Discussion: Hofstede’s Research and CWQ Results Geert was the founder and head of the personnel research department at IBM Europe from 1965 – 1971. In his research, he deployed a survey on a large scale regarding national value differences present across the worldwide subsidiaries of IBM. After collecting the data, he studied and compared the results of thousands of company employees on the same altitude survey in different nations and regions. His analysis of his research’s findings revealed systematic differences in national cultures on four primary dimensions: power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), uncertainty avoidance (UAI) and masculinity (MAS). In 1991, Michael Harris Bond, another researcher and his colleagues developed and administered a survey among students in 23 countries by using a survey instrument co-created with Chinese employees and managers. The results from this survey led Hofstede to add a new fifth dimension to his model: long term orientation (LTO). In order to gain a better understanding of the theory, I took the ITAP questionnaire to explore my own ideal view of culture in the workplace and how it compares to five other different countries/regions (Malaysia, Canada, Switzerland, East Africa and Brazil) that I pick for my interest. The results were then analyzed by using the cultural dimensions from Hofstede’s research.
Power distance index (PDI): Power distance reflects the range of answers found in the various countries to the basic question of how to handle the fact that people are unequal. By using this index, countries can be distinguished by the way they tend to deal with inequalities (Hofstede, Minkov...Page 55). I scored less than 50 on a scale of 1-100 which means I have a preference for more of a participative orientation. My score in the low to the middle range of this dimension indicate I generally expect superior – subordinate relations to be pragmatic. This is true because I like workplaces that have a great deal of consultative approach and teamwork environment and where the employee initiative is appreciated. I also believe the approach between supervisors and their subordinates should be collaborative by sharing ideas and information to increase efficiency and value for their respective organization. A couple years ago in my undergrad, I went abroad to the Middle East (Dubai, UAE) for a 3-week business seminar. I learned that supervisors over there tend to exercise top down authority and by doing so believe they are displaying their competency and decisive skills and their subordinates accepting of such an approach. I found this to be highly inefficient because the employees tended to just want to get done what the supervisors want to get done without any need to do anything more than is required by him/her. Due to my observation, I believe that organizations are more competent when initiatives are taken by both sides as a team to further the overall value of the organization and as well as professional development. The countries that most agree with my cultural view in this case are Canada and Switzerland.
Individualism (IDV) vs. collectivism: Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him or herself and his/her immediate family. Collectivism is the opposite and pertains to societies in which people from birth onward are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (Hofstede, Minkov…Page 92). In the CWQ results, my score was lower than 50 meaning I have an extensive preference for group orientation. This means that I appreciate working for an organization that takes responsibility and good care (which include providing training opportunities, good working conditions and opportunity to fully use your skills) for its employees in exchange for loyalty. Again, these results solidify my view of the high importance of team work. My view differs greatly from the individual orientation cultures of the Canada and Switzerland and even here in the U.S. I think that by investing in team-work, performance is greatly enhanced. I have been a lifelong athlete in team-sports and in the workplace; I think the same emphasis on team work is crucial for an organization to get ahead. However, I believe today companies advertise the benefits for employees from an individual perspective but expect loyalty from employees from a group orientation perspective.
Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI): The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations. This feeling is, among other manifestations, expressed through nervous stress, anxiety and need for predictability (Hofstede, Minkov…Page 191). My score for the CWQ resulted in my preference for “Tolerance for Ambiguity” in a moderate way. I have a moderate need for certainty and I think that is very ideal. I definitely believe that a worker’s view should be to do his/her work to the best of her abilities and realize that the future outcome of his/her work is completely out of their control. I think the stress and anxiety that follows people who have a great deal of need for certainty generally tend to not do so well in great management. Throughout my working life experience, the few supervisors I had who displayed this need for certainty where the ones who micro-managed their subordinates the most. They often felt the need to make sure things come out the way they want and if it doesn’t, it tended to stress them immensely. One of my supervisors displayed such characteristics extremely was when I worked at Costco during my undergrad years. Because of his management style, turnover was really high at the store because of conflict. According to the CWQ, my approach is very consistent with that of Switzerland the most.
Masculinity (MAS) vs. femininity: A society is called masculine when emotional gender rules are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with quality of life. On the other hand, a society is called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap, both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life (Hofstede, Minkov…Page 141). My score in the CWQ in this regard points out my preference towards a quality of life orientation. I prefer an environment that values quality of life by supporting work/life balance. I differ greatly from countries like Switzerland where achievement of goals is so emphasized that quality of life issues are often made secondary to goal or work achievement and this is evident in the results. Personally, I believe in the philosophy that an individual “works to live” and not “live to work.” I think this great push for organizational growth and efficiency at the consistent expense of an employee’s work/life imbalance defeats the purpose of growth and value of the organization as a whole. I once worked as an analyst at a corporate HQ in a retail company in the food business and was shocked at how the imbalance of work and life was very evident. Employees often worked 60+ hours and even from home sometimes on top that. My team members felt overly stressed and anxious at all times because of this imbalance. I also noticed in my observation and experience in the company there was significant inefficiency due to high stress levels at the workplace. I did not last long at that company because I felt so overwhelmed by the amount of work I was responsible for in relation to my personal life activities (i.e. burnout?) and subsequently left the company after 6 months. It is important that you like doing what you do to an extent but not so much to the point where you are greatly stressed by it. In Hofstede’s words, I guess feminine in this index, as amusing as that may sound given my gender. Long term orientation (LTO): First referred to as “Confucian dynamism”, it describes societies’ time orientation. Long term oriented societies emphasize on the importance of the future. They foster pragmatic values geared towards rewards, including persistence, saving and capacity for adaptation. In short term societies, values adopted relate to the past and the present, including steadiness, respect for tradition, preservation of one’s face, and fulfilling social obligations (Hofstede, Minkov…Page 239). My high score in the CWQ indicates a moderate preference for long term orientation. I do value success for the long term and tend to reject instant gratification. I believe in conserving resources moderately and investing in relationships for creating lifelong networks. I believe engaging in such practices in an organization leads to the growth or maintenance of market share, sales and customer satisfaction. I think management should always look for the long term gain by adopting corporate policies that discourage short term gain at the expense of potential long term loss. I think in today’s economic climate and given the high unemployment rate, companies tend to cut corners by not investing in its employees because of the large supply of sufficient labor in the market. They tend to increase and decrease their labor force more frequently as well. I believe this is an indication of management not geared towards retaining talent but rather engaging in an exploitative style of management practice.
MBI Case Application
Effective communication and collaboration are the two most important aspects for a global team. The team ranges far in diversity from almost all continents of the world (Canada, Switzerland, East Africa, Malaysia and Brazil). Given the undeniable differences in culture, the main goal is to create value by mapping, bridging and integrating (DiStefano, Imon and Lee). The first main task is to map the team’s differences. As a manager, I would require all my team members as part of a project to educate themselves about other team members work cultures. I think by requiring them to educate themselves about each other, they will understand the context in others speech. Then I would make sure we as a team make a calendar of national holidays team members will be observing in their respective regions so that when we are taking on a project as a team, we do not get surprised by someone wanting to take a local holiday that the team did not count on thereby possibly affecting work results. In addition, they will have to do a presentation regarding their background and the cultures and traditions of their respective territories. For example, when team members are discussing where and when to launch a product or service, they can learn from each other by sharing regional observations, customs and traditions in order to maybe target a launch date for better product positioning.
The second task is to integrate the team. Preparing my team will be the first task which will involve motivating members to communicate and build confidence to overcome problems (DiStefano, Imon and Lee). As a manager, I would constitute e-mail as the primary engagement of communication. If one member is having a hard time really understanding what the other member is sharing, the protocol to follow will be to call and communicate with that other member to clear up any confusion. This way, as members communicate more and more, they will be also become more confident in overcoming barriers and problems. In this process, the code of conduct that I will hold accountable to my team is decentering. This will require team members to incorporate their understanding of differences in the communication process by changing their own behavior in order to accommodate the culture of the people with whom they are working (DiStefano, Imon, and Lee). To make this easier, when I am recruiting my team, I will be looking for individuals who have a history of communicating and sharing ideas with someone outside their culture. Finally, I will be requiring them to communicate to each other at least couple times a week. This is important because interacting effectively requires constant practice and will help in tackling avoidance.
The third component of the MBI model ensures team members leverage their differences and come up with good decisions. It is “where understanding (from mapping) and communicating (from bridging) get converted into productive results” (Maznevski and DiStefano, 2000, p.54). In this case, team members must have an input before any project is completed. As a manger, I will have a system in place where each team member must sign off on the final strategy, product or service by seeking their input and approval. If there are any concerns, there will be a platform they can use to address their disagreement. This medium will allow conflicts or disagreements to be addressed before they become dysfunctional. This will tend to create only task-based conflicts which are helpful for better quality decisions (DiStefano, Imon, and Lee). This platform for resolving disagreements will help build on each other’s ideas in the final stage of our projects. It will help team members decenter and encourage team camaraderie by letting go of idea ownership so “breakthrough ideas” can be produced. And as a manager, it is my responsibility that I oversee the temptation to compromise is avoided and the quality decision gets priority in decision making.

References
Distefano, J.J., & Maznevski, M.L. (2000). Creating Value with Diverse Teams in Global
Management. Organizational Dynamics, 29(1), 45-63.
DiStefano, J. J. and Ekelund, B. Z. 2002, “The MBI Model of Managing Difference
Effectively”, in Heritage & Management: Identity as a Competitive Tool, J. M. Fladmark
(ed.), Donhead Publishing, Edinburgh.
Hofstede, Geert, Gert Jan. Hofstede, and Michael Minkov. Cultures and Organizations :software of the Mind: Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Di Stefano, L. D., Imon S. S., Lee H., Di Stefano J. J. 2004. Bridging differences: a model for effective communication between different disciplines through conservation training programs for professionals. City & Time 1 (2): 1. [online] URL: http://www.ct.cecibr.org
Rupprecht, M., Birner, K., Gruber, H., & Mulder, H. (2011). Dealing with diversity in consulting teams: results of two Delphi studies. Human Resource Development International, 14(5).