Hofstedes Culture Work Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hofstedes Culture Work - Case Study Example This obliviousness to the existence of 'culture' and the shared basic assumptions that unites a cultural group often leads to members of that group becoming confused or irritated when situations arise which are alien to their set of norms and expectations. Hofstede has conducted a study in which he researched some employees of Germany's E.ON in Spain. However, Hofstede's E.ON questionnaire was not designed for cultural comparisons but for organisational development. Employees gave self-report responses to about 160 items which Hofstede analysed with ingenuity; he compared scores not for individuals but between countries, which he called an "ecological analysis." He reported and analysed four dimensions of culture: Individualism versus Collectivism: "Individualism - a preference for a loosely knit social framework in society, in which individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and immediate family's only; as opposed to Collectivism - a preference for a tightly knit social framework..." Masculinity versus Femininity: "Masculinity - a preference for achievement, heroism, assertivene... iduals are supposed to take care of themselves and immediate family's only; as opposed to Collectivism - a preference for a tightly knit social framework..." Masculinity versus Femininity: "Masculinity - a preference for achievement, heroism, assertiveness, and material success; as opposed to Femininity - a preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and the quality of life" Uncertainty Avoidance: "the degree to which members of society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity" (Hofstede, 1983, 1991) Hofstede has made unusual efforts to elaborate the conceptual nature of his dimensions. Such extensions have also been made by others such as Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997). There is already considerable research concentrating on these dimensions, especially regarding individualism-and collectivism. Individualism versus Collectivism Our sense of identity is often dependent, to a large degree, on our sense of belonging to and affiliation with a particular group - be it family, caste, clan, tribe or class. However, in individualistic countries, much more emphasis is placed on the realisation of the individual. Independence is greatly valued and social bonds between people tend to be relatively loose and flexible. This is particularly evident in the decision-making process as decisions tend to be made by individuals in positions of authority rather than by a committee or group. On the other hand, collectivistic countries are primarily oriented towards common goals and objectives and more value is placed on group interests. In collectivistic countries, employees often expect the organisation to protect their interests by way of providing them with professional development, benefits and long term security within the organisation. Needless to say