Chapter4- Sociocultural Forces
Sociocultural Aspects of Culture
Aesthetics Religion Material Culture Language Special Focus: Gift Giving Societal Organization
Hofstede's Five Dimensions: Long-Term Orientation/Confucian Dynamism
Dealing with virtue regardless of truth, that is, the level to which people in the culture will persevere to overcome obstacles they cannot overcome with will or strength. p.69
Hofstede's Five Dimensions: Uncertainty Avoidance
Describes a society's comfort with uncertainty, it describes the extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. i.e. strict laws/rules, safety/security minimize uncertainty
Hofstede's Five Dimensions: Masculinity-Femininity
Describes the distribution of roles between the genders. p.68
Sociocultural
Description of the social world through which we observe the effects of culture- (society is composed of people living within their cultural frameworks, so to understand a specific society, how it works, whtat its norms and values are, we need to understand its culture)
Context
Hall offers a classification of cultures based upon communication styles and, specifically, on the role that context plays in the communication patterns. The context of the communication act is *The Relevant Environment* beyond the explicit communication. i.e. part of context may be speaker's body language, place in room, who speaks before/after the speaker
Polychronic
Hall suggests that HC cultures tend to be polychronic. That is, 2 or more activities are carried out within the same clock block; switching among activities can be both desirable and productive. (Multi-tasking)
Monochronic
Hall suggests that LC cultures tend to be monochronic, with time characterized as linear, tangible, and divisible into blocks, consistent with the economic approach to time. Monochronic time emphasizes planning and the establishment of schedules, with significant energy put into the maintenance of establishment schedules.
Hofstede's Five Dimensions: Power Distance
Is the extent to which members of society expect and accept power to be distributed unequally. (similar to inequality) Society's level of inequality endorsed by followers, as well as by leaders. (i.e. seniority, age, rank, title are important)
Hofstede's Five Dimensions: Individualism-Collectivism
Measures the degree to which people in the culture are integrated into groups. Highly collectivistic cultures belong to strong, cohesive in-groups that look after them in exchange for loyalty. Highly individualistic cultures are more loosely connected and look after themselves and immediate family. p.67
What is culture?
Sum total of the beliefs, rules, techniques, institutions, and artifacts that characterize human populations.
Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions
The first five dimensions address the culture's patterns for relationships among people, and the final two have to do with time and nature. Universalism vs. Particularism (rules vs. relationships) Individualism vs. Communitarianism Neutral vs. Affective (unemotional vs. emotional) Specifc vs. Diffuse Achievement vs. Ascription Attitudes toward Time Attitudes toward the Environment p.70
Hofstede's Five Dimensions
These provide managers with way to understand how cultural differences affect organizations and mgmt methods. They also assist in showing that mgmt skills are culturally specific. (maybe here, but not there concept) Individualism-Collectivism Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity-Femininity Long-Term Orientation/Confucian Dynamism
Aesthetics
a culture's sense of beauty and good taste expressed in its art, drama, music, folklore, and dance p.71
Communitarianism
belief that the group is the beneficiary of actions
Universalist
condition in which concepts apply to all
Particularist
condition in which context determines what concepts apply
Specific vs. Diffuse
life divided into public and private vs. life undifferentiated
Culture Affects All Biz Functions
marketing, human resources, production, accounting & finance, preferred leadership styles (p.65)
Hall's High & Low Context Attributes
p. 66
Hall's LC- low context
people in low context cultures have explicit communication patterns, they do not rely so greatly on the context of the communication, the explicit communicator
Hall's HC- high context
the communication tends to be implicit and indirect, context plays an exceedingly strong role, actually carrying much of the meaning
Achievement vs. Ascription
what a person does vs. who a person is
Neutral vs. Affective
witholding emotion vs. expressing emotion
Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Achievement vs. Ascription
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Attitudes toward Time
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Attitudes toward the Environment
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Individualism vs. Communitarianism
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Neutral vs. Affective (unemotional vs. emotional)
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Specifc vs. Diffuse
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Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions: Universalism vs. Particularism (rules vs. relationships)
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What is culture?
1. Culture is learned; we are not born with a culture 2. The various aspects of culture are interrelated 3. Culture is shared, patterned, and mutually constructed through social interaction 4. Culture defines the boundaries of different groups
What is culture?
Culture consists of the "individual worldviews, social rules, and interpersonal dynamics characterizing a group of people set in a particular time and place.
Material Culture or Artifacts
all human-made objects; concerned with how people make things (technology) and who makes what and why (economics)
Ethnocentricity
assuming one's own culture to be superior to other cultures
