Using Geert Hofstede 's Six National Cultural Dimensions Model Essay

1. Ben Franklin, pointing to the sun carved on the back of the presiding officer's chair, remarked; "Throughout the days we have been laboring here, I have observed that sun, and wondered whether it was a rising sun or a setting sun. Now I know it was a rising sun."1 Throughout our lives we have been told of how our country was formed. I am here to tell you about the things the history books and teachers don’t tell you about the freemasons and there shaping of the United States of America. We will start with freemasons an agency that has been shaping history since the building of King Solomon’s temple.

Russia has many cultural characteristics that have shaped the country we know today. A nation 's culture can define its actions and make them more predictable as a state on the international level. Understanding a nation’s culture gives great insight into the motives and reasoning behind their aggression or acts of force. Factors such as geography, weather, political landscape, military, and key infrastructure provide a clear understanding of Russian culture and how it has shaped the nation over the past century.

Paul is a third-grader who is a very strong reader. He chooses to spend most of his time reading and enjoys many different topics. He writes long and complex stories during writer workshop as well. Paul seldom engages socially with other children; in fact, he is quite timid with both children and adults.

Question 1. How might the troubles with the tourism company be explained by Hofstede’s dimension of culture. Make sure to look at both Japanese and American cultures.

The cultural pattern typology I found the most interesting was the typology introduced by two anthropologists , Kluckhohn and strodtbeck. This typology was based on value orientations.Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck stated that “Every individual regardless of culture,must deal with five universal questions,referred to as “value orientation.”(pg.194) value orientation plays a big role in how we viewingculture , but I cannot say that I would refer to these questions to help me define culture.The five universal questions that were listed on page 195 in the text were the following:1.What is the character of human nature,2.What is the relation of humankind to nature.,3.what is the orientation toward time;4.what is the value placed an activity;and 5. What is the relationship of people to each other.

The world we live in is such a unique and diverse place, and with new technological advances being made every day, we are becoming more intertwined and in tune with each other. With a click of a button, we have to ability to view and chat with others that live on the opposite side of the world. With that being said, we are also being exposed to a multitude of cultures, beliefs, and traditions that may be quite different from our own, and some cultural practices can be seen as immoral when viewing them from an outsider’s perspective. In order to evaluate these practices practically and properly, there are three theories that can be used when evaluating the morality of practices from other cultures. These three theories include ethical relativism,

Dr. Hofstede performed a comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. In the 1970’s, as a Dutch researcher Dr. Geert Hofstede, collected and analyzed data from 116,000 surveys taken from IBM employees in forty different countries around the world. From those results, Hofstede developed a model that identifies four primary dimensions of differentiate cultures. These include: Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), Masculinity-Femininity (MAS), Individualism-Collectivism (IND), Power and Distance (PD). After a further study of the Asian culture by researcher Michael Bond in 1991, Hofstede added a fifth dimension in his theory, Long- and Short-term time orientation (LTO), also referred to as the Confucian Dynamism. His research has framed how cultural differences can be used in professional business transactions. Geert Hofstede 's dimensions analysis can assist the business person in better understanding the intercultural differences within regions and between countries.

The author has then moved on to list the three levels of culture i.e., National Culture, Business Culture, Occupational and organizational Cultures. Also, the three diagnostic models – Hofstede’s Model, The GLOBE project and the 7d culture model –all of them have some pretty useful information about different cultures across the world. Amidst these, I found one fascinating concept called ‘Power Distance’ (p. 52). It explains how different cultures deal with inequality. Hailing from India, a typically high-power-distance country, I completely understand this concept. It was actually a pleasant surprise when I moved to the United States and got to experience how much of a Low-Power-Distance country this is. Just

| * India scores high on this dimension, 77, indicating an appreciation for hierarchy and a Top – Down Structure in society and Organizations. dependent on the boss or the powerholder for direction, acceptance of un-equal rights between the power-priviledged and those who are lesser down in the pecking order, immediate superiors accessible but one layer above less so, paternalistic leader, management directs, gives reason / meaning to ones work life and rewards in exchange for loyalty from employees. * Real Power is centralized even though it may not appear to be and managers count on the obedience of their team members. * Employees expect to be directed clearly as to their functions and what is expected of them. * Communication is top down and directive in its style and often feedback which is negative is never offered up the ladder

When a business decides to venture internationally into different countries with its products, services, and operations, it is very important that the company gains an understanding of how the culture of the different societies affects the values found in those societies. Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most famous and most used studies on how culture relates to values. Hofstede study enabled him to compare dimensions of culture across 40 countries. He originally isolated four dimensions of what he claimed summarized different cultures — power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, and masculinity versus femininity (Hill, 2013, p.110). To cover aspects of values not discussed in the original paradigm Hofstede has since added two more dimensions — Confucianism or long-term orientation and indulgence versus self-restraint (Hofstede, n.d.). Because of the way Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are given an index score from 0-100, it is easy for a company to get a general comparison between the cultures they are expanding into and the culture they are already in.

The United States and China boast the two largest economies in the world but, despite this fact, these two countries have very little in common. At first glance, this may seem very obvious to most people but, what exactly is it that makes these two countries so different? How is it that such different perspectives and approaches can both lead to great success? Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture are an attempt to answer these questions and more. Dr. Geert Hofstede, studied employees of the computer firm IBM in over fifty different countries. When he examined his findings he found “clear patterns of similarity and difference along the four dimensions” (Manktelow, Jackson Edwards, Eyre, Cook and Khan, n.d.). The fact that he focused his research on solely IBM employees allowed him to eliminate company culture as a differentiating factor and “attribute those patterns to national and social differences” (n.d.). He used his findings to originally identify four dimensions, later expanded to six, that could “distinguish one culture from another” (n.d.). The six dimensions all on a scale from 0 to 100 are:

Hofstede’s model (1980) has been used widely in research in the past two decades. The

When delving further into his experiences and observations of his Indian co-workers, he states that “people from India usually have a very submissive personality so much so that although they may not understand a task, they will not ask enough questions to further the outcome” (Ricketts, 2015). This could be due to the appreciation for hierarchy in India. According to Hofstede’s National Culture Dimension scores, India scores high on power distance. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (What about India). Employees

When it comes to globalization in Media, all media in some way teaches a lesson and gives the person who is watching the media a different aspect of the country. America has many movies that are shown and filmed in other countries. Television shows from America as well are dubbed for the viewing of people in other countries. Music can influences a country to come up with their own sound to spread around the world. All in all, media from different countries has the potential to affect every country around the world. But does the media really show the life and culture of the country?

“A set of basic assumptions – shared solutions to universal problems of external adaptation (how to survive) and internal integration (how to stay together) - which have evolved over time and are handed down from one generation to the next.” (Schein, 1985). Culture is divided in into 2 categories one is National Culture and second is Organisational Culture.