Societies have different cultures and people in each culture are grown and raised with a set of norms, values, and beliefs. These shared values and beliefs are learned from their childhood through their adulthood. Culture is not something which everyone is born with, but it is something which everyone learns while growing up. It does not only influence the daily lives, but it also influences the business activities which take place in that particular society. Many of us work with people who have different backgrounds and that makes it important for us to understand the differences between cultures. So, although cultures might look similar, there are differences in many aspects which distinguish them from each other. There are five cultural …show more content…
In particularistic cultures, relationships prevail over laws and rules. People in particularist society behave differently based on different circumstances. Therefore, “What is right in one situation may not be right in another situation” as Mr. Trompenaars stated (1997). In this type of culture, friends and family members are treated differently and as best possible. For instance, in a car accident which one of your friends is involved, a person from a Universalist culture just obeys the rule and provides the truth in the court; however, a person from a particularist culture may not provide the truth to the court (Trompenaars & Hampden Turner, …show more content…
In individualistic cultures each person is considered as an individual whose own freedom and achievements are important. In this type of culture, individuals care about themselves and they make their own decision. Individualist people care only about their immediate and first degree family members. The standard of living in an individualistic culture is highly based on their opportunities and achievements. Decision making process in individualistic cultures is very short because a lonely person is able to make decision in seconds while a person from a collectivist culture has to decide as a group and so the decision making process would be longer. In contrast to individualism, communitarian cultures consist of people who are formed in groups. They believe that groups are more important than individuals. In this kind of cultures, individuals are understood to be born in groups and the quality of their lives depend on how much they take care of the group members even if it ends to losing their freedom. People in communitarian cultures often choose a group presentation rather than a presentation of a single person. The Netherlands and Russia are considered to be more individualists (Trompenaars & Hampden Turner,
Since these traditions have become apparent through centuries they are customary and have a tendency to lack individualism, as the group among which a person lives is seen as more important over the individual. In many parts of the world today, you can examine such cultures and see the ways that individuals offer themselves to family and community life.
One noticeable cultural difference between the society pictured in this chapter and our American society seems to be a collectivist ideology. In America we value the individual and place emphasis on distinction from the group. This causes a strong sense of competition, and leads people to take actions that would benefit themselves in spite of negative effects that may trickle to other members of the community. The culture pictured in our reading, however, seems to place greater value on family and community goals rather than the needs or wants of specific individuals.
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Conformity is a form of social influence and is otherwise known as the majority influence, since people conform to the norm(s) of their particular group. Social norms are belief systems which provide an effective, manageable and predictable life, creating a sense of order for people to live by. These norms vary within each social group, for example: family, friends, tribes or nations and are ingrained through most lifestyle choices, such as fashion for example. The common goals of the norms help guide behaviour and through social cognition people interpret what behaviour and response each situation requires. Culture, settings and social roles can affect levels of conformity. In collectivist societies, like those found in China and Russia, compliance to the cultural values and traditional norms are more apparent than in individualist societies found in Europe and America. Although, in China and Russia, there are usually more severe consequences and serious punishments involved for anyone who shows any defamation of the values or disloyalty.
“Individualistic cultures, in the western-hemisphere, [such as the United States,] emphasize… personal identity and self-determination. Conformity is far less pervasive in individualistic societies because democratic choices and laissez-faire viewpoints are somewhat considered.”
The next communication gap concerns with the individualism- collectivism dimension, which is the degree an individual is integrated into groups in a society (Hofstede, 2001). Individualistic cultures like the U.S put a strong emphasis on individual autonomy and independence, whereas collectivist cultures like Vietnam believe in belonging, obligation
Hofstede has identified five different cultural dimensions. These dimensions include power-distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance and lastly long term orientation. According to Hofstede, power distance is the first dimension which translates to how all individuals in a society aren't equal and there is a decent amount of inequality when it comes to the division of power. The second dimension involves the theme of individualism which translates to the degree of interdependence as well as how we identify ourselves in terms of "I" or "We". Additionally, Hofstede states that in individualist societies we tend to look only after ourselves and our blood family, however, in collectivistic societies individuals identify themselves as part of groups and take care of each other in exchange for loyalty. The third dimension would be masculinity/ femininity. A high score would translate to a masculine culture which demonstrates a culture driven by competition, achievement and success. On the other hand, a low score which demonstrates a feminine culture shows that the dominant traits involves caring for others and quality of life. The fourth dimension involves uncertainty avoidance which translates to how a society deals with not knowing how the future is going to turn out. This amount of vagueness brings about anxiety and different cultures deal with this issue differently. The fifth and final cultural dimension according to Hofstede is long term orientat...
Many times I have attempted to comprehend the actions of other people. I always wanted to know why people of different genders, descents, and colors had certain cultural, societal, and religious beliefs. It became apparent to me that all persons are a direct reflection of their environment. In other words, all persons unconsciously, and sometimes consciously, reflect and imitate their environment and
In the diverse world in which we live, each country has its own identity and culture. In fact, a culture has its own languages, traditions, customs and social particularities. We can therefore assume that the relationships between individuals change from culture to culture because of cultural distinctions such as impressionism and individualism. Indeed, in a collectivist culture, individuals see themselves as a part of a group, while in an individualist culture individuals are independents from the community. Therefore explaining the differences between a collectivist and an individualist culture with the examples of the United States and the Ivory Coast can help any sociology class student to understand how
collectivism is the degree “to which a society is based on satisfying the needs of the individual versus satisfying needs of the group” (Hofstede, 2001). U.S. scores higher (91%) than India (48%) in terms of individualism. Individualism (I) stands for a society where everyone is expected to look after themselves and their immediate family only. It also signifies that success is based on an individual’s achievement and people deliver their best performance when they work alone. In contrast, collectivism (We) stands for a society where people prefer to live in cohesive groups that take care of them in exchange of loyalty. They value the welfare of their group, sacrifice for them over their own individual needs and are actively attached to them throughout their life. Thus, the contradiction in the perception of this dimension significantly impacts work relationships between U.S. and
Culture varies from one organization to another as it is shaped by the values and beliefs of the people working there. As it progresses over the years, it takes form in such a way that it works or performs in a manner to regulate behavior, action and decision making processes within the organization. It not just includes written rules and regulations, but also the behavioral aspects faced by each one on a day to day basis.
Schwartz, S. H. (1994). Beyond Individualism and Collectivism: New Cultural Dimensions of Values. In U. Kim, H.C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S., Choi,C. & Yoon, G. (Eds.), Individualism and Collectivism: Theory, Method and application. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage,
Second, Chinese culture does not encourage people to be an individual. Chinese people are usually told to be a part of group, follow the leaders, and follow the elder's advices. However, the U.S. culture is individualism, people are encouraging to achieve self-goals, and to be independent.
Personality is shaped by biological and cultural influences. Culture shapes patterns of socialisation, which shapes variance in personality (Triandis & Suh, 2002). The study of personality across cultures is useful as it informs us of variation between cultures, and similarities within cultures, thereby offering evidence of aggregate cultural characteristics (John & Srivastava, 1999). Culture may be considered as society's collective memory (Triandis, 2001), and important aspects of culture are termed cultural syndromes(Triandis, 2001; Caldwell-Harris & Ayçiçegi, 2006), and Individualism and collectivism are examples. Collectivist culture refers interdependency within in-groups and prioritising the needs of the group above the individual. Conversely, individualist cultures, which favour autonomy and independence, giving priority to their personal goals (Triandis, 2001). Personality refers to an individual's stable characteristic patterns of thought and behaviour and includes characteristics of collectivism and individualism (Yamaguchi, Kuhlman & Sugimori, 1995). A person with individualist characteristics is termed idiocentric, and someone with personal collectivist characteristics is termed allocentric (Caldwell-Harris & Ayçiçegi, 2006). This review aims to assess the available research regarding
The differences in other cultures vary from beliefs to ways of life, or norms, of the different societies. The importance of understanding and sensitivity to other countries’ differences is crucial to a business’ success. “Lack of familiarity with the business practices, social customs, and etiquette of a country can weaken a co...