Instruction for Assignment 2
We have been talking about cultural differences for a long time. But how do we measure the difference at the
country level? Unlike you can measure length with a ruler, culture is not something you can actually “see” and
use a ruler to “measure”. Then how do we compare two cultures?
Dr. Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist, offered us a solution. The purpose of this assignment is to
guide you to know about Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, and write a self-reflection paper on this topic. Please follow the following steps
country level? Unlike you can measure length with a ruler, culture is not something you can actually “see” and
use a ruler to “measure”. Then how do we compare two cultures?
Dr. Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist, offered us a solution. The purpose of this assignment is to
guide you to know about Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, and write a self-reflection paper on this topic. Please follow the following steps
Step 1
Explore the website (https://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html) and read about Dr. Geert Hofstede’s
concept of cultural dimensions. Get an idea of the six cultural dimensions – What are they? Make sure you can
use your own words to briefly describe each of them before you move on to the next step. (I give you guys
some brief comments below, but you could find more information on the website) Power distance
o The degree to which a country is tolerant with unequally distributed power. Note that high
power distance is not necessarily a bad thing.
Individualism vs. collectivism
o It is about self-construal – independent self vs. interdependent self. In other words, which
one is more important? You (the independent self) or your group (you family, your
relationships, etc.)?
Masculinity vs. femininity
o It’s not only about gender differences. It is also about the dominance of tender vs. tough
values. Feminine societies (tender value dominant) emphasize personal relationships, care
for others, quality of life, service, etc. In general, feminine countries tend to have better social
welfare. Masculine societies (tough values dominant) tend to value success, money, status,
and competition.
Uncertainty avoidance
o The degree to which structure is preferred. Those countries with strong uncertainty
avoidance tend to prefer more structure and “play by the rules”, while those with low
uncertainty avoidance prefer unstructured situations.
Long term orientation
Indulgence vs. restraint Step 2
Go to this website (https://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html), pick a country and compare its scores
with those of the US. You can also choose any two counties and compare their scores. Play with it and you will
find some really interesting stuff.
For example, when I compare the US with Japan, I got a figure like this: There is a large difference between the United States and Japan on individualism, and it has
implications for organizational structure and management within the company. This indicates that in
Japanese corporations, the benefit of the group is more important than that of the individuals. If I were
to work for a Japanese company, maintaining the harmony of the group may be more important than
simply expressing my own ideas and show my talents all the time. It might be important that I attribute
some of my achievements to the group as well.
The high score on uncertainty avoidance for Japan has implications for organizational structures. To be
more specific, since high uncertain avoidance cultures prefer more structures, the business norms in
Japan are more likely to be follow the rules and regulations. They also tend to be stricter with schedules
and punctuality. It is also very likely that Japanese employees are more inclined to receive clear
instructions before they start working, so that they don’t have to “take the risks” of making too many
decisions. Step 3
Based on the information you found, write a reflection paper following the instructions below. To help you
build the content of the reflection paper, here are some ideas:
1. Pick one or two countries and compare them with the US. Tell us about your thoughts/opinions
about the comparison result. Are the results the same as you expected? If there are differences, what do you think caused
these differences? Remember to insert the figure of the comparison of your country of choice and
the US in your write-up. The figure in the example I provided above (a screenshot of the figure) is
what I’m looking for. 2. What are some useful information that you get from this comparison? How can you apply this
information to business and management? How do cultural differences change the way companies do business in the real world? For
example:
o If the cultural distance is too large, maybe I would not suggest my company to enter a
specific country, because it might be too risky and difficult to cope with the cultural distance.
Plus, the six dimensions of Hofstede’s cultural distance might not be equally important in
various situations. o
o
o They way that I should treat my suppliers, distributors, and other business partners might
not be the same as I treat my domestic business partners.
How can international managers learn from this framework and improve their ability to
manage diverse teams?
… 3. How did Hofstede’s cultural dimensions changed your way of thinking about cross-cultural
management issues? In what ways do you think this framework is useful to your job now or in the
future?
5. What are some issues that you may think of regarding measuring culture through these
dimensions?
Again, do not limit your answer to the perspectives mentioned above. Those are mainly to give you an idea of
what to say, but surely I am expecting more creative and interesting answers from you! Formatting instructions
Name of the document
Last Name_First Name_Panther ID_Assignment number
For example: Doe_John_1234567_ASSG1
Format of the assignment Margins: Top, bottom, left, right – all 1 inch Double space Font Size: 12 Font: Times New Roman The main body of the text should be minimum 2 pages, maximum 3 pages. If you are referring to an opinion, figure or table of someone else, you need to cite the source of the
academic article, website, statistical reports, book chapters, etc. Please use APA style citations. You
could refer to the following website (Purdue OWL) for detailed APA style guidance.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Explore the website (https://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html) and read about Dr. Geert Hofstede’s
concept of cultural dimensions. Get an idea of the six cultural dimensions – What are they? Make sure you can
use your own words to briefly describe each of them before you move on to the next step. (I give you guys
some brief comments below, but you could find more information on the website) Power distance
o The degree to which a country is tolerant with unequally distributed power. Note that high
power distance is not necessarily a bad thing.
Individualism vs. collectivism
o It is about self-construal – independent self vs. interdependent self. In other words, which
one is more important? You (the independent self) or your group (you family, your
relationships, etc.)?
Masculinity vs. femininity
o It’s not only about gender differences. It is also about the dominance of tender vs. tough
values. Feminine societies (tender value dominant) emphasize personal relationships, care
for others, quality of life, service, etc. In general, feminine countries tend to have better social
welfare. Masculine societies (tough values dominant) tend to value success, money, status,
and competition.
Uncertainty avoidance
o The degree to which structure is preferred. Those countries with strong uncertainty
avoidance tend to prefer more structure and “play by the rules”, while those with low
uncertainty avoidance prefer unstructured situations.
Long term orientation
Indulgence vs. restraint Step 2
Go to this website (https://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html), pick a country and compare its scores
with those of the US. You can also choose any two counties and compare their scores. Play with it and you will
find some really interesting stuff.
For example, when I compare the US with Japan, I got a figure like this: There is a large difference between the United States and Japan on individualism, and it has
implications for organizational structure and management within the company. This indicates that in
Japanese corporations, the benefit of the group is more important than that of the individuals. If I were
to work for a Japanese company, maintaining the harmony of the group may be more important than
simply expressing my own ideas and show my talents all the time. It might be important that I attribute
some of my achievements to the group as well.
The high score on uncertainty avoidance for Japan has implications for organizational structures. To be
more specific, since high uncertain avoidance cultures prefer more structures, the business norms in
Japan are more likely to be follow the rules and regulations. They also tend to be stricter with schedules
and punctuality. It is also very likely that Japanese employees are more inclined to receive clear
instructions before they start working, so that they don’t have to “take the risks” of making too many
decisions. Step 3
Based on the information you found, write a reflection paper following the instructions below. To help you
build the content of the reflection paper, here are some ideas:
1. Pick one or two countries and compare them with the US. Tell us about your thoughts/opinions
about the comparison result. Are the results the same as you expected? If there are differences, what do you think caused
these differences? Remember to insert the figure of the comparison of your country of choice and
the US in your write-up. The figure in the example I provided above (a screenshot of the figure) is
what I’m looking for. 2. What are some useful information that you get from this comparison? How can you apply this
information to business and management? How do cultural differences change the way companies do business in the real world? For
example:
o If the cultural distance is too large, maybe I would not suggest my company to enter a
specific country, because it might be too risky and difficult to cope with the cultural distance.
Plus, the six dimensions of Hofstede’s cultural distance might not be equally important in
various situations. o
o
o They way that I should treat my suppliers, distributors, and other business partners might
not be the same as I treat my domestic business partners.
How can international managers learn from this framework and improve their ability to
manage diverse teams?
… 3. How did Hofstede’s cultural dimensions changed your way of thinking about cross-cultural
management issues? In what ways do you think this framework is useful to your job now or in the
future?
5. What are some issues that you may think of regarding measuring culture through these
dimensions?
Again, do not limit your answer to the perspectives mentioned above. Those are mainly to give you an idea of
what to say, but surely I am expecting more creative and interesting answers from you! Formatting instructions
Name of the document
Last Name_First Name_Panther ID_Assignment number
For example: Doe_John_1234567_ASSG1
Format of the assignment Margins: Top, bottom, left, right – all 1 inch Double space Font Size: 12 Font: Times New Roman The main body of the text should be minimum 2 pages, maximum 3 pages. If you are referring to an opinion, figure or table of someone else, you need to cite the source of the
academic article, website, statistical reports, book chapters, etc. Please use APA style citations. You
could refer to the following website (Purdue OWL) for detailed APA style guidance.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
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