uncertainty in selected countries

• Greece 112
• Portugal 104
• Belgium 94
• Japan 92
• Peru 87
• France 86
• Chile 86
• Spain 86
• Argentina 86
• Turkey 85
• Mexico 82
• Israel 81
• Columbia 80
• Venezuela 76
• Brazil 76
• Italy 75
• Pakistan 70
• Austria 70
• Taiwan 69

• Netherlands 53
• Australia 51
• Norway 50
• South Africa 49
• New Zealand 49
• Canada 48
• USA 46
• Philippines 44
• India 40
• Great Britain 35
• Ireland 35
• Hong Kong 29
• Sweden 29
• Denmark 23
• Singapore 8

Hofstede, G. (1980) Cultures consequences.
London, Sage
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The Hofstede-Dimensions

• Power Distance

The amount to which people in a country accept
the fact that power and authority in institutions
and organizations is distributed unequally
Uncertainty Avoidance
The extent to which a society feels threatened by
uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to
avoid them by providing greater stability through
the establishment of formal rules, not accepting
any differing ideas and behaviour.
Individualism vs. Collectivism
The degree to which individuals are integrated
into groups
Masculinity vs. Femininity
Achievement vs. Relationship Orientation. The
extent to which the society is dominated by
so-called masculine values, such as
assertiveness, achievement, money and luxury,
performance and success on the job. Feminine
values would be quality of life, well-going
relationships (private and business), caring for
others.
Confucian Dynamism
Long-term vs. short-term orientation. Long-term
Orientation is promotion of virtues oriented
towards future rewards, in particular persistence
and thrift, as opposed to the fostering of
virtues related to the past and present, in
particular respect for tradition, fulfilling
social obligations, and protection of ones
reputation.