Understanding Cultural Dimensions and Management

Understanding Culture

Culture consists of codes of attitudes, norms, and values, as well as ways of thinking shaped by the social environment.

Investigating Culture

Culture is studied through observation, interviews, interpretation, behavior, beliefs, and assumptions.

Ruth Benedict

She viewed culture as a force that affects everything we do.

What Is Not Culture?

• Inherited traits
• Concepts of right or wrong
• Individual behavior

Cross-Cultural Management

This field describes organizational behavior and explains how people act in organizations around the world.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Hofstede was a Dutch social psychologist. His theory is a leading framework for cross-cultural communication and management. It describes the effects of a society’s culture and dominant tendencies through six cultural dimensions.

Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

• IQ (Intelligence Quotient): Academic intelligence.
• EQ (Emotional Quotient): The ability to understand your emotions and those of others.
• CQ (Cultural Intelligence): The ability to relate and work effectively across cultures.

Ethnocentrism

The evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture.

Perspectives

• Emic: An insider’s perspective.
• Etic: An outsider’s perspective.

Dimensions of Cultural Intelligence

• Head (Cognitive): Learning and studying about other cultures.
• Body (Physical): Adopting habits and mannerisms of other cultures.
• Heart (Emotional): Being motivated and confident about other cultures.

CQ Profiles

• Provincial: Effective with similar backgrounds; not adaptable to others.
• Analyst: Methodically deciphers foreign rules; adapts learning strategies; focuses on the 'Head' dimension.
• The Natural: Relies on intuition rather than learning strategies.
• The Ambassador: Very confident; common in political figures; communicates well despite limited cultural knowledge.
• The Mimic: High degree of control over actions; focuses on the 'Body' dimension.
• Chameleon: High levels of all three CQ types; often mistaken for a local.

Motivation and Culture

Motivation can be individualistic and emotional, rather than purely based on economic social networks.

Types of Motivation

• Physiological
• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Intrinsic
• Extrinsic
• Conscious
• Unconscious

McGregor’s Theory

• Theory X: Workers are perceived as lazy and sluggish; motivated extrinsically (rewards).
• Theory Y: Workers are perceived as energetic and interested if treated well; motivated intrinsically (meaning, interest).

Additional Theories

• Maslow & Herzberg
• Equity Theory (Adams): We are motivated when we are treated equally (Person = Referent Other).