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... ... middle of paper ... ...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.
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.
Latino is the preferred term as one that is self-applied, as compared to Hispanic, which is a term
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!
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
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)
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
The label Hispanic is a term used in the United States to label “common” groups of people who may migrate to the United States, live in the United States, and or are here in the United States illegally. The three main groups are Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, and last but not least Puerto Rican Americans. Each group has a unique experience in American, and have taken different paths with their time state side. Putting these three groups of people under one label is ridiculous. These people are from different countries, speak different languages, and have different cultures. It is quite wrong to label them all as “Hispanic.”
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.
Critics of Hofstede’s work argue that Hofstede’s study is flawed and outdated; for example, Hofstede’s analysis has a static and polarized vision of culture and is believed to be stable over time, whereas now with globalization, internationalization and convergence of cultures, cultures are rapidly changing (Fang 2009). Despite Hofstede’s work being nothing short of controversial, his work on culture, which Hofstede (1980, 1981) defines, as “the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others,” is still the most cited in the field of cross-cultural management in existence (Bond 2002). Furthermore, Hofstede’s groundbreaking research has successfully allowed for other cross-cultural scholars to comprehend and grasp the challenging concept of national cultural stereotypes in measurable and concrete terms (Fang
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.
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.
There are varies distinguish cultures existing in this beautiful world and different people categorized them in varies ways. A Dutch social psychologist Geert Hfstede developed his own dimensions to categorize cultures which is the most notable work in his life. Hofstede’s dimensions are power distance, which is the degree of inequality acceptance, high power distance refers to high acceptance of inequality; uncertainty avoidance, which refers to adaptability of change. High uncertainty avoidance cultures consider uncertainty or change is jeopardy; individualism - collectivism, individualism cultures emphasize more on individual level goals and collectivism culture emphasize on group goals and sometimes sacrifice individual if necessary; masculinity
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.