Exercise 2A: Increasing Cultural Self-Awareness

Identify where your culture is on Hofstede's original four dimensions (individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and career success versus quality of life) and on the universalism/particularism dimension. How does your organizational culture differ from that of your national culture on each dimension?

Participate in the Forum discussion for this exercise, and reflect on your personal learning in your Global Insight and Wisdom Journal.


Exercise 2B: Increasing Cross-Cultural Awareness

Select a culture that you have had contact with or are currently working with that is different from your own culture. How does your selected culture differ from your own culture on Hofstede's four dimensions and on universalism/particularism? How might these differences influence negotiations or ongoing business relationships? NOTE: You may choose to analyze the working relationship you have with a colleague from this course who is from a culture other than your own.

Participate in the Forum discussion for this exercise, and reflect on your personal learning in your Global Insight and Wisdom Journal.


Exercise 2C: Deepening Understanding of One's Cultural Self-Identity


Analyze the ways in which you are a product of the culture in which you grew up. How does your personal cultural background affect the ways in which you think and behave? In which ways is your cultural background an advantage to you in working with people from around the world? In which ways is it a disadvantage? Use all of the relevant cultural dimensions from discussed so far (from Module 1 and Module 2, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior (text) Chapters 1 and 2) to analyze your personal cultural influences.