...Geert Hofstede said “culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.” Culture is an important factor in Business, cultures will differ from one another and its hard to compare, this makes it difficult for managers of multinationals to be able to be knowledgeable about these cultures and how they can put this into practice when dealing with organisational structures and processes. From a young age a child will start to develop work related values, this can be picked up from their parents and each child’s values will depend upon their culture. From this the child will then grow up and enter the working world with their values still being used, this can cause clashes within business as different cultures will have different values. Originally working for IBM, Hofstede sent out a questionnaire to 117,000 people. The aim of the questionnaire was that they wanted to find out how to manage subsidiaries and how culture impacted this. IBM was aiming to find out if they had to be different. In Hofstedes original theory he developed four dimensions; Indivusalism/Collectivism, Masculinity, Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Individualism is the extent to which people define themselves as individuals or part of a larger group, which would normally come under as countries such as the United States. Individualism consisted of decision-making, reward systems, ethics and organisational concern....
Words: 1829 - Pages: 8
...Hofstede Graph Reflection Think through the following questions and come to class ready to discuss them: a) How would you describe your cultural profile (where you score “high” or “low”)? * Have you noticed any similarities or differences compared to the dimensions of a country you identify with culturally (go to www.geert-hofstede.com)? b) How do these cultural characteristics affect your behavior as a consumer? c) ------------------------------------------------- How do these cultural characteristics affect your managerial decision-making style? a) I found it very interesting to compare my results to the various countries’ profiles. I scored very high on individualism, but then scored quite low on uncertainty avoidance. While observing Germany’s cultural profile, I noticed that they too had a very high individualism aspect. Similarly, I looked at China’s uncertainty avoidance, and they too scored very low. This means that they are not as worried about ambiguity. I guess this means that like China, I am not as worried with avoiding uncertainty. Likewise, I agree with the Germans, that having a lot of individualistic sentiment is important and crucial. b) These cultural characteristics affect my behavior as a consumer by instilling certain values and beliefs that control how I make my decisions. Countries that have a much higher individualistic view are going to be able to spend a lot more money on various/random goods. For example, Germany is similar...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...FYE 1410: Global Citizen (Section AM) Hofstede’s Analysis Hofstede’s Analysis of New Zealand Figure 1 (New Zealand’s scoring in Hofstede Study) Power Distance (PDI) according to Geert Hofstede’s website is defined as, “the extent to which the less powerful member of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people”. Also according to the website, “New Zealand scores low on this dimension (22)”. This means the chain of command is created for convenience. Within the different institutions and organizations superiors are always available and they rely on individual personnel and teams for their knowledge. This furthermore means that communication is casual, straightforward, and cooperative. Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) according to Geert Hofstede’s website is defined as, “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members”. “New Zealand, with a score of seventy-nine (79) on this dimension, is an individualistic culture”. This score proves that most people in the New Zealand society look after their individual selves and their direct family members. This is the case where “every man for himself” plays a major role in society. On the business side, the employees are expected to be self-sufficient and demonstrate resourcefulness. Furthermore, only the ones who can do the job most effectively are hired. Masculinity...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...people are used to different customs and traditions and they differ from a country to another and this also reflects in the ways of doing business. In fact, laws, regulations and standards (whether social or professional) are based on the said country’s culture. In order to assess the cultural differences between different countries, we recourse to two frameworks: the Hofstede model and the 7-D model. In this report, we are going to present the challenges faced in three different countries: Argentina, the United Kingdom and Morocco. Hofstede model: Hofstede model, as described by Cullen and Parboteeah, is a model mainly based on differences in values and beliefs regarding world and has become a ‘standard’ to assess cultural differences (Cullen, 2014). This model uses five dimensions to describe national culture: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity and long-term orientation (pragmatism). The figure below shows an application of the Hofstede model on Morocco, United Kingdom and Argentina. Figure 1: Hofstede Cultural dimensions comparison between Morocco, Argentina and the UK (Hofstede Center) As we can see above, Morocco scored (70) more than the UK (35) and Argentina (49). This means that in people in Morocco tend to accept inequalities between social classes in terms of power. In order words, do not care about whether power is distributed equally and it is normal that you find power concentrated in the...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...History of Japan & Understanding the Communication System. Culture is “more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster” (ITIM International, 2003). Communication across culture is not an easy assignment for an international manager to learn within a short period of time especially it is an ongoing learning process. Communication is “a process of shared meaning by transmitting messages through media such as word, behavior, or material artifacts” (Deresky, 2008). Language discrepancies are an obvious factor. Likewise important are people skill as well as understanding and adapting to the social and working etiquette’s of the foreign country. Japan is one of the most well known for its culture in the world. For an international manager to work there, it is important they will have to understand and identify the Japanese communication system because Japanese communication is ambiguous. This is to eliminate any communication noise. Past history is believed to shape the culture of the country and the people identity. Japan has evolved in many era from the early Jōmon period till to the current Heisei period, their culture had also evolved. However the “most important principle will be the wa, the peace and harmony” (Deresky, 2008). Japanese tend to work as a family unit similar to working in the organization. One clear example is the rice cultivating “which they highly need cooperation from their village and...
Words: 2550 - Pages: 11
...one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values.” -- Geert Hofstede Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses: Excellence of taste in fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group In this course work, we will address the various difficulties that international organizations have to face, during their cross border operations. This will be viewed from the perspective of the management, so that we will have clinical approach to the matter at hand. Here in this course work you will see the usage of Hofstede’s framework in terms of: 1. Assess the culture 2. Using of dimensions such as power distance, femininity /masculinity, individualism / collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. The organization that will be focussed in here will be the Coca Cola in India. Coca cola came to India in the year 1956. Since India had not only had any foreign exchange act, Coca Cola made huge money operating under 100 % foreign equity. Hofstede and framework Geert Hofstede gathered and analyzed extensive data on the world's values and cultures, particularly through the IBM survey study...
Words: 702 - Pages: 3
...members of different societies hold divergent values concerning the nature of organizations and interpersonal relationship within them.” (Fernandez, Carlson, Stepina, & Nicholson, 1997). His work involves the identification of key work-related dimensions of national culture and six cultural dimensions such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, pragmatism, and indulgence. “Conducting business in today's modern business environment presents exciting opportunities for businesses and individuals.” (Baack, 2012). These dimensions, when considered together, were viewed as providing a framework for understanding how a culture resolves some of their most basic problems of life within organizations. Using the Hofstede Center, I did a cultural survey report on Australia and China which happens to be two of my favorite countries; one of which I have visited in the past. This type of report can be helpful in comparing the U.S.’s culture to others as well and how the U.S.’s culture can influence the way I understand the world around me. Culture has a very significant influence of people, especially managers and executives in their understanding and integration with a foreign and home working environment. Australia and China have very different cultural values. The scores and Dimensions of National Culture are how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. The Dimensions of National Culture are the values that distinguish countries from each...
Words: 1524 - Pages: 7
...HOFSTEDE: Cultures And Organizations - Software of the Mind Culture as mental programming In Western languages 'culture' commonly means 'civilization' or 'refinement of the mind' and in particular the results of such refinement, like education, art, and literature. This is 'culture in the narrow sense; 'culture one' Culture as mental software, however, corresponds to a much broader use of the word which is common among social anthropologists: this is ‘culture two’. In social anthropology, 'culture' is a catchword for all those patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting referred to in the previous paragraphs. Not only those activities supposed to refine the mind are included in 'culture two', but also the ordinary and menial things in life: greeting, eating, showing or not showing feelings, keeping a certain physical distance from others, making love, or maintaining body hygiene. CULTURE It is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. It is a collective phenomenon, because it is at least partly shared with people who live or lived within the same social environment, which is where it was learned. Culture is learned, not inherited. It derives from one's social environment, not from one's genes. Culture should be distinguished from human nature on one side, and from an individual's personality on the other: 1 Cultural relativism there are no scientific standards for considering one group...
Words: 9257 - Pages: 38
...HOFSTEDE: Cultures And Organizations - Software of the Mind Culture as mental programming In Western languages 'culture' commonly means 'civilization' or 'refinement of the mind' and in particular the results of such refinement, like education, art, and literature. This is 'culture in the narrow sense; 'culture one' Culture as mental software, however, corresponds to a much broader use of the word which is common among social anthropologists: this is ‘culture two’. In social anthropology, 'culture' is a catchword for all those patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting referred to in the previous paragraphs. Not only those activities supposed to refine the mind are included in 'culture two', but also the ordinary and menial things in life: greeting, eating, showing or not showing feelings, keeping a certain physical distance from others, making love, or maintaining body hygiene. CULTURE It is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. It is a collective phenomenon, because it is at least partly shared with people who live or lived within the same social environment, which is where it was learned. Culture is learned, not inherited. It derives from one's social environment, not from one's genes. Culture should be distinguished from human nature on one side, and from an individual's personality on the other: 1 Cultural relativism there are no scientific standards for considering one group...
Words: 9257 - Pages: 38
...HRM Issues Based on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions in Ghana Alison C Holt Saint Leo University Abstract This paper will contain information concerning the challenges human resource management faces when the organization decides to go global. Human resource management faces many global issues; however, this paper will look at Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory in the comparison of Ghana and the United States. We will look at three of Hofstede’s five dimensions and see how Ghana is rated to each of the theories. The first dimension, Individualism verses collectivism, focuses on cultures in terms relationships of individuals, families and extended families (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). The second dimension, Power distance, focuses on power relationships within a culture. The last dimension, Masculinity verses femininity, focuses on gender roles within culture (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). In the 21st Century, many organizations have reached out into the global market due to changes in technology, economics and social responsibility. Therefore, interactions between businesses in different countries have become routine. When a company expands globally, new challenges arise due to different laws, customs and characteristics (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). International laws and customs pose numerous challenges for human resource professionals, for example, HRM must supply an adequate amount of top managers with global experience, which is necessary...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...Hofstede Model of Cultural Dimensions The main part of Prof. Geert Hofstede’s study or Model of Cultural Dimensions is “how values in the workplace are influenced by culture.” From 1967 to 1973 Prof. Hofstede collected and analyzed data base of employees value scores. Actually this data was collected by IBM from more than 70 countries. The total number of countries was divided into 3 parts to make the analysis easy. In first part they considered largest 40 countries to analyze data. Then he extended the analysis to remaining 40 countries and 3 regions. Based on IBM study replications and extensions, international population and cultural factors includes 74 countries for Prof. Geert Hofstede’s ranking scores from 2001. The four primary Dimensions of Hofstede’s Model to assist in differentiating cultures are: Power Distance – PDI, Individualism – IDV, Masculinity – MAS, and Uncertainty Avoidance – UAI Additional fifth Dimension developed after study with Chinese employees and managers and applied for 23 countries- Based on Confucian dynamism (Long-Term Orientation – LTO) The dimensions are related to the other country, cultural, and religious paradigms. About Hofstede (Small Biography) Name: Gerard Hendrik Hofstede Dutch organizational sociologist Studied: the interactions between national cultures and organizational cultures Date of Birth: 3 October 1928 Place of Birth: Haarlem Work: Author of several books including Culture’s Consequences and Cultures and Organizations...
Words: 300 - Pages: 2
...Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions Source: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html 1. Power Distance (PDI) This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of power distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low power distance, people strive to equalise the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. < an example of Power Distance by Geert Hofstede 2. Individualism versus collectivism (IDV) The high side of this dimension, called Individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Its opposite, Collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society's position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.” < 3. Masculinity versus femininity (MAS) The masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement...
Words: 1566 - Pages: 7
...Greet Hofstede`s cultural dimensions Hello everybody. My name is Elchin. Today I will talk about Greet Hofstede`s cultural dimensions. Every manager should have deep knowledge about culture because we live in globalization time. What is culture? Culture is a system of values, beliefs, and norms shared among a group of people. People`s culture affect the values in the workplace. That’s why management processes should be different according to cultures and according to the people from different cultures in the workplace. The most famous study about how culture relates to values in the workplace was conducted by Geert Hofstede. From 1967 to 1973 he did a long research among more than 1 million employees in IBM company. He identified 5 dimensions. These dimension are 1) power distance, 2) individualism versus collectivism, 3) uncertainty avoidance, 4) masculinity versus femininity 5) Confucian dynamism or long term orientation. Let`s briefly review all these dimensions. Power distance. Power distance is about how much a culture accepts or doesn’t accept authority. If people in high positions or in high status show his or her power, rank or status and other people from lower levels accept this behavior; it means there is a high power distance. For example my country Azerbaijan is high power distance country. You cannot joke with your boss; you have to be careful while talking with people from high status etc. And the boss working room is separated from others. But it is not...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...The Five Hofstede Dimensions and Germany BBA 473 International Business Introduction Professor Geert Hofstede conducted a study to understand workplace values around the work and to determine how the culture of each locality affected those values. The result of the study are five dimensions that can be applied to any location to place a value on how greatly certain pieces of society are taken into consideration by the market there. The evaluation of the five dimensions for Germany give a picture of the workplace values and an idea of the type of place Germany may be to visit. Defining the Five Dimensions of Germany According to the website of Professor Hofstede Germany is “highly decentralised and supported by a strong middle class” (Hofstede), and also that “control is disliked and leadership is challenged to show expertise and best accepted when it’s based on it” (Hofstede). These two points are not surprising from a country where centralization and blind trust in leadership led to defeat in one of a grandest wars the world has ever known. In the lifetime of a World War II veteran Germany has grown to a industrial superpower, been defeated leaving industrial capacity and citizen moral destroyed, and has also been reborn into the post-Cold War nation that it is today. Germany has one of the most indivigualized populations of any nation. The combination of the cultural mixes created through numerous occupying forces over the centuries has led to a diverse racial...
Words: 700 - Pages: 3
...* 1) Introduction Work – related attitudes go along with cultural differences and with regard to business in multinational companies varying cultural behaviour plays an important role. Geert Hofstede, a famous Dutch management researcher, recognized the high explanatory power of these differences in his famous “national influences” – study (survey of 160,000 managers and employees of 60 countries). In compliance with Hofstede’s studies the most important results are the following: * Even though working in the same multinational company attitudes and behaviour of employees and managers can strongly differ form each other according to their cultural roots. * In contrast to factors like age, profession, gender, etc. the key component of “national culture” has a higher force of expression as well as a greater explanatory value. In summary Hofstede was able to identify the following dimensions as those ones in which employees and managers distinguish the most: “individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, […] career success/quality of life” (Adler N.J., Gundersen A., International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour, p. 51) and long/short term orientation. The following paper shall give an overview of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions referring to business organizations in my home country Germany. For clarification purposes several proverbs are used to give the reader an understanding of Germany’s cultural distinctions in the field of organizational...
Words: 1185 - Pages: 5
