Introduction to Culture and Management - Hofstede

Culture and management varies depending on the operating country. As a global HRM leader, it is vital to understand how culture varies in the countries in which you operate in. originally, Kluckholn and Strodtbeck (1961), developed a comparative model with six cultural orientations: the nature of people, the relationship to nature, the relationship to other people, the modality of human activity, the temporal focus of human activity and the concept of space (Browayes and Rice, 2019). From this, Hofstede developed four cultural dimensions: uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism/collectivism, and masculinity/femininity (Browayes and Rice, 2019). Also stemming from Kluckholn and Strodtbeck’s model, Tropenaars also identified seven dimensions: universalism/particularism, individualism/collectivism, neutral/affective, diffuse/specific, achievement/ascription and sequential vs synchronous time.

What is the most important dimension in Trompenaars seven dimensions?

• Universalism vs Particularism
• Individualism vs Collectivism
• Neutral vs Affective
• Specific vs Diffuse

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How can Germany operate effectively on a global scale?

In order for Germany to operate effectively on a global scale, HRM’s need to acknowledge the differences in terms of working hours, public holidays, language, and religion. For example, Germany has strict laws to produce a clear contract of employment in English or German, stating mandatory information such as the name of the employee, address, date of birth, job title etc., whereas in Canada, a contract of employment is not required by law (Emerald Technology, 2023). Also in Canada, the working hours and overtime availability varies depending on the province, whereas in Germany the average working week is between 36 and 40 hours a week, with 7 to 8 hour days (Emerald Technology, 2023 (2)). This is important as it shows that if hiring Canadian employees, German HRM leaders need to ensure that they can support Canadian employees in this process, if they are moving from Canada to work in Germany, or if they are working remotely. Understanding that there are different religious beliefs within your organisation is significant when operating on a global scale. For example, in the UAE, during Ramdan working hours are reduced by 2 hours per day (Emerald Technology, 2023 (1)). Similar to Canada and their working hours, German HRMs would be required to adapt to the requirements of their UAE employees in order to retain talent and encourage a cross-cultural organisation.

References

Browayes, M and Price, R (2019). Understanding cross cultural management. 4th edition. Harlow: Pearson.

Emerald Technology (2023 (1)). How to hire and pay employees in the United Arab Emirates. Available at: https://www.emerald-technology.com/how-to-hire-employees-in-the-uae (Accessed: 7th April 2023).

Emerald Technology (2023 (2)). How to hire employees in Germany. Available at: https://www.emerald-technology.com/how-to-hire-employees-in-germany (Accessed: 7th April 2023)

Emerald Technology (2023). How to hire and pay employees in Canada. Available at: https://www.emerald-technology.com/how-to-hire-employees-in-canada (Accessed: 10th April 2023).

Kluckhohn, F. R., & Strodtbeck, F. L. (1961). Variations in value orientations. Row, Peterson.