CROSS-CULTURAL

MANAGEMENT
Why Culture Matters in Business ???
 “Despite popular beliefs
to the contrary,
the single greatest barrier
to business success
is the one erected by
culture”
E.T. Hall and M.R. Hall
 17

Why Culture Matters in Business

Why it Matters?
• We know our own business culture values and norms
• We may presume that what works “here” works
everywhere
• Our perception and interpretation of the other person
can be negative or judgmental and may affect business in
a negative way

Cross-Cultural Management Implications

• Not only do’s & don’ts; also to know yourself & others
and uncover the “why” behind the behavior
• Individuals interacting, not countries
• Recognizing similarities and differences, then applying
appropriate solutions and strategies
Reason behind X-Culture

• Soft issues in management

• People Management
• Talent development and retainment
• Cultural know-how as a core competence of a
company
• Cultural and communicative competence as a
key-competence of human capital
• Factor of effectiveness and competitiveness of
the company
• Localization of products
 19

Approach to Culture

Application
• “What” – be aware,
understand and accept
Evaluation Cultural Differences

Acceptance
• “So What” - evaluate the
Impact
Understanding
• “Now What” – develop and
Awareness apply Strategies
What is culture?
Culture Defined

Culture is the shared ways in which groups of people

understand and interpret the world.
– Fons Trompenaars
Riding the Waves of Culture

[Culture] is the collective programming of the mind which

distinguishes the members of one group … from another.
– Geert Hofstede
Cultures and Organizations

Culture hides more than what it reveals, and strangely

enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own
participants.
– Edward Hall
The Silent Language
On stereotypes and typizations

• Give some examples (words, associations) of

what Russians or other nationals are.

• What do you notice about these words?

Stereotypes vs. Generalizations
New Information New Information

Stereotype
Generalization

A fixed, oversimplified opinion A principle, statement or idea

or superficial judgment having general application
 24

Culture as an Iceberg
Culture Influences:
Visible
• Work Patterns
Behavior
• Socializing Outside of Work
• Views of Gender-appropriate
Customs
Behavior
Beliefs
Values • Concepts of Right and Wrong
Assumptions
• Ways of Handling Problems or
Disagreements
• Interaction Between Leaders
and Subordinates
• Communication and Meeting
Less Styles
Visible
Cross-Cultural Management:
Conceptual Models
 Geert Hofstede’s
5 Cultural Dimensions
26

A model to assist with differentiating

cultures:

1. Power Distance (PDI)

2. Individualism (IDV)
3. Masculinity (MAS)
4. Uncertainty Avoidance (UAV)
5. Long Term Orientation (LTO)
For more information: http://www.geert-hofstede.com
Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for
cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert
Hofstede. It describes the effects of a society's culture on
the values of its members, and how these values relate to
behavior, using a structure derived from factor analysis.

Hofstede developed his original model as a result of using

factor analysis to examine the results of a worldwide
survey of employee values by IBM between 1967 and 1973.
It has been refined since. The original theory proposed
four dimensions along which cultural values could be
analyzed: individualism-collectivism; uncertainty
avoidance; power distance (strength of social hierarchy)
and masculinity-femininity (task-orientation versus person-
orientation).
 Dimensions of national cultures

Power distance index (PDI): The power distance index is defined as “the extent to
which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family)
accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.” In this dimension, inequality
and power is perceived from the followers, or the lower strata. A higher degree of
the Index indicates that hierarchy is clearly established and executed in society,
without doubt or reason. A lower degree of the Index signifies that people question
authority and attempt to distribute power.

Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV): This index explores the “degree to which people
in a society are integrated into groups.” Individualistic societies have loose ties that
often only relate an individual to his/her immediate family. They emphasize the “I”
versus the “we.” Its counterpart, collectivism, describes a society in which tightly-
integrated relationships tie extended families and others into in-groups. These in-
groups are laced with undoubted loyalty and support each other when a conflict
arises with another in-group
Uncertainty avoidance (UAI): The uncertainty avoidance
index is defined as “a society's tolerance for ambiguity,”
in which people embrace or avert an event of something
unexpected, unknown, or away from the status quo.
Societies that score a high degree in this index opt for stiff
codes of behavior, guidelines, laws, and generally rely on
absolute truth, or the belief that one lone truth dictates
everything and people know what it is. A lower degree in
this index shows more acceptance of differing thoughts or
ideas. Society tends to impose fewer regulations,
ambiguity is more accustomed to, and the environment is
more free-flowing.
Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS): In this dimension,
masculinity is defined as “a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards
for success.” Its counterpart represents “a preference for
cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of
life.” Women in the respective societies tend to display
different values. In feminine societies, they share modest
and caring views equally with men.

In more masculine societies, women are somewhat

assertive and competitive, but notably less than men. In
other words, they still recognize a gap between male and
female values. This dimension is frequently viewed as
taboo in highly masculine societies
Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation (LTO):
This dimension associates the connection of the past with
the current and future actions/challenges. A lower degree
of this index (short-term) indicates that traditions are
honored and kept, while steadfastness is valued.

Societies with a high degree in this index (long-term) view

adaptation and circumstantial, pragmatic problem-solving
as a necessity. A poor country that is short-term oriented
usually has little to no economic development, while long-
term oriented countries continue to develop to a point
Indulgence vs. restraint (IND): This dimension refers to
the degree of freedom that societal norms give to citizens
in fulfilling their human desires. Indulgence is defined as
“a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic
and natural human desires related to enjoying life and
having fun.” Its counterpart is defined as “a society that
controls gratification of needs and regulates it by means of
strict social norms
Differences between cultures on the values dimensions

Putting together national scores (from 1 for the lowest to

100 for the highest), Hofstede's six-dimensions model allows
international comparison between cultures, also called
comparative research:

Power distance index shows very high scores for Latin and Asian
countries, African areas and the Arab world. On the other hand,
Germanic countries, including Anglophone countries, have a lower power
distance (only 11 for Austria and 18 for Denmark).

For example, the United States has a 40 on the cultural scale of

Hofstede's analysis. Compared to Guatemala where the power distance is
very high (95) and Israel where it is very low (13), the United States is in
the middle.
Germany scores a high UAI (65) and Belgium even more (94) compared
to Sweden (29) or Denmark (23) despite their geographic proximity.

However, few countries have very low UAI. Masculinity is extremely

low in Nordic countries: Norway scores 8 and Sweden only 5. In
contrast, Masculinity is very high in Japan (95), and in European
countries like Hungary, Austria and Switzerland influenced by
German culture.

In the Anglo world, masculinity scores are relatively high with 66 for
the United Kingdom for example. Latin countries present contrasting
scores: for example Venezuela has a 73-point score whereas Chile's is
only 28
 31

Challenges of Working Across Cultures and

Borders

Language Barrier Time zones and distances

Different Expectations
Business Protocol about Team Work

Building Relationships
Virtual Communication across cultural
differences

Solving Problems and

Meeting Deadlines
Conflict resolution
and following agreements

Decision Making
Achieving an Effective
Global-Local Balance
Culture and Organization
Geert Hofstede
Village market
min Small power
distance Family
Weak Large power
uncertainty distance
Uncertainty avoidance

Weak uncertainty
avoidance
avoidance

Well-oiled Pyramid
machine of people
Small power Large power
distance distance
Strong uncertainty Strong uncertainty
max avoidance avoidance
min Power distance max