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ITM Master 1. Sem. |
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BACKGROUND: Hofstede´s Five-Dimensions Model
Culture, understood as the accumulation of shared meanings, rituals, norms and traditions among members of an organisation or society, is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes members of one group or society from those of another.
Therefore culture is not a phenomenon in its own right. It is the difference perceived, and only then perceived, by one group when it comes into contact with and observes another one. It is important to point out that the idea of pure cultures meeting in intercultural exchanges without much knowledge about the other culture is outdated. Today almost everybody outside a given culture has some information and knowledge about that culture, however superficial.
CULTURE AS AN ICEBERG
The foundation for most cross-cultural interpretation is the work of Geert Hofstede. He developed with the help of large-scale samples starting in the 1970s cultural index scores for five constructs: Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Feminity and Long term/Short term orientation.
These dimension are acquired through “mental programming”, learned patterns of thinking, feeling and potential acting.
Three level of uniqueness are distinguished: The inherited universal human nature, the learned culture specific to certain societies or groups within a society, and the inherited and learned individual personality.
Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions
with scores for China, Japan, USA and Germany
Consequences: Example: Conflict Management - The textile dyeing
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Contact:
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Study Program Director |
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