Introduction
Communicative behavior is part of the national culture and is a set of norms and traditions of people’s communication. Taking into account the norms and rules of the culture of people within communication will allow the interlocutors to adequately perceive and understand each other, that is, to promote intercultural communication. Moreover, the reduction of intercultural conflicts through knowledge in international communication can positively affect the solution of global problems.
Cross-cultural comparisons are studies that compare cultures on some psychological variable of interest (Matsumoto and Juang, 2016). They are the basis of cross-cultural research and are the most common type. Several authors have referred to the various stages through which cross-cultural studies have developed, and one of the most famous is Geert Hofstede and his six-dimensional model of national culture.
Understanding Culture
Culture is understood as how this or that society was brought up and developed and changed while the bearers of culture grew up. It is necessary to communicate with a group of people within one community, which is embedded in the mind and reflects this society (Culture defined in the sense of the Hofstede model, 2016). Thus, people share culture with others, acting in social life as the unwritten rules of the social game (Culture defined in the sense of the Hofstede model, 2016). The interdependence of people is determined through a standard system of semantic meanings characteristic of a particular culture, which was the result of the joint work of society.
The Evolution of Cultural Studies
Initially, there were reflections on the nature of the main problems of society, which would represent different aspects of culture. Initially, the study of culture was an integrative theoretical field of knowledge that emerged in the early 20th century (Hofstede, 2011). Nevertheless, with the development of society, by the end of the 20th century, cultural knowledge began to be applied in a practical environment, primarily to establish international communications (Hofstede, 2011). The main reason for the spread of practical applications of initially theoretical knowledge was the rapid spread of economic globalization and the development of international business.
Addressing Cultural Differences
At first, the area focused on explaining cultural differences between countries and putting forward social councils to overcome them. Some scholars, such as Peterson, have described how to deal with vast cultural differences (Peterson, 2004). As a result of careful analysis of cultural differences, the main focus was on the practical application of the concepts. While Matsumoto and Juang (2016) objectively considered all cultures, covering broad trends without delving into cultural generalizations, others, such as Peterson (2004), developed theoretical works to consider the nuances of various cultures.
Cultural Dimensions in Business
The most common parameter to order societies is their degree of economic evolution or modernity. Business is changing their attitude to cultural issues, and the understanding of the importance of adequate development of foreign culture for successful international entrepreneurial activity is becoming increasingly stronger (Steers and Osland, 2017). In the following decades, the question of the role of cultural factors in the formation of an organizational pattern was raised, which not only became central to research but also confirmed the relevance of the issue.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory
The typology of cultural dimensions is the basis for the analysis of cross-cultural communication. Using information obtained from factor analysis, it describes the influence of a society’s culture on the individual values of its members and how these values influence their behavior (Carolina, 2019). The theory is one of Geert Hofstede’s best-known cross-cultural differences, as well as those developed by him, explaining the reasons for differences between national cultures. That makes it extremely important in the context of the modern world, which tends to be globalized.
Methodology of Hofstede’s Dimensions
The essence of the Hofstede method is to assign each country’s indices for six dimensions based on empirically verified data. The model is based on coefficients for individualism, power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence (The 6 Dimensions Model of National Culture by Geert Hofstede, 2021). The relevance of the method lies in the fact that the researcher does not operate with whole arrays of national cultures but only with the parameters inherent in each culture. Within the framework of Hofstede’s concept, the difference between the two cultures will not lie in the fact that one culture has something unique that the other does not have, but only in the ratio of indices of common dimensions (Hofstede, 2011).
Critiques of Hofstede’s Measurements
It should be noted that the concept of Hofstede’s measurements has been repeatedly criticized quite sharply, both from the first years of the existence of the theory and at a later time (Rezaei, Jafari-Sadeghi, and Bresciani, 2020). In particular, the world is rapidly changing, and therefore, the measurement indices calculated and proposed by Hofstede need to be updated. Moreover, more than they are necessary to make a full assessment of culture.
Conclusion
Thus, the results of Hofstede’s research can be highly effective in assessing an enterprise’s corporate culture and identifying its social orientation. The contribution of various cross-cultural factors to the type of organizational culture of the enterprise is relatively high. With the help of the mechanisms proposed by Hofstede, it is also possible to identify the problem areas of the company’s social policy. That will allow for the timely adaptation of corporate culture management tools and direct their impact on solving specific problems of overcoming the negative manifestations of the cultural development of the organizational environment.
Reference List
Carolina, Ț. (2019) “Dimensions of national culture – cross-cultural theories,” Studies in Business and Economics, 14(3), pp. 220–230. Web.
Culture defined in the sense of the Hofstede model (2016) Geert Hofstede. Web.
Hofstede, G. (2011) ‘Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context,’ Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). Web.
Matsumoto, D.R. and Juang, L.P. (2016) Culture and psychology (6th ed.). Australia: Cengage Learning.
Peterson, B. (2004) Cultural intelligence. Boston: Intercultural Press.
Rezaei, M., Jafari-Sadeghi, V. and Bresciani, S. (2020) ‘What drives the process of knowledge management in a cross-cultural setting’, European Business Review, 32(3), pp. 485–511. Web.
Steers, R.M. and Osland, J. (2017) Management across cultures: challenges, strategies, and Skills. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
The 6 dimensions model of national culture by Geert Hofstede (2021) Geert Hofstede. Web.