Trompenaars

1
Trompenaars Cultural Dilemmas and Dimensions

• by
• Sigrid Brevik Wangsness
• 13 February 2013

2
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner
Riding the Waves of Culture

• What kind of competence /experience do these
  authors have? Explain the main aspects of their
  research. What kind of book is this? (What did
  Hofstede say about it?)
• According to the authors, what does this book
  attempt to do?
• The authors are critical of many modern
  management philosophies. Why? (Examples, for
  instance pay-for-performance)

3
Fons Trompenaars and Charles
Hampden-Turner The Meaning of Culture

• Explain in some detail what T and H-T mean by
  culture (their concept of culture)
• Definition
• Their model of culture layers
• norms vs. values
• basic assumptions
• Which other authors use a similar model?

4
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner
Differences WITHIN cultures

• To what extent do people of the same culture have
  identical norms and values? Cp. the French and
  American cultures from the point of view of
  normal distribution. Explain.
• How do T and H-T define and explain stereotyping,
  and what are the dangers they see in using
  cultural stereotypes?

5
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner The
Basis of Cultural Differences

• What are the different levels of culture that T
  and H-T emphasize? What do they say about
  cultures in Europe?
• According to T and H-T, there are three major
  categories of human experience (universal
  problems) that distinguish cultures. Which?
• T and H-T identify seven fundamental dimensions
  of culture. Which? Explain.

6
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner The
Basis of Cultural Differences

• Study Ts examples of cultural dilemmas. Find the
  scores for your culture. Is this a correct
  description of it, do you think?
• T and H-T insist that cultures are not static
  points on a dual axis map, and thus their
  categories are not mutually exclusive (vs.
  Hofstede). How do they perceive the positions of
  cultures on the various dimensions?

7
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner
The Basis of Cultural Differences

• What are the major similarities and differences
  between T and H-Ts dimensions and the
  categorizations you have studied earlier?
• (Compare for instance Gesteland, Hofstede
• and Trompenaars).