Cultural dimension

Ing. Jiří Šnajdar 2013 Mgr. Evžen Staněk

Cultural dimension accord. to Gert Hofstede

1 - Big (or small) effort to avoid the risk and insecurity. Big effort in the form of preparation of business negotiations plan and all possible variations, advantages, disadvantages. Typical nation with this approach are Germans. Conversely nations of Latin America incline to improvisation and to negotiations without planning any risks.

2 – Distance of power positions.From those hierarchized – here belongs in Europe the French and also Czech culture, to less hierarchized, as is German culture. 

Cultural dimension accord. to Gert Hofstede

3 – Measure of individualism or collectivism. In decision it is power delegation . While Asian cultures (Korea, Japan, China) and in Europe roman cultures (Spain, France) are the collectivism cultures, the culture in the USA and Germany is individualism with massive delegation of decision on individual.(Czech culture of decision is somewhere in the middle).

4 – Predominance of masculine event. feminine values. In business traditionally predominates in the whole world masculine dominance. Except for rusticating tribal matriarchies in central Africa come markedly in useful feministic values in Scandinavia countries.  

Cultural dimension accord. to Gert Hofstede

5 – Short-term, or long-term orientation on object. At short-term there is a traditional priority, fulfilment of tasks, that brings momentary benefit. To this incline conservative European countries.

Conversely Asian cultures are more often oriented on long-term objects and fast dismissing of own tradition, especially in the sphere of production and services.   

Relationship to other people

   

Universalism versus particularism.

•Universalism means stronger orientation on rules than on people. There exist only one reality and from it comes only one truth. The one corresponds with own culture. No exceptions are possible. Always is everything on the base of law, codified agreements must be observed without consideration to a person and specific circumstances.

•Particularism (prefer of partial interests before interests of whole) stresses the individual personal aspect of contractual sides.

Culture dimension accord. to Fons Trompenaarse

   

• Relationship to other people

• Relation to time • Relationship to nature

Relationship to other people

   

• Individualistic cultures delegate on individuals big extent of responsibility, extraordinary competence. Consequence is fast and operational negotiation.

• Collectivism cultures stress the mutual co-

operation, cohesiveness, solidarity. Stimulation and motivation are directed to whole

group. Firms operate slowly and non - flexibly, have more negotiators, but their decision is stable, there do not threaten any changes and conflicts.

Collectivism versus individualism

Relationship to other people  

  

• Neutral versus emotional  • Neutral cultures prefer pragmatic rationality

and discretion. • Emotional cultures permit emotions and

intensively work with them. Work with voice, gesticulation, expressive argumentation.

Relationship to other people  

  

Diffuse versus specifics Term diffuse is not chosen correctly, in this case does not mean dispersal, perhaps only infiltrating of working relations into privacy. Specific culture separate strictly huge working area and privacy zone, in which do not belong working relations (USA). Contrary people living in diffuse culture zone often mistakenly understand the open relation in working field and considerate it for a part of diffusing of working and privacy relation. Then they are disappointed by inaccessibility of business partners (European). 

Relationship to other people  

  

Success versus attributionEvaluation of a partner proceeds with different optic. There are cultures, where the priority is extent of success without respect to other circumstances (USA). Conversely in European culture is priority interest in source of incomes, cause of any sociable and personal relation, tradition, genesis of success of individuality.In intercultural communication happens sometimes misunderstanding, when one side shows other interest about individual than expected.  

Relationship to other people  

  

Success versus attributionEvaluation of a partner proceeds with different optic. There are cultures, where the priority is extent of success without respect to other circumstances (USA). Conversely in European culture is priority interest in source of incomes, cause of any sociable and personal relation, tradition, genesis of success of individuality.In intercultural communication happens sometimes misunderstanding, when one side shows other interest about individual than expected.  

Note 

   

99 % of Americans can find their European genesis and 99 % of them come from poor uneducated classes. So called “American miracle” is not accepted positively in Europe. Here pays more tradition, ancestry membership to educated class. For a child everything what is older then ten years is “ antiquity”. American has such a relation to everything what is older then Declaration of Independence. (1776).

 

Successive versus parallel Successive relation (time monochromy) represents time perception as sequence exclusively after itself following events, that can not overlap. Stress is put on strict adherence of timetable (Germany). Parallel relation (time polychromy) means mutual overlapping of events or activities, possible simultaneous performance of different activities. (Europa)

Relation to time

 

Note

We doubt about good practice or abilities of a business partner, when he has not time for us ONLY (in first case) or when he is not able to react flexibly on momentary requirements of partner with respect to original time schedule and plan (in second case). Simply said, for German is typical time monochromy, for the Balkans polychromy and in Czech we are somewhere in the middle.

 

Relativity of time perception moves according to geographical place of nations (countries). In the north (Scandinavia), in middle zone (Germany) is typical to keep accuracy.

South of Europe (Mediterranean, the Balkans, Middle East, Southern America) perceive time freely. In Canada is dual view. Anglophone (Toronto) territory is time accurate, francophone (Quebeck) handles with time freely. 

 

Relation to nature (meant as relation to world as whole, also to results of people creativitiy) Inner orientation versus outer orientation Inner orientation adumbrates a strong individual, who is ready and able to subjugate his surrounding, natural, economical, technical and social. Inner orientation means natural harmony and fusion with surrounding.  

 

Inner oriented cultures are more individual, pragmatic and effort oriented (USA, Southern America, central Europe), outer oriented cultures are more philosophical, collective, diffuse (Northern Europe).

Note  

 

 

We followed :

Culture dimensions – described extent, scale from maximum to minimum. We will follow :

Culture standards (accord. to Alexandr Thomas) who tries to capture the characteristics of different cultures. Specific way of thinking, social behaviour, working negotiations. 

 

 

Every interaction between two (and more) members of different cultures is extremely difficult. Each of the partners occur suddenly in more social situations.  

 

 They must take into consideration : 1.culture and culture standards of own, domestic culture

2.presumptive culture standards of the other side

3.real behaviour of member of foreign culture

4.vision of a member of foreign culture about our culture CONTRAINDICATIONS : between points 1. and 2. between points 3. and 4.  

 

 For effective communication must be both cultural settings, their mutual interpretation compatible. For this is necessary profound knowledge about foreign cultural standards. Intercultural learning must proceeds :From point 2. to point 3. (presumptive culture standards – real action of member of foreign culture) and from point 4. to point 1. (vision of foreign culture about our culture – own culture standards)   

 

  

Intercultural competence (Intercultural Learning)

 

To enter into intercultural relations we can only after adequate understanding of multicultural social situations. To this must be approached systematic, in form of intercultural learning.

  

Intercultural competence 

 

1. knowledge and understanding of foreign culture

2. knowledge and understanding of their cultural standards (determination of point 1.)

3. managing of own existence in other culture

4. ability to create repertory tactics and strategies to know and communicate with other culture

  Note 

 

Vainly we will try to communicate non verbal in Bulgaria, when some different meanings of non verbal speech will not be cleared. “No, I have not …” in Bulgaria is done by head nod, the same like here when we agree “Ne, Njamam…”. Conversely agreement “Yes, I have…” is done by head nod from one side to the other (difficult for middle European) and it is similar to our head wag as disagreement . “Da, Imam…”

  Multicultural co-operation  

 

 

Possible solution (accord. to Thomas and Schroll-Mach, or Zeuteschl) •Domination and adaptation

•Co-operation and mutual integration

•Innovation and synergy (soldering, connection)

  Domination and adaptation  

 

 

One culture is dominated by other culture. Cultural standards of dominate culture are defined by standards of behaviour and decision. Submissive culture adapts voluntarily.  

    

 

Note 

It is a situation when an individual works in foreign country and must adapt to local culture. It is also situation, when the company McDonald determines, what and how will we eat in this chain of restaurants, without any respect to local food habits.In both cases we accept the dominate culture voluntarily. The individual must not work in foreign country and we must not eat hamburgers at McDonald. 

 

    

 

Co-operation and mutual integration

Phenomenon of multicultural activities, where everybody knows difference of both cultures, can not only identify them, empathise in the partner´s role, but in the communication process can create integral, then mutual progress. It means to be able to make compromises, with knowledge o both alternatives of social behaviour and in mutual searching (and finding) of optimal solution. 

 

 

 

    

 

Note

If the company enters the logistics software to our large business firms to completely change management, retrained staff, introduced a new central data management would end unsuccessfully if demanded fundamental changes at once. Software company first thoroughly mapped the current situation and proposed gradual steps and timing changes. Our large company - the customer - are closely acquainted with the principles of the new procedure on schedule and gradually trained workers. Only mutual action was possible at all a fundamental change in business management. Result : 30 % workers less, on-line control of all parameters of production and management, this higher profitability and well-earned profit also for the foreign software company for well done job.

 

 

 

    

 

Innovation and synergy 

 

 

Ideal, but not often situation, when business partners (from different cultures) create together something new, what still was not created.

So arise new structured and new interpreted standards of mutual culture (micro) community.

    

 

Conditions : 

 

1. High level of (multi)cultural knowledge of all participants

2. Non-existence of power fight

3. Ability of innovation thinking in balance of both (or more) partners

4. Good social climate 5. Material and organisation support 

 

    

 

Note 

 

   Bill Gates established in Alburquerque, lately in

Redmond (USA 1975) a computer company Microsoft, where he employed Americans of different genesis (blacks, Irish, Hispanics, Jews) and many foreign (German, Russian, Scandinavians and Japanese). This multicultural young team in very relaxed ambience created together (and creates) innovative programmes of company. According to how successful are on the market (in year 2002 with profit 22 billion USD) is the way of working really very good. 

    

 

 

 

  

The multicultural ambience, where is racial, religious and national tolerance is together with professional competence and manager skill the base of business success.  Personal attitudes to work  In intercultural relations we must take into consideration also domination and submission, that is otherwise determined by temperamental quality of individual, but big influence has also culture where the individual lives. 

 

    

 

 

 

  

Examples : 

 American manager here says : If I assign a task to a Czech manager, he thinks over how will solve it and then comes for some verbal approval.

American solves the problem immediately.

Czech manager in America says : The most advantage in our company is that I get a task and nobody says how I should solve it. 

    

 

 

 

  

Self-image in intercultural relations In different cultures is differently viewed the self-image.

Modesty and non-propriety of self- praise is typical for Asian culture sphere.

Contrary North American culture is typical in unreasonable, excessive self-praise.

Middle European ambience (including Czech) is placed somewhere in the middle.

 

  

    

 

 

 

  

Examples :

   

American in a Czech agency said he speaks German. Then when visiting a German partner was clear that he read ten lesson of German language. Czech would feel like liar. Not the American. He was satisfied he knows “anything” and really in learned German in one year. A Japanese manager, who was praised how he managed co-operation, stressed immediately, that he would not do it without help of the whole team. And immediately prised fast negotiation with the business partner.

    

 

 

 

  

Activity and passivity in intercultural ambience Individual cultures have different relation to tasks performance. When we make a significant simplification can be said that culture "closer to the sun" are prone not to solve the problem right away when it does occur, but postpone it to a later time.  

  

Apart of activity and passivity are differences also in creativity.  Different nations have different capacities immediate evocation of ideas and putting them into practice. 

    

 

 

 

  

Example : American co-owner of Czech restaurant expressed :Czechs will rather perceive things like problematical than to seek for solution. They can be very negative.Czech pose to customers is not sufficiently oriented in service offering. They say “I do not know” or “I can not” instead of seeking for possible solutions.They will the whole day seek for excuses, why something is not possible to do, instead of seeking for a solution how it is possible to do.  

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

Superstitions, prejudices and mistakesin intercultural communication Germans have no sense of humour, Rumanians are dirty and all Finns are alcoholics. Vietnamese cheat you with smile and Jews make business only with Jews. Americans go to bed with shoes and are pigs without morality, they think the whole world belongs to them. Czechs cringe from foreigners, but this is “švejkovství” (clever clownery) only. Italians are womanisers and Russians are mafioso. It's only a few courts are encountered in conflict with another culture.   

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

Superstitions, prejudices and mistakesin intercultural communication Germans have no sense of humour, Rumanians are dirty and all Finns are alcoholics. Vietnamese cheat you with smile and Jews make business only with Jews. Americans go to bed with shoes and are pigs without morality, they think the whole world belongs to them. Czechs cringe from foreigners, but this is “švejkovství” (clever clownery) only. Italians are womanisers and Russians are mafioso. It's only a few courts are encountered in conflict with another culture.   

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

It is necessary to underline : honesty and dishonesty, ethic and own will, tidiness and dirt is everywhere in the world.Cultural differences are not determined by positive or negative in civilisation standards, but by differences which have their positives or negatives inside. Not adhering laws, written and non-written as well is rejected in all cultures. Specifics Even if primitive modifiers do not belong to individual cultures, from different specifics brew up differences, which is necessary to accept. Not only in communication, but also in marketing strategy.   

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

Here are some samples : Petroleum concern ESSO use a the whole world a tiger sign as its logo and talisman. Only in Thailand does not. There are people to tiger specific relationship of fear, hatred and respect.. Soap Palmolive was sold around the world with a advertising notice, that includes olive oil. The mistake was, that the company used the same notice in Italy, where the olive oil is used mainly in cooking and does not support any extraordinary and valuable additives. After first failure left out the company this notice for distribution in Italy.

 

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

Japanese in Czech hotel.

Hygiene Japanese culture is different from the European. Japanese bath only comes in when you had a shower and soap thoroughly. “Dirty can have a bath only pigs!“ say Japanese. But in the Czech hotel is mostly just a shower - bath we are really short of bath. It is problem to accommodate lucrative Japanese bus tour. Japanese spend lots of money for services, are pretty demanding - especially for hygiene. Only few hotels can accommodate them. 

  

 

    

 

 

 

  

One more about soap  LUX is soap, which was in seventies sold with slogan “Soap of stars” . Also here had to be watched on national specifics. In America personified this soap Loretta Young, in France Marina Vlady. The company Pepsi Cola had for some years age advertising : “Come alive with Pepsi” In Germany was done awkward translation “Mit Pepsi wieder auferstehen” .