Cross Cultural Management; Uk vs. the Netherlands
Question 1
In order to compare and contrast different cultures, one must first assess each of the countries included in the research in accordance with a cultural scale. Particularly in this case the Geert-Hofstede dimensions provide a strong base for comparison. By evaluating the the five dimensions of Geert-Hofstede, for both the Netherlands and the UK, a comparison can be made.
The five dimensions as provided by Geert- Hofstede are; (1) power distance or PDI, (2) individualism or IDV, (3) masculinity/feminity or MAS, (4) uncertainty avoidance or UAI and (5) long term orientation or LTO. At a scale of 1 to a 100, the following output values are given for both countries:
Obviously each of the two countries portray similar scores, but more interestingly, MAS, UAI and LTO differ significantly. Respectively, with a high score MAS indicates a society motivated by competition and achievement, whereas at a low score, it depicts a society that values a balance of work and life as important. With a difference of 52 on the scale, the Netherlands drastically differs from the UK. With a score of 14, the Dutch culture indicates that it is important to like your work instead of being the best at what you do. Here, the quality of live is valued as success compared to standing out of the crowd. It furthermore means that caring for on another is an important aspect of the society.
With such a low value on the MAS scale, a confrontation may arise with other cultures, especially with that of the UK, according to the Hofstede dimension, a more success oriented and driven society. Simply put, inhabitants of the UK live in order to work, with ambition as a highly valued belief.
Another dimension which might clash is the LTO or long term orientation dimension. The Dutch tend to think rather long term compared to the UK. Especially in business this dimension might harm a relationship. On the other hand, the foundation
In order to compare and contrast different cultures, one must first assess each of the countries included in the research in accordance with a cultural scale. Particularly in this case the Geert-Hofstede dimensions provide a strong base for comparison. By evaluating the the five dimensions of Geert-Hofstede, for both the Netherlands and the UK, a comparison can be made.
The five dimensions as provided by Geert- Hofstede are; (1) power distance or PDI, (2) individualism or IDV, (3) masculinity/feminity or MAS, (4) uncertainty avoidance or UAI and (5) long term orientation or LTO. At a scale of 1 to a 100, the following output values are given for both countries:
Obviously each of the two countries portray similar scores, but more interestingly, MAS, UAI and LTO differ significantly. Respectively, with a high score MAS indicates a society motivated by competition and achievement, whereas at a low score, it depicts a society that values a balance of work and life as important. With a difference of 52 on the scale, the Netherlands drastically differs from the UK. With a score of 14, the Dutch culture indicates that it is important to like your work instead of being the best at what you do. Here, the quality of live is valued as success compared to standing out of the crowd. It furthermore means that caring for on another is an important aspect of the society.
With such a low value on the MAS scale, a confrontation may arise with other cultures, especially with that of the UK, according to the Hofstede dimension, a more success oriented and driven society. Simply put, inhabitants of the UK live in order to work, with ambition as a highly valued belief.
Another dimension which might clash is the LTO or long term orientation dimension. The Dutch tend to think rather long term compared to the UK. Especially in business this dimension might harm a relationship. On the other hand, the foundation
References: Dimension Model, G. Hofstede, 1990 available: http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html Abdou A. Cross cultural M. 2012 lecture & slides, Amsterdam NNBS, 2012