Lecture 4 (intercultural awareness)

Question 1

How did Hofstede define “culture”?

Answer 1

The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group or category of people from another.

Question 2

What does Hall’s Iceberg model visualize?

Answer 2

It shows the idea that culture consists of two parts: One observable and objective part and one hidden and subjective part. A lot of the culture is below the surface and not easily grasped by an outsider. Such as core values is below the surface and words or actions are above the surface.

Question 3

What is meant by multi-cultural?

Answer 3

A group of people with many cultures represented

Question 4

Cross-cultural?

Answer 4

Comparative, two or more different cultures.

Question 5

Intercultural?

Answer 5

Open and respectful exchange between cultures

Question 6

What is a value system?

Answer 6

The value system refers to the order and priority a culture grants to ethical or ideological values. The value system has a profound effect on people’s communication, actions and thinking.

Question 7

What is Hofstede’s theory called?

Answer 7

The cultural dimensions theory

Question 8

What are the six dimensions of Hofstede’s theory?

Answer 8

Power distance, indulgence, masculinity, long-term orientation, individualism, uncertainty avoidance.

Question 9

What is meant by power distance?

Answer 9

The extent to which less powerful members of the organization is expected and accept that power is unequally distributed.

Question 10

What is meant by individualism/collectivism?

Answer 10

The degree to which people in a society are integrated into groups.

Question 11

What is meant by masculinity and femininity?

Answer 11

masculine: Competitive, achievements, success. feminine: relations, care for others, collaboration

Question 12

What is meant by uncertainty avoidance?

Answer 12

Countries that score hich generally have more rules, less flexibility, and less tolerance to ambiguity

Question 13

What is meant by long-term orientation?

Answer 13

The extent to which a society prepares for the future or just take each day as it comes

Question 14

What is meant by indulgence?

Answer 14

It Indulgent societies think people should be enjoying life and restrained societies believe we should control our desires.

Question 15

What three strands does Edward T. Hall’s theory consist of?

Answer 15

Proxemics, context and time

Question 16

What is meant with proxemics?

Answer 16

It is how close people from different cultures are comfortable with standing from each other.

Question 17

What is meant by context?

Answer 17

Countries can either be more or less high-context or low-context countries. It depends on how much explicit information a speaker gives in a conversation. If there are many underlying messages in a conversation, it is a high-context country. One has to be aware of the context to understand.

Question 18

What is meant by time?

Answer 18

It is if a country has a polychronic or monochronic view of time. Monochronic countries take time commitments seriously, are committed to the job etc. Polychronic see time commitments as an objective to be achieved if possible. They put more emphasis on relations and multitask to a larger extent.

Question 19

What are the seven dimensions of Trompenaars and Hampden’s theoretical framwork?

Answer 19

Sequentialism
individualism
universalism
specific
inner/outer directed
affective
achievement

Question 20

What is meant by universalism/particularism?

Answer 20

universalism: That rules and practices can be applied everywhere without any modification.
Particularism means that circumstances dictate how ideas and practices should be applied.

Question 21

What is meant by individualism/communitarianism?

Answer 21

Same as Hofstede’s individualism/collectivism. However, countries were given a whole other result/score.

Question 22

What is meant by affective/neutral?

Answer 22

Can be summarized by “Do we show our emotions?”

Question 23

What is meant by specific/diffuse?

Answer 23

In specific cultures, people keep private and professional lives separate.

Question 24

What is meant by achievement/ascription?

Answer 24

Does people have to prove themselves or is status given to them?

Achievement orientated cultures base one’s status and respect on his or her competence and performance.

In Ascription orientated cultures titles, rank and hierarchy are important in and of themselves. Often these titles are bestowed upon individuals not because of any achievement of their own, but because of a family’s rank and status in the society.

Question 25

What is meant by sequential/synchronic?

Answer 25

It is similar to Hall’s polychronic and monochronic.

if you come from a sequential culture, you see time as a line with events happening one after the other in chronological order. If you come from a synchronic culture, you see time as a cycle which repeats itself over and over.

Question 26

What is Inglehartz-Welzel cultural map?

Answer 26

A theory that shows data on a scatter plot with two major dimensions. (the two axes)
1. Survival values vs self-expression values
2. Traditional values vs secular-rational values

Question 27

What are three gains from having cross-cultural competence?

Answer 27

1. Explain the behavior of others,
2. predict the behaviors of others, and
3. Get results in your interaction with others