Dimensions of value in Trompenaars' intercultural management framework

Fons Tropenaars researched value dimensions in his work. There are some of the dimensions such as individualism that have been discussed by other people. A lot of what takes place in places of work can be explained by the innate value systems that people have as Tropenaars describes it. Being aware of such differences which are in existence and how they can influence the behavior in workplaces is very useful to an individual who aspires to be an international manager (Coburg, 20O8). The paper will look at the four value dimensions developed by Trompenaars and also placement of particular countries along specific dimensions.

Universalism vs. particularism

The main focus on this dimension is obligation. Universalistic approach puts into application rules and systems in an objective way without taking into consideration individual circumstances .on the other hand a particularistic approach has its first obligation as relationships and for this reason it is more subjective. This approach is more common in Spain and Asia.Tropenaars came to the conclusion that people who live in a particularistic society have a more likelihood of passing insider information to their friend as opposed to those living in universalistic societies. Therefore we can come to the conclusion that when it comes to obligation, universalistic is high in the United States, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom and Italy but particularistic is common in Japan, Spain and china (Deresky, 2011).

Neutral vs. effective

These dimensions primarily focus on how a relationship is oriented in terms of emotions. When looking at Mexicans, Italians and Chinese it is observed that these people can express their emotions openly even in a business situation. On the other hand the British and Japanese would perceive these expressions as being unprofessional; they would regard them as hard to read. Looking at emotional orientation in relationships, this is neutral in japan, United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden whereas affective is common in china, Italy, Spain and France.

Specific vs. diffuse

When it comes to the involvement of people in relationships people can be termed as either specific or diffuse. There are cultures whereby the managers are specific oriented such as France, United Kingdom and United States.in such cultures, these managers completely separate their personal issues, relationships and work. There are other cultures which are diffuse oriented like china, Sweden where work easily spills over into personal relationships or the other way round. When looking at privacy in relationships, specific is common in United Kingdom, United States, France and Germany while diffuse is common in china and Spain (Deresky, 2011).

Achievement vs. ascription