Dimensions of Culture

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Dimensions of Culture
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Dimensions of Culture

• Geert Hofstede (Dutch management researcher)
• Individualism Versus Collectivism
• Masculinity Versus Femininity
• Power Distance
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Long- Term Versus Short- Term Orientation
• Polychronic Versus Monochronic
• High- Context Versus Low- Context
• Relationship- Driven Versus Task- Driven
• Concepts of the Future

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Dimensions of Culture

• Individualism Versus Collectivism(P184)
• American Proverb
• God help those who help themselves.
• Do you like to do.
• Chinese Proverb
• No matter how stout, one beam cannot support a
  house.
• For those at home, turn to your parents for
  help for those outside, turn to your friends for
  help.
• The nail that sticks up is pounded down.
• The highest blade of grass is always the
  first to be cut.

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Dimensions of Culture

• Individualism Versus Collectivism
• Differences
• Individual vs group
• Loose ties vs tight ties
• Setting goals
• What have you done? vs Who are you related?
• direct communication vs indirect communication

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Dimensions of Culture

• Individualism Versus Collectivism
• Associations with this dimension
• Wealth
• Geography
• Birth rates
• History

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Dimensions of Culture

• Masculinity Versus Femininity
• masculinity? assertiveness, competition, material
  
• success
• femininity? quality of life, interpersonal
  relationships,
• concern for the weak
• In work place
• masculine culture? decisive and assertive
• feminine culture? use intuition and strive for
  consensus

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Dimensions of Culture
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Dimensions of Culture

• Masculinity Versus Femininity
• Associations with this dimension
• Geography
• Birth

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Dimensions of Culture

• Power Distance
• Chinese proverb
• Let the emperor be an emperor, the minister a
  minister, the father a father and the son a son.
  (Conficius)
• Five relations ruler /subject, father /son,
  elder brother /young brother, husband /wife,
  friend /friend. (Confucius)

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Dimensions of Culture

• Power Distance
• American proverb
• All men are born equal.
• Although we describe ourselves as a nation of
  equals, there is little doubt that some of us
  rank as more equal than others. (Macionis)

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Dimensions of Culture

• Power Distance
• ---gt the extent to which less powerful members of
  institutions and organizations within a country
  expect and accept that power is distributed
  unequally
• ---gt the extent to which power, prestige, and
  wealth are distributed within a culture. (P195)

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Dimensions of Culture

• Power Distance
• Associations with this dimension
• Geography
• Population
• Wealth
• History

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Dimensions of Culture

• Uncertainty Avoidance
• ---gt the extent to which people in a culture feel
  threatened
• by uncertain or unknown situations(P197)

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Dimensions of Culture

• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Chinese Proverb
• Beforehand preparation leads to
• success unprepareness results in failure.
• The past is as clear as a mirror, the future as
  dark as
• lacquer.

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Dimensions of Culture

• Uncertainty Avoidance
• American Proverb
• The future is called perhaps, which is the
  only
• possible thing to call the future.
• In these matters the only certainty is that
  nothing is
• certain.

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Dimensions of Culture

• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Associations with this dimension
• Religion
• History

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Dimensions of Culture

• Long- term versus Short- term Orientation
• -? values as thrift, persistence, having a sense
  of shame and ordering relationships.

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Dimensions of Culture

• Polychronic versus Monochronic
• Polychronic do multiple tasks simultaneously.
• linear time and limited
• Monochronic do one thing at a time.
• circular time and eternal.

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Dimensions of Culture

• Relationship- Driven versus Task- Driven
• Relationship- driven ? feminine culture, high-
  context ones
• Task- driven -? masculine culture, low- context
  ones

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Dimensions of Culture

• Concepts of the Future
• How a culture views time and time horizons is
  critical in how business relationships are
  founded and contracts negotiated.
• An obsession with promptness
• A much more relaxed and casual attitude towards
  punctuality

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Dimensions of Culture

• Cross- Cultural Success Tips
• SHOW EMPATHY
• BE FLEXIBLE
• MANAGE YOUR RESPONSES
• DONT GO NATIVE
• RESPECT LOCAL CUSTOMS
• BE AWARE OF NON- VERBAL COMMUNCATION
• DEVELOP TRUST BYCOMBATING MISTRUST
• BEOME INVOLVED