1

Penelope, Telemachos and Odysseus Gert Jan and Geert

2

Life goals of business leaders Questions to MBA students: “typical successful business leader in your country is driven by...”

Overall ranking

1. Growth

2. Continuity

3. Year profits

4. Personal wealth

5. Power

6. Honour

7. Create sth new

8. 10 yr profits

9. Law

10.Responsibility emps

11.Ethical norms

12.Responsibility soc

13.Game spirit

14.Patriotism

15.Family interests

Brazil China India Germany USA

4 1

4 1 -

3 - 4

3

2 3 3 5

4

3

5 4

-

- 2

1 - 5 2

5 1

1

2 2

5

Source: Hofstede et al 2010 p 321. n = 1800, 17 countries.

3

Culture’s Causes: the next challenge

• Dimensions of culture make sense

– Differences do not diminish

– They sometimes seem to grow

• Why, despite globalization, are cultures

still vital for business and for survival?

• Let’s look on the ground.

4

Culture is learned in childhood

• To learn:

– its place in the world

– Key distinctions

• Big / small, Good / bad

• Allowed / forbidden

• Boy / girl, Clean / dirty

• ...

• To learn what to desire

– Or be an outcast

5

What do you

see?

Level of analysis

6

Level of analysis

7

Levels of uniqueness

We can (and should) model our behaviour at different levels

everybody

my

moral

circle(s)

me

personality: Big Five;

life experience;

plans, goals, aspirations

family, tribe, country;

profession; team,

organization:

norms, values

human nature:

status – power drives, emotions;

genes, hormones, brains, cultures

8

Levels of uniqueness

We can (and should) model our behaviour at different levels

everybody

my

moral

circle(s)

me

personality: Big Five;

life experience;

plans, goals, aspirations

family, tribe, country;

profession; team,

organization:

norms, values

human nature:

status – power drives, emotions;

genes, hormones, brains, cultures

9

Levels of uniqueness

We can (and should) model our behaviour at different levels

everybody

my

moral

circle(s)

me

personality: Big Five;

life experience;

plans, goals, aspirations

family, tribe, country;

profession; team,

organization:

norms, values

human nature:

status – power drives, emotions;

genes, hormones, brains, cultures

10

Human nature:

Theodore Kemper, status-power game

• We are driven to

– Confer appropriate ‘status’

– Expect (‘claim’) the same

– When thwarted: use ‘power’

• We do this in groups

– Strive for equal status across groups

– Commit to where we get status

• Sociological constructs

11

Status conferrals

Left to right: Máxima, Michiko, Akihito,

Naruhito, Willem-Alexander, Masako

12

Status claims

Hi. I’m ...

and I want ...

I.M. Yourman, Ph.D.

13 nothing Claiming a lot

.

a lot Claiming vs conferring status

Deserving conferral

terrorist

complaining citizen

freedom fighter saint

champion

media star

beggar

donor

lover superhero

girl

police agent

villain

GOOD

BAD baby

elderly person woman

man

spoilt child

teenager

14

Power moves

15 nothing having power a lot

.

a lot Status vs power

baby

terrorist

citizen

soldier

Deserving conferral

elderly person

saint

superhero

woman

man

spoilt child

king

scientist

lawyer

beggar

lover

donor

girl

police agent

villain

16

Social landscape

Is a status-power landscape

...whose defaults vary across cultures

...and according to group-based perspective

...and per person.

17

Unwritten rules of the social landscape

That’s

culture.

-

Let’s look

at it.

18 Gert Jan Hofstede, 2014

Collectivism – Individualism World map

individualist

collectivist

19

Power Distance World map

large

small

20

21

Femininity - Masculinity World map

masculine

feminine

22 feminine Masculinity masculine

.

collectivist Teamwork models

Germany

Switzerland Ge

Austria

Switzerland Fr

France

Singapore

China

Great Britain

Japan

United States

Italy

Russia

Poland

individualist

Finland

India Brazil

Individualism

Denmark

Slovenia

Portugal

Vlaanderen

Nederland

Wallonie

Costa Rica Colombia

Kenya

Argentina

Mexico

Venezuela

Nigeria

Luxemburg Czeck Rep.

Romania

Spain

Sweden

S-Africa

23

Uncertainty Avoidance World map

unc.avoiding

unc.tolerant

24

Katz

&

Hund

• Medium-sized (250) textile printing company • CEO + 3 managers

– finance and personnel (X) – manufacturing (Katz) – design and sale (Hund)

• Quarrel! – Sales and manufacturing people do not talk

• What to do? a. call in CEO to settle conflict b. improve org structure with rules c. send Katz and Hund to management course

25 small Power distance large

.

Uncertainty

avoidance

weak Models of organisation

Germany

Switzerland Ge

Austria

Switzerland Fr

France

Singapore

China Great Britain

Japan

United States

Italy

Russia

Poland strong

Israel

India

Brazil

Vlaanderen

Wallonie

Nederland

Colombia Mexico

Sweden

Costa Rica

Portugal

Panama

Argentina

Kenya Nigeria

Pakistan

Luxembourg

Romania

Venezuela Czeck Rep.

Denmark

S-Africa

Spain

Vietnam

Hong Kong

Jamaica

Greece

26

Short-term orientation (Monumentalism) – Long-term

orientation (Flexhumility) World map (based on WVS)

flexhumble

monumentalist

Europe; CVS data

27

Indulgence - Restraint World map (based on WVS)

restrained

indulgent

28 short long-term orientation WVS long

.

Indulgence

indulgent Life outlook

Germany Iran

France Singapore

China

Great Britain

Japan

United States

Italy

Russia

Poland

restrained

S Korea

India

Brazil Nederland

Colombia Mexico Sweden

Iraq

Portugal

Taiwan

Argentina

Tanzania

Nigeria

Pakistan

Morocco

Romania

Venezuela

Czeck Rep.

Denmark

S-Africa

Spain

Vietnam

Hong Kong

Greece

Egypt

29

End of tour

• Big picture: – Culture sets social

landscape, = defaults of

status-power game

• C-c business: 1. relationship (proper

conferral and claiming of

status!)

2. business status-power game

30

Traveller

• TRaining for Virtually Every Location for

Learning emphatic Relationships

• Encounter in a bar

• www.ecute.eu

31

moral

• Odysseus:

– Cultures are here to stay

• Neglect them and your international ventures fail

• Telemachos:

– The social landscape idea and status-power

can serve to model the dynamics of culture

‘on the floor’

• For cross-cultural training

www.geerthofstede.com

32

Resources

• Researchers’sites:

– www.geerthofstede.eu

• ( or www.geerthofstede.com)

• With all VSM and book translations

– www.gertjanhofstede.com

• Trainers’s sites:

– network: www.itim.org

– courses: www.geert-hofstede.com