Cultural dimension of Greet Hofstede and Fons Tropenaars

HOFSTEDE:

• the main cultural differences among relations lie in values

_{POWER DISTANCE}

SMALL POWER DISTANCE

• Inequities among people should be minimized

• Hierarchy in organizations means an inequity of roles

• Decentralisation is popular

• Narrow salary range between top and bottom of organization

• Subordinates expect to be consulted

• The ideal boss is a resourceful democrat

• Privileges and status symbols are forward upon

• Austria, Israel, GB, Germany, Scandinavian countries

LARGE POWER DISTANCE

• Inequities among people are expected and desired

• Less powerful people should be dependent

• Centralisation is popular

• Wide salary range

• Subordinates expect to be told what to do

• The ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat or good father

• Privileges and status symbols are expected and popular

• France, LA, Belgium, Third World Countries

^{Large power distance}

• children are dependent

• student-teacher inequity => the educational process is teacher centered, teachers are never publicly criticized or contradicted

• organizations centralize power as much as possible in a few hands; subordinates expect to be told what to do; hierarchy

• cultural privileges, status symbols

• one party political system

^{Small power distance}

• children – treated as equals; encouraged to be independent

• need for independence – major component of the mental software

• teachers – treat students as equal and vice versa, educational process is student centered

• organizations – decentralized; hierarchical pyramid – flat; small salary range

• laws guarantee equal rights

• revolutions – unpopular

• scandals – end political carriers

Individualism X collectivism

_{Individualism}

• Everybody for him or herself

• USA, GB, Germany

Collectivism

• People should remain attached to tight groups

• East Asian countries, Arab cultures

Individualism

• societies in which ties between individuals are loose – everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her family

• speaking one´s mind is virtue

• children – encouraged to develop opinion; own pocket money

• “guilt societies”

• open discussions at schools

• relation between an employer and employee – business transactions

Collectivism

• people – strong, cohesive1 in groups

• maintenance2 of harmony

• direct confrontations => rude, undesirable

• personal opinion doesn´t exist

• shame society

• large family – children, parents, uncles, aunts, servants

• lifelong loyalty to one´s group

_{MASCULINITY X FEMININITY}

_MASCULINITY

• Tough society

• Dominant values: material success and progress

• Money and things are important

• People are supported to be assertive, ambitious and tough

• Sympathy for the strong

• Live in order to work

• Resolution of conflicts by fighting them out

• German, Japan, GB, USA

_FEMININITY

• Tender society

• Dominant values: Earning for others

• People and warm relationships are important

• People are supported to be modest

• Sympathy for the weak

• Work in order to live

• Resolution of conflicts by compromise

• Scandinavian countries

Masculinity

• Batman, Rambo

• boys/girls learn to be ambitious, competitive

• students – visible in class, compete openly with others

• conflicts should be resolved by a good fight

• manager – visible

• taxation favours wealthy people

• fights

Femininity

• boys/girls learn to be nonambitious, modest

• motto: just behave as everyone else

• resolving conflicts by compromise

• manager is less visible

• taxation redistributes public wealth

• compromise, negotiations

_{UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE}

_{STRONG UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE}

• Uncertainty is a threat and must be fought

• High stress

• What is different is dangerous

• Emotional need for rules

• _{Suppression of deviant and new ideas}

_{WEAK UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE}

• Uncertainty is a normal feature

• Low stress

• What s different is curious

• Strict rules are not necessary

• _{Tolerance of deviant and new ideas}

Strong uncertainty

• classification of what is dirty and dangerous are tight and absolute

• plenty of taboos

• teachers – should know all the answers; not supposed to say “I don´t know”

• formal controlling rights and duties of employers and work process

• rules are nonessential and dysfunctional => but satisfy people´s emotional need for a formal structure

• negative feelings toward politics

_{LONG TERM X SHORT TERM ORIENTATION}

_{LONG TERM ORIENTATION}

• Adaptation of traditions to a modern context

• Thrift, being sparing with resources

• Concern with respecting the demand of

• Virtue

• East Asian countries

SHORT TERM ORIENTATION

• Respect for traditions

• Social pressure “to keep up with the Joneses” even if it means overspending

• Concern with processing the Truth

• Anglo-Saxon countries

TROPENAARS:

_{Culture =}

• the way in which a group of people solves problems and reconciles dilemmas

• every culture – different way of solving these problems:

1. those which arise from our relationship with other people

2. those which come from the passage of time

3. those which relate to the environment

• defined seven basic cultural dimensions

_{Relations with people}

UNIVERSALISM vs. PARTICULARISM

Universalists

• rule-based behaviour

• fear that once you start to make expectations for illegal conduct, the system will collapse

• “What is good and right can be defined and always applies”

• US, Australia, Germany, UK

• focus is more on rules than on relationships

• procedures and contracts adhered to very closely

Particularist

• friendship – 1st place

• focus on exceptional nature of present circumstances

INDIVDUALISM vs. COMMUNITARIANISM