Hofstede's Dimensions at Work
A wealth of cross-cultural research has been conducted on the differences and similarities among various countries. Geert Hofstede, for example, has identified four dimensions along which managers in multinational corporations tend to view cultural differences: power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity/femininity. In many ways, cultural issues represent the most elusive aspect of international business. In an era when modern transportation and communication technologies have created a "global village," it is easy to forget how deep and enduring the differences among nations can be. Each country is unique for reasons rooted in history, culture, language, geography, social conditions, race, and religion. These differences complicate any international activity and represent the fundamental issues that inform and guide how a company should conduct business across borders.
Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.
Since starting an insurance company in the United Arab Emirates, Texas native Michael Weinberg has learned a lot about that country's business culture. One surprise was the Arabs' far looser sense of time. On an early visit, Weinberg was doubtful when his partners—both Lebanese American and more familiar with the culture—assured him that showing up a few hours late for an appointment would be fine. As it turned out, their hosts were unruffled by their late arrival. Traditionally in Arabic culture, people's activities fit around the appointed times for prayer (related to the sun's position) and the climate's cycles of heating and cooling. In addition, participants in a meeting are focused more on the relationships being built than on the next event on their calendar, so appointments often run longer than scheduled. These cultural norms result in a fluid understanding of time.
Still, visitors must be conscientious. They have to take into account the status of their host; a higher-status person expects visitors to be available, even if that means a wait. Weinberg has learned to use waiting time as a chance to catch up on his e-mail. He also calls ahead to confirm meeting times and to notify his host if he will be late. Also, he has learned that the office of a company headquartered elsewhere typically follows the customs of its headquarters. Thus, a German company in the UAE will be run with the precision of a German company anywhere else.
Acknowledging the challenges of learning a culture, Weinberg has also experienced the joys, noting the hospitality, warmth, love, education, and charity valued by the Arab people he has met.
1. The mini-case describes Michael's experiences with the Arab people as involving hospitality, warmth, love, and charity, and with a focus on building relationships. Which of Hofstede's dimensions would capture these kinds of dynamics and how do you think the UAE would score on them?
2. The text outlines five work-related differences that foreign nationals might encounter: meetings, work(aholic) schedules, e-mail, fast-trackers, and feedback. Based on what you read and what you might suspect from what you read, which of these do you think is likely to be the most prevalent for Michael in terms of major differences he'll see when working in the UAE?
3. Consider what Michael noticed with respect to visitors and their hosts. Which of Hofstede's dimensions captures the underlying dynamics of how these relationships work in the UAE?
4. The case speaks quite a bit to the dimension of time. Do any of Hofstede's dimensions incorporate time and temporal differences? If so, which ones? If you had to guess which types of cultures would be "loose" on time, which ones would you choose?