Culture Assignment 2022

Running Head: CULTURE 0
HRM

CULTURE 1
How national culture affects the organisation own culture: Geert Hofstede’s five
dimensions of national culture
Culture is defined as the collective program of the mind that tends to differentiate the
one group from the other group. It is also seen as the pattern of feeling and thinking. It is
therefore the slow process of the growth in the society. It also includes the collective
activities, dominant attitudes, role models, jargon and myth. Corporate culture is also are
influenced by the factors such as the industry where it operates (Desmarchelier & Fang,
2016).
It is true that the culture across the world is being more connected due to the business
is becoming global. It means that they are able to work with the large number of different
people across the several countries and background. Most of the people are strongly wrapped
up in their own culture. Due to this, they also fail to see how it tends to affect the pattern of
their behaviour and thinking. In order to understand the cultural differences, Hofstede cultural
dimension has proved to be effective. It has included the different cultural dimensions (Raina
& Roebuck, 2016). The first one is power distance. This express the degree to which very
few member of the society tends to expect or accept that power is unequally distributed. The
societies having very less power distance, people tends to equalise the power distribution as
well as demand justification. For example- Saudi Arabia and China are the countries that
have high power distance index. High power distance states that a culture accept the cultural
differences as well as inequality. It also tends to encourage the bureaucracy. The second
cultural dimension is the individualism and collectivism dimension. High side of dimension
is that where individual only take care of themselves or their family. As compare to this,
collectivism dimension is that where individual where person can expect their members as
well as person can expect relatives of the particular group to look upon them in exchange of
attempt in questioning the loyalty. USA is one such country that is considered to be the
individualistic country across the world (Venaik & Brewer, 2016).
Masculinity or femininity dimension reflects the values that are taken significant in
the society. It therefore represents the preference in the society for heroism, achievement,
material reward, as well as assertiveness for the success. Society in the recent time is too

CULTURE 2
competitive. As compare to this, feminist means the preference for modesty, cooperation, as
well as quality of life. For example- Japan is seen as the very masculine country (Minkov,
2018). As compare to this, countries such as Sweden and Norway are seen as the highly
feminine country. the dimension of uncertainty avoidance express the degree to which every
member of society feels not comfortable with the ambiguity and uncertainty. Society is
however deal with the fact that future is not known. Due to this, they start thinking that either
to control the future or let it happen as it want. Countries therefore have the high uncertainty
avoidance are more able to maintain the right behaviour and code of belief. As compare to
this, countries that have the low uncertainty avoidance are likely to maintain the relaxing
attitude where practice counts more than the principles. Besides this, organisation that have
the strict code of behaviour do not tolerate the unconventional behaviour and ideas. Countries
of south America such as Peru, Chile as well as Argentina have the high uncertainty
avoidance (Crane, Kawashima & Kawasaki, 2016).
Time orientation is the next cultural dimension. It states that every society is required
to maintain few links with the past at the time of dealing with some challenges in the present
as well as future. Societies prioritise such goals in different manner. Countries that have low
score on such dimension such as prefer to maintain the time related norms and traditions at
the time of seeing changes in societies with the suspicion. Countries that have high score on
such dimension are likely to adopt the pragmatic approach. They are future oriented as well
as encourage the efforts and thrift in the modern education. Asian Countries such as Japan
and China are the countries that known for the long term orientation.as compare to this,
Morocco is the short term oriented country (Helmreich & Merritt, 2017).
Indulgence is the last orientation that states the extent to which people try their best to
control the impulses, and desires on the basis of way they are being raised. Therefore, the
relative weak control is also known as the indulgence. As compare to this, strong control is
known as the restraint. Indulgence stands for that society which allows the natural human
drives in relation to the enjoyment of life (Kim, 2017).
National culture in the country is highly dominant. It tends to shape the culture of the
organisation wherever it functions. As per the Hofstede and Hofstede, national culture is
different in such way that tends to differ not only in terms of the religion, language or any
other factor but also the way people of the particular nation behave, perceives, hold as well as
act the values. In relation to this, Buchanan has point out that the employee behaviour is also