CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis

Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis

Introduction

We know that we live in an era of globalization. Technology has brought the world much closer to each other. This means that people from different cultures work together and communicate more and more. As background Trompenaars, Europe's leading consultant of transnational corporations on cross-cultural issues, said: "Increasingly, international managers realize that they can gain a competitive advantage, understanding cultural differences. Technology can be copied quickly. Intercultural competence can not be copied, it must be studied "(Adler 1995, p. 38).

It can be concluded that the best products and technologies can not meet with acceptance in markets around the world due to lack of local cultural community. Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars are Dutch scientists who have spent much time in the last 30 years to think about cultural diversity and its impact on business. While every other critical work, both men came up with a series of "cultural aspects", which they use to examine how national culture affects organizational behavior Value DimensionThe most influential studies on the analysis of cultural differences and consolidation of cultural similarity to those performed by Geert Hofstede, a Dutch researcher who has studied 116,000 people working in dozens of different countries (Hofstede 1981). Hofstede's work has identified four important dimensions on which people seem to differ in different cultures. These dimensions consist of (1) power distance, (2) uncertainty avoidance, (3) individualism and collectivism, and (4) masculinity. (Bowen, Lawrence, 1994 Pp. 668)

Power distance

Power distance means that people in a culture tend to take power and their leaders simply on the basis of the position of manager in the hierarchy. For example, the highest in China, with inapproachability tops, but the distance between the middle managers. Managers and employees, although somewhat smaller. A person moving to the system beginning as a worker, then to the master and, finally, middle managers will receive relatively little power and influence it can therefore not be a motivator. Also, the power structure is not well established due to lack of a manager, and may take the form as a result of necessity. Respect for hierarchy and authority may well be derived from Confucianism, with regard to age, as a source of power, which is largely unknown in the business in the West.

Uncertainty avoidance

The second basic aspect of individual differences in Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance study. This means that people in cultures characterized by uncertainty ambiguity aversion to prevent and avoid it whenever possible. Ambiguity and change seem desirable. These people tend to prefer a structured and routine, even a bureaucratic way of doing things. The Chinese leader also may be motivated to save "face" and tell another person what they want to hear rather than what can be adjusted as the absolute truth in Western eyes.

The third dimension of Individualism and CollectivismHofstede is individualism and collectivism are means "I" consciousness of "we" consciousness. As expected, high collectivism in Chinese culture, with a core group of reference to be ...