Hofstede's definition of culture in cross-cultural management research

¶ … Cross Cultural Management

The concept of cross-cultural management research has often been defined using Hofstede's definition of culture. According to Hofstede, culture is the collective programming of an individual's mind which effectively distinguishes people belonging to a given group or even category from the rest of the people (Hofstede, 1997, p. 5).This definition is based on a comparison between cultures. According to McCracken (1988) culture is used in the determination of the various coordinates of productive activity as well as social actions as well as specifying the behaviors as well as objects that arises from both.

The definition of culture

Culture comprises of values, origins, roles as well as materials that are associated with a particular group of people. The concept of culture includes the standards, rules as well as norms for defining the actors and entities in a given system as well as how they interrelate and operate (Peter,1966).Culture is either learned or even shared by members of a given group and is presented to the young as part of their social heritage. Various experts have defined the concept of culture differently. The concept of culture is multidimensional, ubiquitous, complex as well as all-pervasive. This makes it to be very difficult to defined as noted by Samovar & Porter (1991,p.33). Various definitions exists all of which are reflective of the different theories for comprehending the criteria for the valuation of human activity. Among the existing definitions, the one provided by Hofstede is the one that is widely accepted as well as adopted for the theories in the field of cross-cultural management studies (Samovar and Porter,1991).

Hofstede (1997) for instance defined culture as 'the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another' (p.160).It is important for the various types of culture to be evaluated in order to enable managers to better serve their organizations and their workforce (Trompenaars and Wooliams,2003). Javidan and House (2001) argued for the need for global managers to possess a cultural element

The importance and need for cross-cultural awareness

In order for organization to work effectively within the international environment, there is a need to adopt an international perspective as well as have an understanding of various economic, political as well as cultural factors that affect the process of decision making in every other countries of operations. Rapid globalization has made multinational operations to be a reality and rampant as a form of business operations in the contemporary environment.

The research into the specific roles of culture in cross-cultural management

The work of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) emphasized the role of culture in the global cross-cultural interactions. Cultural assumptions as well as values are important in the description of the nature of relationships that exists between individuals with their environments as well as between themselves. Maznevski and Peterson (1997) reiterated that culture is important in the provision of an individual's first impression. Studies have indicated that national culture has a lot of influence on the perceptions of individuals, their behaviors as well as their beliefs as noted by Harrison and Huntington (2000) and Hofstede (2001).In order to fully understand the various cultural dimensions; we present Hofstede's cultural dimensions in the next section.

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

This theory is based on the work of Hofstede (1980) in his landmark study that involved a focus group derived from IBM employees. He derived a total of four dimensions namely; Individualism, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, Masculinity as well as Power Distance Index. An additional dimension called the Long-Term Orientation (LTO) was later added.

Individualism Vs Collectivism

Individualism denotes the strength of the bond that exists between individuals within a given society. Companies and countries having high individualism are noted to have a dispersed form of link between its people. These companies or countries usually have no form of interpersonal relationships and there is a low distribution of various responsibilities among families, close friends as well as colleagues. There is a high regard for privacy with time as well as freedom being valued by the people.

Individuals with low levels of individualism form bigger as well as stronger levels of group unity. These individuals have a strong focus on the improvement of their skill sets.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index

This refers to the degree in which persons within a given society feel or perceive to be threatened by the unknown/uncertainties. Countries with a high score of Uncertainty Avoidance Index tend to shy away from risky/uncertain situations as much as possible. A lower level means a higher amount of risk tolerance.

Masculinity Vs Femininity

This refers to the degree to which a given society abides by the values, norms as well as traditions of the male as well as female roles. These societies have a distinction in the roles played by different gender groups and these distinctions have an influence on the decisions made in the family as well as community. Countries having a high level of Masculinity Vs Femininity

Index tends to be led by men as the breadwinners and sole providers. The men in these societies are therefore expected to be tougher and stronger than the women.

Power Distance Index

The power distance index denotes the degree to which inequality is tolerated, recognized as well as generally accepted by the individuals possessing as well as lacking power. A high score denotes an unequal distribution of power.

Long-Term Orientation

This index demotes the extent to which a given society treats both the long and short-term traditions as well as values.

Conclusion

It is therefore important for every country with multinational operations to effectively institute the cross-cultural management practices in order to prevent possible conflicts in its dealings. Proper cross-cultural management is important in creating proper communication within agiven organizational setting.