Introduction to Cross Culture (1)

8/3/2019 Introduction to Cross Culture (1)

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Introduction to Cross

Culture


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Meaning & Definition of Culture

Culture consists of patterned way of thinking, feeling and reacting that isacquired & transmitted mainly by symbols constituing the distinctiveachievement of human groups which includes embodiment of artifacts.

Essential core of Cutlure consists of Traditional ideas and their attachedvalues (historically derived and selected)

Culture is subjective perception of human-made part of the environment including categorization of social stimuli, associations, beliefs, attitudes,roles and values that individuals share.

Culture consists of Shared mental programs that control individualsresponse to their environment


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Divergence & Convergence of Culture

Divergence

National Culture & Regional Culture societal factors,environment, political situation, legal systems, education andlabor relations

Individual experiences contributing to the diversity within culture

Convergence

Development of nations, connectivity across the world,enhancement of education across the borders, increasedoccupational diversity, urban intensification, development of mass

communication


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Few cultures

Western Culture

European Culture

Asian Culture Indian Culture

Russian culture


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Features of Culture Culture is Shared

Personality

Culture

Human Nature

Inherited &Learnt

Learned

Biological

Specific toindividuals

Specific to groups

Universal


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Features of Culture

Culture is Learnt

Culture is transmitted through processof learning and interacting with theenvironment language, governmentsystems, forms of marriage, religioussystems


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Features of culture

Culture is systemic & Organized

Cultures are integrated coherent logical systems it is more thanrandom assortment of customs

Culture is organized system of values, attitudes, beliefs andbehavioural meanings related to each other and to environmentalcontext.

Culture is neither genetic nor about individual behaviour, it iscontained within the knowledge systems of individuals. Thesesystems are formed during childhood and reinforced through life.Therefore they are pervasive but often not immediate apparent tosociety members


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Hofstedes Model

Collectivism Individualism Ones self identity is definedaccording to individual characteristics or by the characteristics ofthe group to which an individual belongs on permanent basis.

Power Distance refers to extent to which power differences

are accepted and sanctioned in the society

Uncertainty Avoidance focuses on ways on how societiesfocus on reducing uncertainty and create stability.

Masculinity/Feminity refers to the extent to which maleorientations of ambition and achievement are emphasized overfemale orientation of nurturance and interpersonal harmony.


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Criticism of Hofstede

Hofstedes framework was developed from 2 surveys conducted in 1968 &1972 in side IBM that restricts the ability to generalize to otherorganizations whose members might be systematically different.

Items of the survey were not developed from any theoretical base butextracted from a broader survey designed to assess employee satisfaction,

perception of work and personal beliefs and goals.

Problem associated with mathematics of factor analysis there were toofew data points for the number of questionnaire items

Two of the Hofstedes dimensions were separated arbitrarily

Many of the items within dimensions seem to be unrelated to each other

Many of the items related to several of the dimenstions (Dorfman & Howell1988; Maznevski et al. 1993)


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Trompenaars Dimensions

Study was conducted by Fons Trompenaars administered a questionnaire to over 15,000 managers in28 countries

His study gave the Seven Value Dimensions that werederived primarily from the prior work of North AmericanSociologists and Anthropologists (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck1961; Parsons & Shills, 1951)


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Seven Dimensions of Trompenaar

Universalism

Particularism: Universalism is a belief that what is trueand good can be discovered and applied universally, Particularism is abelief that unique circumstances determine what is right or good

Individualism-Collectivism: Similar to Hofstede; individual benefitsversus group interest

Neutral Affective: In neutral culture, emotions are held back andmaintaining an appearance of self control is important; whereas inaffective cultures it is natural to express emotions

Specific Diffuse: This dimension refers to the extent to which

individual are willing to allow access to their inner selves to others. Inspecific cultures, people separate the private part of their lives from thepublic, whereas in diffuse cultures, these aspects of the individualoverlap.


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Achievement-Ascripiton: This dimension is about how status and powerare determined in a society. In an ascription society, status is based on whoa person, whereas in an achievement society, status is based on what aperson does

Time: Past versus future orientation, extent to which time is viewed aslinear versus holistic and integrative with past and present together withfuture possibilities

Environment: Extent to which individual feels that they themselves are theprimary influence in their lives. Alternatively the environment is seen asmore powerful than people and they should strive to achieve harmony withNature

Loyal Involvement-Utilitarian commitment: Orientation towards groupmembers

Conservatism-Egalitarian commitment: obligations of socialrelationships

Seven Dimensions of Trompenaar


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Assignment

Study the quesitonnaire & scores ofHofstede model

Pick up 8 countries of your choicefrom the table to draw a pattern intheir cultures.

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Introduction to Cross Culture (1)