Individualistic cultures Major characteristics. Focus on individuals’ goals

Individualistic cultures Major characteristics

Focus on individuals’ goals Emphasis on self-realization Many ingroups affect behaviour Little difference between ingroup and outgroup communication “I” identity emphasized Universalistic

Individual level Idiocentrism Value stimulation, hedonism, self-direction

Communication Low-context messages: direct, precise, clear, and absolute

Example cultures Australia Belgium Canada Germany Great Britain Israel South Africa USA

Collectivistic cultures major characteristics Focus on ingroup’s goals Emphasis on fitting into ingroups Few ingroups affect behaviour Large difference between ingroup and outgroup communication “We” identity Particularistic

Individual level Allocentrism Value traditions, conformity, benevolence

Communication High- context messages: indirect, often ambiguous, implicit, and probabilistic

Example cultures Brazil China Colombia Egypt Greece India Japan Korea Mexico Peru

Low uncertainty avoidance Low stress and anxiety Dissent accepted Comfortable in ambiguous situations High level of risk taking Deviant behaviour tolerated Few rituals “What is different is curious” Small generation gap Acceptance of foreign managers Members of other races accepted as neighbours

Individual level Uncertainty orientation High tolerance of ambiguity

Example cultures Canada Denmark England Hong Kong India Jamaica Philippines South Africa Sweden United States

High uncertainty avoidance High stress and anxiety Strong desire for consensus Fear of ambiguous situations Low level of risk taking Deviant behaviour suppressed Many rituals “What is different is dangerous” Large generation gap Suspicion of foreign managers Members of other races rejected as neighbours

Example cultures Egypt Argentina Belgium Chile France Greece Japan Spain

Low power distance major characteristics Individuals viewed as equals Emphasis on legitimate power Superiors and subordinates are interdependent Subordinates do not accept superiors’ orders at face value Obedience of children to parents is not valued highly Old people not respected or feared Latent harmony between powerless and powerful

Individual level High egalitarianism

Example cultures Australia Canada Denmark Germany Ireland Israel New Zealand Sweden United States

High power distance major characteristics Individuals viewed as unequal Emphasis on coercive/referent power Subordinates are dependent on superiors Subordinates do not question superiors’ orders Obedience of children to parents is valued highly Old people respected and feared Latent conflict between powerless and powerful

Individual level Low egalitarianism

Example cultures Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Guatemala India Malaysia Nigeria Panama Saudi Arabia

Masculine culture major characteristics Differentiated gender roles Assertiveness, performance, things, and power are valued Sympathy for the strong “Live in order to work” Ego enhancement Emphasis on performance and ambition Women are tender and take care of relationships Fathers deal with facts with children, and mothers deal with feelings

Individual level Masculine/feminine gender roles

Example cultures Arab cultures Austria Germany Italy Jamaica Japan Mexico Switzerland

Feminine cultures major characteristics Overlapping gender roles Quality of life, service, being nurturing, and caring for others are valued Sympathy for the weak “Work in order to live” Relationship enhancement Emphasis on quality of life and service Both men and women can be tender and take care of relationships Both parents deal with facts and feelings

Individual level Undifferentiated gender roles

Example cultures Chile Costa Rica Denmark East African cultures Finland Netherlands Norway Sweden Thailand

The Confucian dynamism: eight values + ordering relationships by status and observing this order thrift persistence having a sense of shame - protecting your face personal steadiness and stability respect for tradition reciprocation of greetings, favors, and gifts

The principles of Confucianism: 1. The stability of society is based on unequal relationships between people… 2. The family is the prototype for all social organizations… 3. Virtuous behavior towards other consists of not treating others as one would not like to be treated oneself… 4. Virtue with regard to one’s task in life consists of trying to acquire skills and education, working hard, not spending more than necessary, being patient, and persevering.

Confucian Dynamism The primary function of communication in Confucianism is to develop and maintain social relationships

Long-term orientation “differentiation between older and younger brothers and sisters” “shared tastes and interests not the requirement for marriages” “old age seen as coming sooner but as a satisfying life period The way of thinking: “either full or no confidence”, “what is good and evil depends on the circumstances”, “opposites complement each other”, “synthetic thinking”

Example cultures China Hong Kong Taiwan Japan South Korea Brazil India Thailand Singapore The Netherlands Bangladesh

Short-term orientation “all siblings are equal” “couples should share tastes and interests” “old age seen as coming later” The way of thinking: “probabilistic thinking”, “belief in absolute guidelines about good and evil”, “need for cognitive consistency”, “analytic thinking”

Example cultures Pakistan Nigeria The Philippines Nigeria Canada Zimbabwe Great Britain United States New Zealand Australia Germany Poland Sweden