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

Hofstedes Culture Work - Case Study ExampleThis 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 Germanys E.ON in Spain. However, Hofstedes 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 cultureIndividualism versus Collectivism Individualism - a preference for a loosely knit neighborly framework in society, in which individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and immediate familys only as opposed to Collectivism - a prefer ence 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 familys 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 victor as opposed to Femininity - a preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and the quality of lifeUncertainty Avoidance the degree to which members of society feel uncomfortable with indecision 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 Collectivi smOur sense of identity is often dependent, to a large degree, on our sense of belonging to and necktie 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. liberty is greatly valued and social bonds between people dispose 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 originally 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 behavior of providing them with professional development, benefits and long term security within the organisation.Needless to say