• Author / Uploaded
• Baruch Benítez

Citation preview

Reading/Speaking The dimensions of culture Marjorie Rosenberg Aims

Tasks

• understand Geert Hofstede’s ‘dimensions

• discuss questions dealing with the five dimensions of

of culture’ • apply the principles of the dimensions • give advice on working in a different culture • discover how your country is scored

culture and apply them to personal experiences

• read about Hofstede’s dimensions of culture and match • • • •

Level Intermediate (B1) The teacher may have to help with some vocabulary. Timing 55 – 60 minutes depending on the size of the class. The follow-up activity can take another 10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of the class and the information they have found. This activity can stand alone or be used in connection with Business Advantage Intermediate, Almut Koester, Angela Pitt, Michael Handford and Martin Lisboa, Unit 1 (publication January 2012).

Lead-in (10 minutes) Students work in small groups and discuss questions about their own cultures. The questions all deal with the dimensions of culture without mentioning them specifically. These questions are designed to raise students’ awareness of the topic and how things are done in their own cultures.

Reading (10 minutes) Students read descriptions of the dimensions of culture and match them to the names that Hofstede has created. They check their answers with the teacher and discuss any questions they have or unfamiliar vocabulary.

Matching (10 minutes) Students work in pairs and match ten statements to the different dimensions. They check their answers with the teacher. They can then be encouraged to come up with other statements which they read aloud and the others guess where these statements belong.

the names to their descriptions match statements to the dimensions prepare a ‘to do’ sheet for your own and another culture present your sheets and discuss them follow up by doing internet research

Writing (15 minutes) The class first decides where their own country scores in each of the dimensions. The class is then divided in half. One half writes tips for each of the dimensions for people wanting to do business with them. The other half writes tips for a culture they feel is the exact opposite.

Discussion (10 – 15 minutes) The students present their tips to each other and discuss them. They can add to the tips or change ones they have written. This can then be discussed further by giving examples of problems which have arisen in business in their cultures based on the information classified by Hofstede.

Follow-up (10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of the class) Students search the Internet for information about Geert Hofstede’s ‘Five dimensions of culture’. They can also look for websites which score countries and enter their own and other countries to get this information. They then bring it to class and discuss their findings. They can express their opinions on whether these scores are true for their own or other cultures they know. Key Reading 1 Masculine, 2 Long-term orientation, 3 Power distance, 4 Uncertainty avoidance, 5 Individualism Matching 1 Low power distance, 2 Long-term orientation, 3 Individual, 4 High masculine, 5 Collective, 6 Short-term orientation, 7 High power distance, 8 High uncertainty avoidance, 9 Low masculine, 10 Low uncertainty avoidance

Writing (suggestions) High power distance: Recognise the power of a leader, Go to management to get answers, Expect companies to be centralised and hierarchical Low power distance: Have flatter organisations, Make use of teamwork, Let many people help in decision making High Individualism: Respect people’s free time, Expect challenges, Do not ask for personal information Low individualism (Collectivism): Create a good working atmosphere, Encourage harmony among groups, Do not expect change to happen rapidly High masculinity: Expect clear roles in society and business, Men should stress facts and not rely on emotions Low masculinity: Expect equality between the sexes, Recognise women’s achievements High uncertainty avoidance: Make sure rules are followed, Be structured, Plan carefully Low uncertainty avoidance: Be less formal in business dealings, Be ready to accept risk and change, Do not force others to accept guidelines but stay flexible Long-term orientation: Respect values and traditions, Show that loyalty and commitment are important, Respect hard work Short-term orientation: Value creativity, Respect others’ ideas, Be open to change (Reference for descriptions, tips, scores) http://www.krannert.purdue.edu/faculty/akcurat/ teaching/mgmt690/hofstede%20scores.htm

The dimensions of culture

Aims

Tasks

• understand Geert Hofstede’s ‘dimensions

• discuss questions dealing with the five dimensions of

of culture’ • apply the principles of the dimensions • give advice on working in a different culture • discover how your country is scored

culture and apply them to personal experiences

• read about Hofstede’s dimensions of culture and match • • • •

the names to their descriptions match statements to the dimensions prepare a ‘to do’ sheet for your own and another culture present your sheets and discuss them follow up by doing internet research

Lead-in Work in small groups and answer these questions about your culture. Give examples where you can. • How do people in your culture feel about criticising people who are more senior than themselves? Can you criticise senior people in your company if they make a mistake? • Do people prefer to work in groups or on their own? How important is teamwork in your country or company? How important are long-term relationships in business? • Do people like to know what to expect or are they able to accept events as they come? Are guidelines important and do people follow them carefully or do people find that improvising is more important? • Do people stay closely to traditional male and female roles? Are these set out by society? Do women work in the same professions as men if they work outside the home? • Do you feel that you need to plan ahead or is being spontaneous more important? How creative do you feel your culture or society is? Is this a welcome aspect? Reading The psychologist Geert Hofstede came up with what he called ‘dimensions of culture’ to explain how different societies react and function. He then went on to look carefully at different countries and gave them scores from 0 to 100. The higher (or lower) the score, the closer a country fits the description. Read these descriptions and match the names he gave them. Check your answers with your teacher. Uncertainly avoidance Individualism Long-term orientation Power distance Masculinity

Name of dimension: 1 Gender is very important in this dimension and the roles of men and women are clearly defined in countries with high scores. There are specific values which are considered to be feminine such as reaching agreements, being kind to others and building relationships. The values considered to be masculine include being assertive, strong and competitive. There is often a clear difference between work that women do and work that men do. For those with lower scores, the roles can be exchanged and they can take on each others’ characteristics.

Name of dimension: 2 This dimension deals with traditional values. In cultures who score highly in this dimension, it is important to be loyal and committed to a job or to people. There is a high value placed on education and training. The cultures with low scores value spontaneity and creativity as well as new ideas.

The dimensions of culture

Name of dimension: 3 This dimension looks at the structure of power in a culture or society. Cultures with high scores have clear leaders and the space between leaders and those below them is large. Decisions are made at the top. Cultures with lower scores tend to have flatter organisations and people are considered to be more equal. Decision-making can be made at different levels.

Name of dimension: 4 This dimension deals with how nervous people become when they do not know what to expect. Cultures with high scores are uncomfortable when they do not know what to expect. They like to follow guidelines which have been set out. Those with lower scores do not like to follow rules and accept both change and risk more easily. They often look at the long-term goals rather than what is happening at the moment.

Name of dimension: 5 This dimension deals with the relationships people have with each other. In cultures with high scores people have fewer interpersonal relationships. They depend more on themselves. Those with a low score are very loyal to the group they belong to. Harmony is essential in groups.

Matching Work in pairs. Match these statements to the cultural term. Check your answers with your teacher. Then try to come up with statements of your own and let your classmates decide where they belong. High power distance / low power distance High masculine / low masculine High uncertainty avoidance / low uncertainty avoidance Long-term orientation / Short-term orientation Individual / Collective 1

___ “My boss’s door is always open. I know that I can ask her questions or go to her when I have good ideas and she decides democratically if we can use them.” 2 ___ “We have to finish the timeline for our next project. It is really important to plan our deadlines and benchmarks very carefully so we can do everything on time.” 3 ___ “I have a great idea for a new process but I don’t want to tell anyone else about it in our meeting. I just want to keep it to myself at the moment.” 4 ___ “I can’t imagine having a female boss. Men are much better at managing teams because they are better leaders and more assertive.” 5 ___ “Our weekly staff meetings are really communicative. We all bring in our ideas, thoughts, suggestions and then decide which ones to work on.” 6 ___ “Sales are up at the moment which is great. We aren’t thinking about next quarter yet because we still have time to decide on new strategies.” 7 ___ “Whatever top management decides is fine with me. They know much more than I do about the company.” 8 ___ “At our weekly staff meeting we always get all the information we need for the week. I really like this because I don’t want to change my timetable suddenly to do something else.” 9 ___ “In our company we value good relationships among the staff and treat each other with respect. I think that being polite to others is an important feature of the working atmosphere.” 10 ___ “I think that staying flexible is really necessary. If I have to change my plans it isn’t a problem if something new comes up. I think it is more interesting that way.”

Writing You are helping a local company set up a business arrangement with a company in another culture. Discuss in open class where you think your country most likely scores in each of the five dimensions. Divide the class in half. One half writes a ‘To do’ sheet for people who want to work with a company in your culture. Come up with at least two tips for each of the five dimensions. The other half writes a ‘to do’ sheet for people who want to work in a culture that is opposite form yours. Write at least two tips for each dimension.

Discussion Present both sets of tips to the class. Discuss the ideas that the groups came up with. Talk about specific examples and how these could be implemented. Follow-up Look for information about Hofstede’s work on the internet. Try to find countries and their scores. Bring the information to class to discuss. Do you agree with the scores of your country or of other cultures you know? Why or why not?