...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....
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...Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions US vs. India by Edward A. Molnar January 19, 2013 Abstract This article acknowledges the six dimensions of Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions, and defines five of them for a comparison between the United States and India. This article shows for the most part, the definitions of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are correct, but the article did identify some ambiguities while making the comparisons. Finally, future areas of possible research were identified that would assist in the removal of the ambiguities. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions US vs. India Geert Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions was a result of an analysis of a world-wide survey of employee values by IBM in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This theory describes the effects of a society’s culture on the values of that culture’s members and how those values relate to behavior. This is accomplished by using a structure resulting from factor analysis (Hofstede, 2011). This theory has been used as an example for several fields, particularly in cross-cultural psychology (Hofstede, 2011). Geert Hofstede’s original cultural dimensions theory had four dimensions from which cultural values could be analyzed. These four dimensions were: (a) individualism versus collectivism (IDV); (b) uncertainty avoidance (UAI); (c) power distance (PDI); (d) masculinity versus femininity (MAS). While Hofstede was performing research in Hong Kong he added the fifth dimension, long-term orientation...
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...Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions: A Comparison of Greece and U.S. Human Resource Management Approaches By Kelly M. Mistretta MBOL2 MBA 533, Human Resource in Management Dr. James C. Dumville Saint Leo University – Center for Online Learning September 9, 2012 Name: Kelly Mistretta Title: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions: A Comparison of Greece and U.S. Human Resource Management Approaches Date: September 9, 2012 Abstract Globalization continues to become more important in the business culture in our world. No longer can management focus only on companies within their own country. Businesses are forced to compete with companies from other countries. With the increased global competition, a business must understand other cultures if they hope to remain competitive and have continued success. There are several models that show the influence of cultural differences between nations. Hofstede’s model, called the theory of cultural relativity of organization practices is the most recognized model. Hofstede’s model focuses on cultural influences and work behaviors in five different dimensions. Each dimension has important implications in understanding business. This paper will compare the Hofstede analysis of Greece and the United States. Biographical Sketch Kelly Mistretta is currently an MBA student at Saint Leo University. Mistretta has a BA in Accounting and plans to obtain an MBA to equip her with improved business skills to better contribute to society...
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...Methodological Issues Subunit 1 Conceptual Issues in Psychology and Culture 12-1-2011 Article 8 Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context Geert Hofstede Universities of Maastricht and Tilburg, The Netherlands, hofstede@bart.nl Recommended Citation Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 2. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8 This Online Readings in Psychology and Culture Article is brought to you for free and open access (provided uses are educational in nature)by IACCP and ScholarWorks@GVSU. Copyright © 2011 International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-0-9845627-0-1 Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context Abstract This article describes briefly the Hofstede model of six dimensions of national cultures: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Femininity, Long/ Short Term Orientation, and Indulgence/Restraint. It shows the conceptual and research efforts that preceded it and led up to it, and once it had become a paradigm for comparing cultures, research efforts that followed and built on it. The article stresses that dimensions depend on the level of aggregation; it describes the six entirely different dimensions found in the Hofstede et al. (2010) research into organizational cultures. It warns against confusion with value differences at the individual...
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...Framework of Cultures 3 Power Distance (PD) 3 Individualism - Collectivism (IC) 3 Masculinity - Femininity (MF) 4 Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) 4 Long/short term orientation (LTO) 5 Some aspects of Hofstede’s model having provoked scientific criticism 5 Methodological issues 6 Cultural Homogeneity 7 National Divisions 7 Number and bipolarity of dimensions 7 Out-dated concept 8 Political Influences 9 Conclusion 9 References 10 Abstract The high level of multiculturalism in the field of business indicates to raise awareness about cultural understanding. Researches in that line major refer to Greert Hofstede, who analyzes dynamics of cross-cultural groups and organizations. Undoubtedly, his model is as widely cited as criticized, because it is well-known pioneering research of national culture differences and their consequences. In this short paper, I am going to examine Hofstede’s findings and the reason why his work faces criticism. Introduction Culture in business has been of utmost interest for the last two decades, and with increasing national diversity in nowadays business environment, culture itself is regarded as an important dimension. The beginning of a pilot study in that sphere refers to the Dutch social psychologist Greert Hofstede and his outgoing research of IBM Organization (Hofstede 1980). Since the first publishing of The consequences of culture (Hofstede 1980; 2001) and Cultures and organizations: software of the mind (Hofstede 1991), cross-cultural...
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...this essay is to firstly understand the arguments between McSweeney and Hofstede about national cultures. The argument starts on the Hoftstede’s published book Culture’s Consequences. Hoftstede’s cultural dimensions theory has got popular and in the same time criticised by other scholars, while McSweeney is one of the scholars who have been critising the cultural dimensions on people from different nations. This essay will firstly summarise the ideas and arguments of both of McSweeney and Hofstede in order to develop the understanding about the reasons why they are conflicting with each other on the cultural dimension theories. Following the summary of the two scholars ideas and argument, this essay will discuss the agreement and disagreement of both scholars. Reflection on this course on national culture will be specified as well in order to show whether my personal understanding about culture has been changed or improved. Summary of the ideas and argument of both McSweeney and Hofstede * McSweeney’s argument McSweeney expresses his doubts about Hoftstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences. The criticism that McSweeney has on the theory of Hoftstede’s cultural dimensions based on the description of national cultural differences in the Culture’s Consequences published in 1980 (McSweeney, 2002). First of all, the methodology applied in the research of Hoftstede’s model is critised by McSweeney. McSweeney points out that IBM in 66 countries...
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...Culture and Organization: Unilever Case Study Student Name: University: Course: Date: Table of Contents 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..………2 2. Background of Unilever…………………………………………………...2 3. Hofstede culture dimension theory ……………………………………..3 4. General culture of Unilever……………………………………..…………4 5. Hofstede Culture model of Vietnam, UK and Unilever Vietnam ……5 6. Issues of Labor in Vietnam Operations…………………………………8 7. Efforts taken by the company to deal with the labor issue…………9 8. Advantages of establishing a good culture policy …………………..10 9. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….11 10. Reference………………………………………………………………….12 Introduction Cross-cultural relationships are imperative for businesses to expand operations. It is imperative to understand the nuances of each culture. Only then can businesses thrive in a new environment (Hofstede, 2011) The Hofstede culture analysis determines the traces of each work culture. From this the differences between the cultures can be worked out. For the purpose of this analysis the organizational culture of Unilever in Vietnam has been studied. The global Unilver culture and the culture of Unilver Vietnam will be examined in this report. The Culture of Unilever, its Corporate Social Responsibility practices will be be studied. It will compare with the existing theoretical models like the Hofstede culture models. The labor issues operation supply in Unilever Vietnam...
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...make informed decisions on the strategies to be undertaken (Verhoest et al., 2010). From the concept and impact of the difference in the cultural practices, then it is crucial for all managers to understand the cultural differences in the regions they conduct their management. In an aim to analyze the cultural frameworks, various cultural frameworks have been generated. The most preferred cultural framework for analysis is the Hofstede’s cultural framework (Dong et al., 2010). Discussion of cultural frameworks In this essay, one analyzes the nature and dimensions of the Hofstede’s cultural framework. It is a model that distinguishes cultures into five dimensions. The five dimensions include; the power distance, the collectivism versus individualism, femininity versus masculinity, the uncertainty avoidance and long versus short-term orientation. In the analysis of cultures, a scale is improvised in each dimension of the culture framework (Jackson et al., 2011). The...
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...Mexico: Cultural Analysis This paper is a cultural analysis of the Mexican culture through the lens of the 5-D Model developed by Professor Geert Hofstede. The five dimensions of the model include: Power Distance (PDI), Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI), and Long term versus short term orientation. In recent years a sixth dimension named Indulgence versus Restraint has been added. There are no rankings for this dimension as it has only been recently added and researched (Hofstede, 2012). This Model gives one an important tool for gaining insights into given cultures which can improve business opportunities and interactions (International business etiquette, manners and culture, 2012). Power Distance Index (PDI) is the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The issue is how a society handles inequalities. Mexico, ranking 81on the PDI, is a hierarchical society. Regionally, Mexico ranks higher on PDI than the United States (rank 39) and Canada (rank 40), whose ranks indicate that their cultures strive to equalize the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. Globally, however, countries vary greatly in PDI, (average PDI rank of 60; Clearly Cultural, 2012). One must consider the PDI rank when doing business with a given country in a certain region. For example, Mexican businesses hoping to successfully...
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...INTERESTED IN IT My focus country this semester is Germany. The German culture I believe is responsible for their success even after being beaten and bankrupt in two world wars. I chose dimensions of culture to help me investigate the differences in culture between Germany and other European countries who are struggling. EXPLANATION OF THE KEY TERM According to Satterlee (2014, p. 43) “The dimensions of culture may be categorized as Communication, Religion, Ethics, Values and Attitudes, Manners, Customs, Social Structures and Organizations, and Education”. In the late 1960s and early 1970s an IBM sociologist named, Geert Hofstede, studying the diversity of his company, concluded that aside from individuals, a country can have a culture or personality that can be scored and compared with other countries. His theory of cultural dimensions includes only five categories: Power distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long Term Orientation (Dimensions of national cultures, 2015). MAJOR ARTICLE SUMMARY The article I selected is from the December, 2011, issue of the journal Online Reading in Psychology and Culture: International association of Cross-Cultural Psychology. The article is titled, ‘Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context’ by Geert Hofstede. The article begins with Mr. Hofstede describing his work at IBM. In the 1967 to 1973 time period, Mr. Hofstede was given access to a large database of 100,000 surveys from IBM and...
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...2014 Cultural Dimensions of Geert Hofstede: Analysis of Colombia 10.06.2014 Soraya A. Suarez I. Register Number: 969800 Darmstädter Landstr. 64 60598 Frankfurt Tel: 0176- 708 59654 E-mail: sorayasuarez@gmail.com Cultural Dimensions of Geert Hofstede: Analysis of Colombia 2 Content 1. Introduction............................................2 2. Culture.................................................3 3. Colombia................................................5 4. Cultural Models and Cultural Dimensions.................9 4.1 Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions.................9 4.1.1. Power Distance Index...........................10 4.1.2. Uncertainty Avoidance..........................12 4.1.3. Individualism vs. Collectivism.................13 4.1.4. Masculinity vs. Femininity.....................15 4.1.5. Long vs. Short-term Orientation................16 4.1.6. Indulgence vs. Restraint.......................17 5. Conclusion.............................................20 6. References.............................................21 Table of Figures Colombia Facts & Figures...................................6 Colombia Location, Flag and Coat of Arms...................8 Colombian Population According to Ethnocultural Identity..11 Colombian Culture through the 6-D Model...................13 Cultural Dimensions of Geert Hofstede: Analysis of Colombia 3 1. Introduction With the arise of globalization, the issues about cultural dimensions are of extremely...
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...ANALYSIS OF THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION The Student’s Name The Name of the Class Professor The Name of the University The city and State where it is Located The Date Contents 1.0 Background to the Organization...........................................................................................4 2.0 Theoretical Framework.........................................................................................................5 3.0 Discussion of Central Topic..................................................................................................8 4.0 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................13 References..................................................................................................................................14 List of Figures Fig: 2.0 Diagrammatic representations of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions...............................7 AN ANALYSIS OF THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION 1.0 Background to the Organization Organization culture is a predominant aspect of an organization’s internal environment Azhar (2003). Culture, to some extent, influences performance and efficiency in an organization Rousseau (2000). Every organization has its unique culture that differs from that of other corporate Schein (2004). For purposes of this report I chose IKEA group, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of its culture using the appropriate...
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...developed by Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars. I - Introduction Different national cultures comprise different cultural value systems. The value systems are generated from a conception, or as noted previous beliefs, of existing means or resources, and necessities. Cultures have various standards and some factors such as behaviors, traditions or communication of one culture can be observed as irrelevant or sometimes even threatening by other cultures. These uncertainties can bring into being cultural gaps between people within a workforce. Not only do the variety of cultural structure interacting together increase the potential for conflict or disagreement, but also methods of control disputation among the cultures. The project manager must be able to handleconfrontation using different styles, depending on the circumstances, in order to effectively manage a diverse team. This paper discusses the most well-known and accepted theories of cultural differences and illustrates them with cases from international project management. Two leading studies of cross-cultural management have been conducted by Geert Hofstede and FonsTrompenaars. Both frameworksoffer a set of cultural dimensions along which core values can be obtained. These structures influence on human thinking, feeling, performance, and the behavior of organizations and institutions in predictable practice. The two sets of measurements indicate basic difficulties that any culture has to deal with but...
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...Culture & Business in the usa Deliverable 2 Culture & Business in the usa Deliverable 2 Lotte Daniels – 0880763 Kinsley Nji – 0886397 Baris Yazici – 0882833 Jordi Ruijs – 0882261 IBMS203 - 24-09-2014 Lotte Daniels – 0880763 Kinsley Nji – 0886397 Baris Yazici – 0882833 Jordi Ruijs – 0882261 IBMS203 - 24-09-2014 Index Introduction 2 Hofstede’s dimensions in the United States of America 3 Power Distance 3 Individualism versus Collectivism 3 Masculinity versus Femininity 3 Uncertainty avoidance 4 Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation 4 Implications for doing business in the USA 5 Hard work 5 Action 5 Competitiveness 5 Conclusion 7 Bibliography 8 Introduction In this report we are going to investigate the USA in terms of their culture. We are going to explain the (business) culture of the USA by using the theory of Geert Hofstede. This theory includes 6 dimensions, but for this particular report we will only need 5. The 5 dimensions are: * Power distance * Individualism * Masculinity * Uncertainty avoidance * Pragmatism This theory will help us understand what the most important aspects of America’s culture are, what the differences are between America and European countries based on their business culture (even though they seem so similar) and how to handle those differences when you’re an foreign company/entrepreneur with a desire of doing business in the USA. Hofstede’s...
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...1799 1799 ‘How are the concepts of culture and leadership linked?’ Introduction: This literature review will make use of four pieces of academic work to discuss how the concept of culture can intrinsically affect leadership. The literature finds that the link between culture and leadership is an important, yet complicated relationship. I will begin by discussing and defining the central concepts of culture and leadership. I will then explain and analyse the significance of culture upon leadership. Finally I will review Hofstede’s cultural framework to assess its significance and relevance to the topic at hand. Culture: To begin, culture is a phenomenon that carries multiple definitions. A simplistic view sees it as “how things are done around here”(Ouchi and Johnson, 1978 p.293). Culture can also encompass the behaviours, attitudes, norms, morals and unconscious values instilled within a group of individuals (Schien, 1985). Hofstede himself defines culture as the “collective mental programming” (Hofstede, 1980 pp.43) of individuals bound by some form of common orientation or geographical boundary. Culture shapes everything within society, and as an extension, leadership. Leadership is another interlinked concept, commonly defined as a relationship by which followers are influenced, and inherent changes are made towards a collective purpose (Daft and Lane, 2005). Moreover leadership refers to the “core set of traits, behaviours, skills, or characteristics that...
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