Cross Culture
Cross Cultural Issue in International Business
Culture: Culture is a complex concept with numerous definitions. The definitions range from all-encompassing to limited areas of interest. As documented by Kroeber and kluckhohn (1985), there are over 160 definition of “culture” alone, and great deal of material has been published on this topic. Rosinski defines culture as “the set of unique characteristic that distinguishes its members from another group” (2003, p.20). Because every individual belongs to multiple groups, we operate within multiple cultures that transcend nationality to include geography, professional disciplines, organizations and their subcultures, social life, gender, and sexual orientation. Hofstede’s (1980, p.25) definition “the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the member of one human group from another” is the most cited since 1980s. As defined by Schein, culture is an iceberg, with behaviors signaling the 10% visible part, and non-observable values and norms comprising the 90% below the surface (Rosinski.2003). Trompenaars uses an onion ring model of culture. He assigns artifacts and products as the visible tip, and relegates norms and values as the inner layer which surrounds a core of basic assumptions (2003). The dimensions of culture are:
Power Distance (PDI) Power Distance pertains to the inequality of power in institutions and organizations. The central concept of power distance is defined as “the extent to which the members of a society accept that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally” (Hofstede, 1984.p.831). Hofstede (1984) further explained that “the power distance and stratification systems which operate in a society are extremely culturally dependent “.Power Distance, varying from high to low, is designed to measure how equally or unequally power is distributed within a society and how readily inequality is accepted. According to with
Culture: Culture is a complex concept with numerous definitions. The definitions range from all-encompassing to limited areas of interest. As documented by Kroeber and kluckhohn (1985), there are over 160 definition of “culture” alone, and great deal of material has been published on this topic. Rosinski defines culture as “the set of unique characteristic that distinguishes its members from another group” (2003, p.20). Because every individual belongs to multiple groups, we operate within multiple cultures that transcend nationality to include geography, professional disciplines, organizations and their subcultures, social life, gender, and sexual orientation. Hofstede’s (1980, p.25) definition “the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the member of one human group from another” is the most cited since 1980s. As defined by Schein, culture is an iceberg, with behaviors signaling the 10% visible part, and non-observable values and norms comprising the 90% below the surface (Rosinski.2003). Trompenaars uses an onion ring model of culture. He assigns artifacts and products as the visible tip, and relegates norms and values as the inner layer which surrounds a core of basic assumptions (2003). The dimensions of culture are:
Power Distance (PDI) Power Distance pertains to the inequality of power in institutions and organizations. The central concept of power distance is defined as “the extent to which the members of a society accept that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally” (Hofstede, 1984.p.831). Hofstede (1984) further explained that “the power distance and stratification systems which operate in a society are extremely culturally dependent “.Power Distance, varying from high to low, is designed to measure how equally or unequally power is distributed within a society and how readily inequality is accepted. According to with
References: Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture 's consequences: International differences in work-related values. London: Sage Publications. Philippe Rosinski 2003.Coaching Across Cultures: New Tools for Leveraging National, Corporate, and professional differences: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Kroeber, a. l. and Kluckhohn, C. (1985) Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. Newyork: Random House. Hofstede, G. (1984) Culture’s consequences: international difreneces in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Golden, Timothy D., and John F. Veiga. 2005. "The Impact of Extent of Telecommuting on Job Satisfaction: Resolving Inconsistent Findings." Journal of Management 13(2):301-318. Hofstede (2001). Culture 's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. USA :Sage. Gudykunst, W. B. 1998, Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Triandis, (1988)Individualism and collectivism: Cross-cultural perspectives on self-ingroup relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 323-338. Hofstede, G. J. (1993). Cultural constraints in management theories. In J. T. Wren (Ed.), The leader’s companion (pp. 253–270). New York: Free Press. James Day Hodgson, Yoshihiro Sano, John L. Graham (2008). Doing Business with the New Japan: Succeeding in America 's Richest International Market. USA, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.