The Characteristics Of Individualism And Collectivism And Cross-Cultural Values

The theory of individualism/collectivism refers to the values and nature of a society. Those cultures deemed as individualist place high

The individualism vs. collectivism index was developed by Professor Geert Hofstede. The index helps to identify “the degree to which people in a society are integrated into groups.” In other words the concept of “I” vs. “We” in society.

Collectivism-> is basically when you think that values and the goals of the group and the common good over the goals of any one individual are the most beneficial. It stresses human interdependence and the importance of a collective, rather than the importance of separate individuals

Individualism is often viewed as a positive trait in America, suggesting a certain level of personal confidence. American society tends to reward independent thinkers and those who decide autonomously. To this end, individuality has become a value in many American homes. Although individualism is widely received and respected in American culture, it is not as well respected in other cultures. One culture in particular which frowns on individualism is the Asian culture.

“Individualism is the idea that the individual’s life belongs to him and that he has an inalienable right to live as he sees fit, to act on his own judgement, to keep and use the product of his effort, and to pursue the causes of his choosing.” My take on individualism, is basically that we can control ourselves, we can do what we want with restrictions to keep those that stand by us safe. Individualism is a way of a society. Now, on the other hand there is collectivism, “the idea that the individual’s life belongs not to him but to the group or society of which he is merely a part of has no rights, and that he must sacrifice his values and goals for the group’s greater good.” My take on this is “idea” is that you are completely controlled when put under this way of society. Having read the book Anthem by Ayn Rand collectivism is for sure something that I would not want to be a part of.

For the last century, individualism vs. collectivism has been a political conflict in America. What is collectivism and individualism you might ask, well collectivism is briefly defined as a group of people working together to give priority over individuals. On the other hand, individualism can be defined as a theory of favoring freedom over collective individuals and working to benefit his/her own self. Although the two seem very different, they also share many similar characteristics.

Independence is one gigantic notion that helps explain American culture and is simply defined as the freedom of control and influence of others. Independence is a strong American value. The culture is focused on the individual, instead of a group. “Self-reliance and self-expression are usually seen as more important than harmonious relationships” (American Culture). Independent effort and achievement are valued in American culture and is deeply rooted from birth.

Culture is defined by a construction of one's world-view, and it is transmitted by individuals and collectives through socialization and enculturation (Pederson & Ivey, 13). It contains values, beliefs, language, and perception. In studying cultural differences among members of distinct national, ethnic groups researcher have examined the concept of collectivism and individualism. People form individualistic cultures tend to view themselves as unique entities and independent form one another (Coon & Kemmelmeier, 348)

As stated by Robbins and Judge (2011), “organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within

Looking at the chart the first dimension of culture plotted is individualism-collectivism. This dimension addresses how people define themselves and their relationships with others. Cultures that fall on the individualism side of the continuum share four characteristics. First, such cultures consider the individual to be the most important entity in any social setting. Second, individualistic cultures stress independence rather than dependence. Third, individualistic cultures reward individual achievement. The last characteristic is; individualistic cultures value each individual’s uniqueness.

The Individualism is important for the American values because the individualism supports the pursuit of one's aim and willingness while as will value independence and self-trust and advocate that advantage of the individual must achieve priority over the nation or a public group. Besides, the Americans don't really care about their traditions, they just do what they think that is right. Not just the traditions, they even don't care about their parent's opinion, for example, if they want to marry someone they don’t get the permission from anyone they just do it. Americans live the moment without being careful or even think if it was good with the traditions and families to do that, like having a tattoo as an example. Moreover, Americans are

What distinguishes the individualist culture from collectivist culture is in how the relation of individual interests and community interests are dealt with. In a collectivist culture, people are taught that the interests of the community are considered to be the most important.

According to Laurie J. Mullins (2013. pp.4-5), “Organizational Behavior is concerned with the study of the behavior of people within an organizational setting, generally along the lines of understanding of individual and group behavior, and patterns of structure in order to help improve organizational performance and effectiveness.”

Organizational behavior is the behavior of individuals, either one or a group. It is not the behavior of an organization, but rather the behavior of the people in an organization. This can be anywhere from a family at home to a church to a work group within a company. Some of the challenges that make behaviors challenging in today’s workplace are high performance, ethical behavior, productivity improvement, technology utilization, quality, diversity, work-life balance, and the global economy, (Schermerhorn, 2003, P. 1).

First, Individualism vs. Collectivism. Individualism is the social function of the relative likelihood of a free and individual means only take care of themselves and their families. By contrast, collectivism is the tendency of social functions relatively tight where each individual to identify themselves as a group with loyalty not need to be asked. The main problem of this dimension is the degree of interdependence of individuals in a