CULTURE AND CULTURE AND SOCIAL SOCIAL FORCESFORCES

CULTURE DEFINITIONCULTURE DEFINITIONAntropologyAntropology•Studies human behavior

Cultural antropologyCultural antropology•Examines all learned behaviors, including social, linguistic, and family behaviors.

CultureCulture•Encompasses the entire heritage of a society transmitted orally, via literature, or in any other form. Includes all traditions, morals, habits, religion, art, and language.

What is culture?“Culture is the integrated sum total of learned behavioral traits that are shared by members of a society” (Hoebel)

“Culture is the entirety of societal knowledge, norms and values” (Antonides and Van Raaij)

“Culture is the collective mental programming of the people in an environment. Culture is not a characteristic of individuals; it encompasses a number of people who were conditioned by the same education and life experience” (Hofstede)

Culture both affects and describes human behavior, it is essential in international marketing and

international business

Fundamentals of culture

•Culture is a total pattern of behavior that is consistent and compatible in its components. It is not a collection of random behaviors…

•Culture is a learned behavior. It is not biologically transmitted. It depends on environment, not heredity.

•Culture is behavior that is shared by a group of people, a society. It is a distinctive way of life.

Culture vs. personality

Personality is the individual’s unique personal set of mental programs that he/she does not share with any other human being.

Culture is what members of a group have in common. “It is the glue that binds groups together” (De Mooij)

Human nature depends on culture: ideas, values, acts, emotions… are cultural products. Cultural patterns help people to live together in a society.

Manifestations of cultureSymbolsSymbols

HeroesHeroes

RitualsRituals

Values Values and and

NormsNorms

Expressions Expressions of cultureof culture

SymbolsSymbols are words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning recognized only by those who share a culture.

This is the most superficial manifestation of culture.

New symbols are easily developed and old ones quickly disappear.

Symbols from one cultural group are regularly copied by others.

Heroes

Heroes are people, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics that are highly prized in a society.

They serve as role models for behavior.

They can become globally known, but their stories often become local.

Rituals

Rituals are the collective activities considered socially essential within a culture.

They are carried out for their own sake.

They are easily observed, but not always understood.

ValuesValues are at the core of culture.

Values are stable beliefs regarding desired behavior or end states.

They often have a religious, ideological or humanistic background.

Goals are derived from values.

Values are among the first things children learn, not consciously but implicitly.

Core values are resistant to globalization; they vary across cultures and are not likely to change frequently.

Norms

Norms and values are part of the “non-material” culture.

Norms are beliefs regarding how to behave and how not to behave (do’s and don’ts).

People differ in the extent to which they accept and comply with norms.

They create expectations and criteria regarding the conduct of others.

BUSINESS AND RELIGIONBUSINESS AND RELIGIONWestern religions Western religions – based on christianity and judaism: Hard work, thrift and simple lifestyle. Christmas Kosher diets – orthodox jews not pork – meat and milk not at the same time. Coca-cola separate ads in conservarive dress. Cell phone just with voice service

ISLAMISLAM: Koran – Haddith authorative collection of sayings reported by Mohammed and sunna (way of life). Based on the Halal (acceptable islamic law for products).

Eastern religionsEastern religions: Hinduism – doctrine of rebirth; confucianism is not a religion but is the greatest China’s sages – respect for one’s parents and for education; buddhism

BUSINESS AND FAMILYBUSINESS AND FAMILY

Low-trust societyLow-trust society: Trust is only focused on immediate family members. Family business

High-trust society High-trust society – Trust in others without blood relation

BUSINESS AND EDUCATIONBUSINESS AND EDUCATION

It shapes people’s outlooks, desires and motivations.

Affects: The consumer level and the employee level

Less literacy – Different communication options – More challenge

ATTITUDES TOWARD TIMEATTITUDES TOWARD TIMEMonochronic culture: Activities are undertaken one at a time and people respect schedules and agendas.

Polychronic culture: Multitasking is common, schedules and agendas bend to the needs of people, and interruptions are common

Temporal orientations: Society’s predominant time

WORK AND LEISURE TIMEWORK AND LEISURE TIME

Work or leisure?

Holidays + vacation days?

Hosfstede cultural model

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gJzRS0I7tA

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdh40kgyYOY

Hofstede’s cultural model

Hofstede’s 4D or 5D model

Quantitative and longitudinal study of cultural differences between countries

Why some concepts of motivation do not work in all countries in the same way

“Culture’s Consequences” and “Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind”

Scores for each country explain why people and organizations in various countries differ, comparative data.

Reference in international business and international marketing

Power distance (PDI)High PDI vs. Low PDI

“the extent to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally”

Reflected in the values of both the less powerful and more powerful members of society

Influences the way people accept and give authority

Shows class or social structure

Focuses on the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the country’s society

Uncertainty avoidance (UAI)

High UAI vs. Low UAI

“ the extent to which people feel threatened by uncertainty and ambiguity and try to avoid these situations”

Strong UAI = need for rules and formality to structure life, search for truth and belief in experts

Conflict and competition are threatening

Higher level of anxiety, show of emotions is accepted

Individualism (IDV)

Individualistic vs. Collectivistic

“people looking after themselves and their immediate family only, versus people belonging to in-groups that look after them in exchange for loyalty”

“I”-conscious and “we”-conscious

Focuses on the degree the society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships

Distinguishes between societies where the group and being a member is important (collectiveness) and societies where the group is less important (individualism)

Masculinity (MAS)

Masculine vs. Feminine

“the dominant values in a masculine society are achievement and success; the dominant values in a feminine society are caring for others and quality of life”

Focuses on the degree the society reinforces, or does not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, performance, control and power

Shows the importance of status in societies

Indicates the degree of gender differentiation and the importance of masculine values (assertiveness, money, material goods, success…)

Long-term orientation (LTO)Long-term vs. Short-term orientation

Chinese value survey, “Confucian dynamism”

“the extent to which a society exhibits a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather than a conventional historic or short-term point of view”

High LTO = perseverance, ordering relationships by status, thrift, sense of shame, family ties, long-term thinking, paternalism

Focuses on the degree the society embraces, or does not embrace, long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values

Indicates whether the country prescribes to the values of long-term commitments and respect for tradition

5D Model

0

100

100

100

100 100

PDI

UAI

IDVMAS

LTO

Work-related values to consumption-related

values

Japanese cultureClassical dimensions: P-time culture, circular time concept, high-context, high PDI, collectivistic, masculine, strong UAI, long-term orientation

Other dimensions: pressure to behave like neighbors, shame-based society, avoid jolting social harmony, dependence, private opinions not expressed, status is important (success) but avoid standing out in a crowd, cash culture, thrift and perseverance, strong role differentiation, education (“how” instead of “why”), education has an intrinsic value, obsession with cleanliness, harmony with nature… (De Mooij)

American cultureClassical dimensions: M-time culture, linear time-pattern, low-context, low PDI, individualistic, high MAS, low UAI, short-term orientation

Other dimensions: success, obsession with change (new and better), credit card culture, education for competitiveness, independence, ethnocentrism, strong role differentiation, innovativeness, creativity, private opinions expressed, education teaches students to be critical (ask “why” not “how”), man must conquer nature, (De Mooij)

Limits to Hofstede’s modelGeneralization, reductive, simplistic (unproven and unprovable, flawed assumptions, “storytelling”…)

Original objective: how values in the workplace are influenced by culture

Three discrete cultures•Organizational•Occupational•National

Questionnaire – quantitative data

Differences in location – intracultural differences, subcultures

?

Intracultural differencesFew cultures are homogeneous in terms of cultural traits and norms

Consequence of globalization?

Intracultural differences (nationality, religion, race, language or geographic areas) result in the emergence of distinct subcultures

Existence of cross-cultural and intracultural differences: opportunities and threats

To summarize on culture…Culture is complex and multi-dimensional, but classification is important in business

Cultural distance is essential in international business

Culture influences perceptions and drives how we communicate and what we communicate

SRC and ethnocentrism can explain the failure of many companies in the international arena

Acculturation (adjusting and adapting to a specific culture other than one’s own) is one of the keys to success in international operations