Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory

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4 Dimensions

Describes the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members, and how those values effect behavior.

1) Power Distance

2) Indiviualism

3) Uncertainty Avoidance Index

4) Masculinity

Polycentrism-belief that business units in different countries should act like local companies.

Ethnocentrism-conviction that one's culture is superior to that  of other cultures.

Geocentrism-requires employees to balance knowledge their their own organizational cultures with both home and host country needs, capabilities, and constraints.

Culture Distance

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Culture Friction

Cultural Distance-the degree to which cultures differ from eachother when measured by cultural factors such as language, religion, and ethnicities.

Cultural Friction-results from changes in power relationships and sovereignty when to cultures come into contact with one another.

Low-Context Cultures VS.High-Context Cultures

(5 Differences)

#1

1) Perception of Cues

2) Obtaining Information:

Focused vs. Broad Information

Sequential vs. Simultaneous Handling of Situations

Dealing w/ Principles First vs. Small Issues First

3) Processing Information

Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures

(5 Conditions)

#2

4) Monochronic vs. Polychronic Cultures

Undivided Attention vs. Multitasking

5) Idealism vs. Pragmatism

Holistic vs. Analytic

tend to regard seemingly peripheral information as pertinent, and to infer meanings to things said either directly or casually.

(Southern Europe)

Tend to regard as relevant only firsthand information that bears directly on the topic at hand.

(Northern Europe and USA)

-Similarity among people is both a cause, and an effect, of national boundaries.

-Laws apply primarily to national lines. 

Culture

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Cultural Collision

Culture-learned norms derived from the values, attitudes, and beliefs of a group of people.

Cultural Collision-occurs when divergent cultures come into contact with eachother.

2 Conditions that Lead to Cultural Collision

1) When a company implements practices that are less effective than intended.

2) When employees encounter distress b/c of a difficulty accepting or adjusting to cultural behavior.

1) Language-unifying force.

2) Religion-shapes cultural values and behaviors.