Hofstede Theory
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Hofstede defined Culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another”.
“Culture in this sense, inc systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of Culture”.
Each Culture has 3 layers 1) Behavioural 2) Norms and Values 3) Assumptions and Beliefs.
Behavioural or explicit means the first thing you notice when you go a foreign land for the first time.
Norms and Values mean every culture has its own norms and values. Norms are the written and unwritten rules of a society. They determine what is good and bad with regard to behaviour. Values are what are considered important or unimportant, beautiful or not beautiful, right or wrong.
Assumptions and Beliefs mean why one person does that when we ask him the question and he replies I dont know. This is the innermost layer and it is the core of culture.
Politics and norms and values
Influence of politics on norms and values is obvious. Politics has to say in number of countries how to dress, education, manners and many other aspects of life. Eg: Iran.
Various countries have their own rules and laws regarding politics and politicians personal life and corruption.
Edgar Morin created a phenomenon called “dialogique” mean meeting of diversity, of opposite poles, the complementarity of ideas. On this phenomenon European Culture was developed.
Cultural assumptions in management
Schien defines culture as “a set of basic assumptions- shared solutions to universal problems of external adaptions (how to survive) and internal integration (how to stay together) which have evolved over time and are handed down from one generation to the next”.
Levels of Culture
A culture starts developing when group of people have shared their experience.
In Business Context Culture can develop at different levels, within a department or at various ranks of a hierarchy.
A company can develop its own culture or an organizations in the same sectors, so that they can share a common experience. Language, ethnicity etc.
Culture and Nation
It influences organization at both macro and micro levels.
Macro level considers the relationship between the foreign organization and local govt. various rules and legislation have to be considered.
At micro level, it relates to the employer-employee relation and to behavior among employees.