Culture is a collection of values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors that characterize a particular group of people and differentiates them from another group (Steers 2005). People do not notice their own culture and how it affects their behavior but will be irritated when someone else acts in another way that is different from what they are used to. Geert Hofstede’s theory on cultural dimension is most used and widely applied.
Hofstede developed cultural dimension into four: power distance, Masculinity vs Collectivism, Long-term vs short-term cultural orientation and individualism vs Collectivism. On the other hand, Trompenaars categorized culture into three dimensions: Time, environment and personal relationships. It is important to understand the cultural background of other people so that our interactions can be smooth and peaceful.
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Hofstede and Trompenaars provide us with a way to do this through their theories on cultural dimension. They established that people from different countries differ in specific ways since each culture has its way of doing things. The models can be used to understand people with different backgrounds better.
Their models provide an understanding that no culture is superior to another and no culture is bad. People with different cultural backgrounds tend to make different choices even when they are in the same environment.
People are different not because they want to be different from others but because their origin and their cultures make them different. Individuals raised in a particular country automatically adapt to the ways of their environment. The models established by Hofstede and Trompenaars provides an avenue for people from different cultures to understand each other and manage misunderstandings that arise from cultural differences.
References
Steers, R. M. 2005. Managing in the Global Economy. Armonk, NY, USA: M.E. Sharpe.
