International Human Resource

Management

Lecture Material : 02
The Cultural Context
 The word « culture » comes from Latin
« cultura », which refers to cult or worship.
 On the contrary some believe that the word
« culture » comes from Latin « colere » which
refers tilling the soil.
 In management aspect, « culture » means
acquired knowledge that people use to
interpret experience and generate social
behavior.
 This knowledge forms values, creates
attitudes, and influences behavior.
 Therefore culture has normative value. It
prescribe DO’s and Don’ts which are binding
on the members of a society.
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Defining Culture
 Culture is an umbrella term  A culture is a way of life
which encompasses the of a group of people--the
social behavior, institutions, behaviors, beliefs,
and norms found in human values, and symbols that
societies, as well as the they accept, generally
knowledge, beliefs, arts, without thinking about
laws, customs, capabilities, them, and that are
and habits of the individuals passed along by
in these groups. communication and
imitation from one
 Culture is often originated generation to the next.
from or attributed to a Culture is symbolic
specific region or location. communication.

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 Characteristics of Culture, barriers, shock

 A cultural barrier is an issue

Seven Major Traits of arising from a misunderstanding
Culture: Culture is - of meaning, caused by cultural
 Learned. differences between sender and
receiver. It can cause outright
 Transmitted.
conflict, but more often, it creates
 Based on Symbols. stress in the workplace
 Changeable.
 Integrated.  Culture shock describes the impact
of moving from a familiar culture to
 Ethnocentric.
one that is unfamiliar. It includes
 Adaptive. the shock of a new environment,
meeting lots of new people and
learning the ways of a new country.

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Cultural Dimensions Theory

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 In this dimension, masculinity is defined as “a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success.”
 A cultural characteristic in which the dominant values in society are
success, money, and things.
 Its counterpart represents “a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring
for the weak and quality of life.”
 Hence, femininity is the term used by Hofstede to describe a situation in
which the dominant values in society are caring for others and the quality
of life.
 Women in the respective societies tend to display different values. In
feminine societies, they share modest and caring views equally with men.
 In other words, they still recognize a gap between male and female values.
This dimension is frequently viewed as taboo in highly masculine
societies.
 The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the
best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine). (Japan 95% masculinity)
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 The uncertainty avoidance index is defined as “a
society's tolerance for ambiguity,” in which people
embrace or avert an event of something unexpected,
unknown, or away from the status quo.
 Societies that score a high degree in this index opt
for stiff codes of behavior, guidelines, laws, and
generally rely on absolute Truth, or the belief that
one single truth dictates everything and people know
what it is.
 A lower degree in this index shows more
acceptance of differing thoughts/ideas. Society tends
to impose fewer regulations, ambiguity is more
accustomed to, and the environment is more free-
flowing. (Japan 92% for avoiding uncertainties)
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 The power distance index is defined as “the
extent to which the less powerful members
of organizations and institutions (like the
family) accept and expect that power is
distributed unequally.”
 In this dimension, inequality and power is
perceived from the followers, or the lower
level.
 A higher degree of the Index indicates that
hierarchy is clearly established and executed
in society, without doubt or reason.
 A lower degree of the Index signifies that
people question authority and attempt to
distribute power (Japan scored 54%)
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 This dimension associates the connection of
the past with the current and future actions
or challenges.
 It emphasis for long-term perspectives/
planning for future vs. short time past and
present oriented.
 A lower degree of this index (short-term)
indicates that traditions are honored and
kept, while commitment is valued. (slow)
 Societies with a high degree in this index
(long-term) views adaptation and
circumstantial, pragmatic problem-solving
as a necessity. (fast)
 Japan scored 88% for longer period.
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 This dimension is essentially a measure of happiness;
whether or not simple joys are fulfilled.
 This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try
to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they
were raised. Relatively weak control is called “Indulgence”
and relatively strong control is called “Restraint”.

 Indulgence is defined as “a society that allows

relatively free gratification of basic and natural human
desires related to enjoying life and having fun.”
 Indulgent societies believe themselves to be in control
of their own life and emotions.
 Its counterpart (restraint) is defined as “a society
that controls gratification of needs and regulates it by
means of strict social norms.”
 Restrained societies believe other factors dictate their
life and emotions (Japan scored 42% for Restraints).
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 In a Nutshell…..

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 In a Nutshell…..

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Impact of the Cultural context on HRM practice

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 Limitations of The Model
 Even though Hofstede's model is generally accepted as the
most comprehensive framework of national cultural values
by those studying business culture, its validity and its
implications have been extensively criticized.
 In a 2008, Galit Ailon deconstructs Hofstede's
book Culture's Consequences by mirroring it against its
own assumptions and logic
 Ailon finds inconsistencies at the level of both theory and
methodology and cautions against an uncritical reading of
Hofstede's cultural dimensions.
 Another emerging question is to what extent the
standardized questionnaire method is able to to reach the
unconscious or deeper motives of managers’ actions.

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Trompenaars Cultural Dimensions
i. Universalism vs. Particularism
 Universalism is the belief that ideas and
practices can be applied everywhere in
the world without modification.
 The logic is ‘What is good and right can
be defined and always applies’

 Particularism is the belief that

circumstances dictate how ideas and
practices should be applied and that
something cannot be done the same
everywhere.
 It pay more attention to individual cases,
deciding what is good or bad depending
on circumstances.
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Trompenaar’s Cultural Dimensions: Contd.

ii. Individualism vs.

Communitarianism

 Communitarianism refers to
people regarding themselves as
part of a group.

 Individualism refers to people

regarding themselves as
individuals.

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Trompenaar’s Cultural Dimensions: Contd.

iii. Neutral vs. Emotional

 Neutral culture is a culture in
which emotions are held in
check.

 Emotional culture is a culture

in which emotions are
expressed openly and naturally.

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Trompenaar’s Cultural Dimensions: Contd.

iv. Specific vs. Diffuse

 Specific culture demands

precision while diffuse culture
takes different variables into
consideration.

 Specific culture is direct, to

the point, purposeful on the
other hand diffuse culture is
indirect, seemingly ‘aimless’.

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Trompenaar’s Cultural Dimensions: Contd.

v. Achievement vs. Ascription

 Achievement culture is a culture in which

people are accorded status based on how well
they perform their functions. People are judged
based on what they have achieved.

 Ascription (credit, designation) culture is a

culture in which status is attributed based on
who or what a person is. People are judged
based on characteristics such as origin, seniority
and gender.

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 Limitations of The Model
 It is not defining an individual by their associated
culture's characteristics, but rather their own set of
values and behaviors.
 It assume that everyone from a specific cultural
background is exactly the same and possesses the
same types of values and behavioral norms can lead
to negative stereotyping.

 The model fails to recognize the influence of

personal characteristics on behavior.

 The model distinguishes the differences between

cultures, but does not provide recommendations on
how to work with specific cultures.
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That's All For Today !

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