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What are Pan-Cultural Studies?

Research projects comparing many societies to identify universal (etic) cultural dimensions across values, beliefs, and behaviors.

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions (Overview)

Started with IBM employees (1970s), includes 6 dimensions: Power Distance, Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long/Short-Term Orientation, Indulgence-Restraint.

Hofstede: Power Distance

Extent to which inequality is accepted. High: Morocco, Russia. Low: Denmark, Netherlands.

Hofstede: Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualism emphasizes personal goals (US, UK); Collectivism emphasizes group identity (China, Pakistan).

Hofstede: Masculinity vs. Femininity

Masculinity = competitiveness and achievement (Japan, Italy). Femininity = modesty, quality of life (Sweden, Norway).

Hofstede: Uncertainty Avoidance

Comfort with ambiguity. High: Greece, Portugal. Low: Singapore, Denmark.

Hofstede: Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation

Long-term = future focus (China, Japan). Short-term = respect for tradition (USA, UK).

Hofstede: Indulgence vs. Restraint

Indulgent societies (Mexico, Sweden) allow gratification; restrained societies (Russia, Egypt) suppress it.

Hofstede: Critiques

Data from one company (IBM), outdated, too few dimensions, lacks cultural depth.

Minkov & Kaasa (2022)

Updated Hofstede's model using World Values Survey for 102 countries.

GLOBE Project: Overview

Led by R. House. Studied 62 societies, with 9 dimensions including leadership and organizational behavior.

GLOBE: 9 Cultural Dimensions Includes

Institutional & In-Group Collectivism, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Future & Performance Orientation, Humane Orientation, Gender Egalitarianism, Assertiveness.

GLOBE: Innovation

Distinguishes between 'As Is' (current cultural practices) and 'As Should Be' (ideal values).

GLOBE: Country Clusters

Cultures grouped by similarities, e.g., Confucian Asia, Nordic Europe, Anglo, etc

Erin Meyer's Culture Map (2016)

Business-focused model with 8 scales: Communicating, Evaluating, Leading, Deciding, Trusting, Disagreeing, Scheduling, Persuading.

Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner Model

Business dilemmas across 7 dimensions: Universalism/Particularism, Individualism/Communitarianism, Specific/Diffuse, Neutral/Emotional, Achievement/Ascription, Time orientation, Internal/External control.

GLOBE Comparative Highlights

E.g., Power Distance high in Morocco/Russia, low in Denmark/Netherlands. Gender Egalitarianism high in Hungary/Poland, low in India/Egypt.

Cultural Practices: Japan

High Power Distance: translators may decline recognition as only managers present ideas.

Cultural Practices: China

Institutional vs. In-Group Collectivism: workplace as family, loyalty to supervisors.

Cultural Practices: Belgium vs. Netherlands

Belgium has more paperwork (high uncertainty avoidance); Netherlands is more informal.

Hofstede vs. GLOBE Comparison

Hofstede: 0-100 scale, 6 dimensions, general culture.

GLOBE: 1-7 scale, 9 dimensions, leadership/organizational focus.

Culture General vs. Culture Specific

General (Hofstede, GLOBE) = broad patterns. Specific = detailed real-world observations and cultural standards.

GLOBE Study Overview

Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness. Surveyed 17,000+ managers in 62 cultures. Measures values (should be) and practices (what is).

GLOBE: Power Distance

Acceptance of unequal power distribution. High: Nigeria. Low: Denmark.

GLOBE: Uncertainty Avoidance

Avoidance of ambiguity. High: Germany. Low: Singapore

GLOBE: Institutional Collectivism

Support for institutional group loyalty. High: Sweden. Low: Greece.

GLOBE: In-Group Collectivism

Loyalty to family/groups. High: China. Low: New Zealand.

GLOBE: Gender Egalitarianism

Minimizing gender role differences. High: Nordic countries. Low: Middle East.

GLOBE: Assertiveness

Emphasis on competitiveness. High: U.S., Austria. Low: Sweden.

GLOBE: Future Orientation

Long-term planning. High: Singapore. Low: Russia.

GLOBE: Performance Orientation

Encouragement of excellence. High: U.S., Singapore. Low: Argentina.

GLOBE: Humane Orientation

Promotion of compassion and fairness. High: Philippines. Low: Germany.

GLOBE: Values vs. Practices

Values = what people want ideally. Practices = what actually happens.

GLOBE: Universal Leadership Traits

Honest, visionary, inspirational, team-oriented - valued globally.

GLOBE: Culturally Contingent Leadership

Leadership expectations vary. Example: Modesty is valued in collectivist cultures.

GLOBE: Leadership Clusters

Cultures grouped into 10 types (e.g., Anglo, Confucian Asia, Nordic Europe).

Hofstede: 6 Cultural Dimensions

Power Distance, Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-/Short-Term Orientation, Indulgence-Restraint.

Hofstede vs. GLOBE Comparison

Both assess similar traits; GLOBE provides more nuance (e.g., splits collectivism).

Schwartz's Value Theory (Overview)

7 values grouped into 3 polarities: openness vs conservation, self-enhancement vs self-transcendence, embeddedness vs autonomy.

Organizational Applications of Cultural Models

Affect teamwork, motivation, gender roles, conflict resolution. Collectivism encourages team cohesion, assertiveness impacts handling of disputes.

Case Example: Japan

High collectivism, high uncertainty avoidance - values structured, consensus-driven workplaces.

Case Example: USA

High individualism, low power distance - promotes innovation and initiative.

Case Example: Russia

Low future orientation, high power distance - favors hierarchy, short-term planning.

Critical Reflection: Emic vs Etic

GLOBE blends universal frameworks with local cultural interpretation. Critiques of GLOBE Study Overuse of managerial samples, self-report bias, shifts in culture over time (e.g., globalization).

Critiques of GLOBE Study

Overuse of managerial samples, self-report bias, shifts in culture over time (e.g., globalization).