Geert Hofstede, a Dutch psychologist, was hired by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in the 1960s and 1970s to examine the values and concerns of their employees around the world. While performing this task, Hofstede intentionally explored values related to individualism to understand and compare various cultures. By observing significant differences between cultures, Hofstede was able to formulate the cultural dimensions theory in an attempt to understand cultural trends between cultures, incorporate cultural contexts, and compare individual’s ways of thinking socially. Personally the attempt to quantify culture through various dimensions intrigues me, as I believe that it may be possible. However, I believe that Hofstadter’s current model lacks the proper controls necessary to account for the complex nature of culture.
Hofstede’s model has widely been used in the past two decades to explore meaningful differences between cultures. This culture-based model was established based on data collected from 117,000 IBM employees in 20 different languages within 53 countries and regions. The survey instruments were divided into 4 subsections of questions that were relevant to work satisfaction, personal goals and beliefs, and perceptions. Using this data, Hofstede was able to create a fundamental blueprint of four basic dimensions in which employees of different backgrounds could be meaningfully compared. However, like most pioneer models, the model of cultural-dimensions has inherent methodological flaws as it fails to account for extraneous variables and assumes that occupational and national cultures are not independent of each other.
A central assumption of Hofstede’s model is the notion that the cultural diff...
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...erm Hispanic is erroneously used when describing the inhabitants of South America. Historically, areas that were conquered by the Spaniards were part of a region called Hispania. Modern countries that can trace their history back to the Spanish Empire are considered to be Hispanic, and include Mexico, Central America, and regions in South America where Spanish is the primary language. An exception to this rule would be considered Brazil, which was colonized by Portugal. In contrast, the term Latino has a similar meaning to Hispanic, but includes South American countries where Romance languages are widely spoken. This distinction between Latino and Hispanic individuals is crucial as it displays a cultural difference within South America. To group these two cultural identities as interchangeable terms completely undermines the rich cultural heritage of these people.
Are you tired of the stereotypical lies about Hispanics? Well I’m here to clear that up. Not all Hispanics are Mexican or Immigrants like society has told you. Not every Hispanic is a poor, Spanish speaking Immigrant. Society does not know who you are, unless they know recognize your language, origin, and culture accurately!
When someone say’s “hispanic,” what definition comes to mind? Hispanics are not one nationality, nor one culture. Instead, Hispanics are greatly diverse people. Our language and cultural origins are Spanish and Latin American, regardless of race and color. Hispanics can be European, Indian, or of African descent, or any combination of the three. The culture could be linked to Mexico, the Caribbean countries, Central America, South America and Spain. Hispanics were once considered a rarity in the United States, now we are found throughout the country.
Clara E. Rodriguez wrote an essay titled, "What It Means To Be Latino". On this essay she explains the difference between the terms Hispanic and Latino, elaborating on how the term "Hispanic" was created by the U.S. census in 1970, to use it as a general term to describe all of the people who came from, or, had parents who came from a Spanish speaking country. Then she states that the term "Latino", is a term considered to be more neutral and racially inclusive by many people of this population, although she made a good point of view, it still failed to describe the more complexity on the meaning of the term Latino.
Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. Second Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications, 2001
Latino is the preferred term as one that is self-applied, as compared to Hispanic, which is a term
Today, the Hispanic population has grown tremendously over the years. We have watched the Hispanics community growth rate grow faster than any other racial and ethnic group in the nation. The Hispanic culture and community has populated all around the United States, introducing new traditions and customs. I was traveling to different to city in the States, I notice the wide spread growth of Hispanic communities, For Instance in Miami the Cuban and El Salvadoran culture is heavy populate in the area. In New York the Puerto Rican culture is dominating through out the several boroughs. I have come around town and Hispanics are known for their good food, which tends to have more diverse people try new cultural customs. Hispanic or Latino Americans are a group of people made up of distinct characteristics. Hispanics or Latinos are defined as a people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish speaking cultures.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Geert Hofstede, a behavioral scientist, his most remarkable work is in developing cultural dimensions theory that provides a structure for intercultural communication. With factor analysis, the theory states the impact of culture on values under the work-associated context, and how these values influence human behaviors. Hofstede has defined “culture” as “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others” (Hofstede, 2011). According to his definition, culture is a collective phenomenon which can connect with different others. After a decade of research, Hofstede initially proposed four independent dimensions of national culture differences that could distinguish one culture
In today’s ever-changing and highly integrated world, corporations have a growing need to hire and maintain an exceedingly diverse and multicultural workforce. With globalization, multinational corporations have a great opportunity to work with people from different cultures and with a diverse pool of skills. However, there is a major cost of working in a foreign culture. Several problems arise when managing a culturally diverse workforce; management needs to solve them. Understanding different cultures improves employees’ efficiency and productivity. However, many issues in cross-cultural analysis arise because of the lack of understanding of other cultures and at times about that very culture we live in. This can result in confusion. This confusion results in distortions about the very cultures we are trying to understand. The paper will highlight several theoretical and practical cross-cultural management issues recommend solutions.
The analysis begins with the research made by the professor Geert Hofstede. Hofstede conducted a research into national and organisational culture through 6 dimensions which are Power distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Pragmatism and Indulgence. After the research, every country has a score in every dimension of the research. The higher the score is, the more presented is the dimension in the society.( Hofstede Center,2014)
According to Professor Geert Hofstede, dimensionalizing a culture requires a complex analysis of a multitude of categories including differing nations, regions, ethnic groups, religions, organizations, and genders. Hofstede defines culture as "the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another". Throughout his many years of contribution as a social scientist, he has conducted arguably the most comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture, leading to the establishment of the Six Dimensions of National Culture. From this research model, the dimensions of Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty
According to Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter (2011) “motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal” (p. 267). Organizations are always looking for new ways to motivate employees. In a global economy it is important to understand that cultural differences can impact how an organization can motivate its employees. Geert Hofstede (as cited in Sledge, Miles, & Coppage, 2008) believed there are five dimensions of culture. These five dimensions are power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and Confucian dynamism (p. 1670). This paper will discuss each dimension of culture and how they could effect employee motivation.
How do personal values shape culture, and how does culture affect our understanding and interpretation of seemingly ordinary things?
Hofstede ,G. (1980). Hofstede’s Culture’s Consequences- International Differences in Work Related Values. Cross- Cultural Research & Methodology, 5, 18-21.
In the end, what we learn from this article is very realistic and logical. Furthermore, it is supported with real-life examples. Culture is ordinary, each individual has it, and it is both individual and common. It’s a result of both traditional values and an individual effort. Therefore, trying to fit it into certain sharp-edged models would be wrong.