Culture as Described by Geer Hofstede - Essay Example

Country Culture Culture, as described by Geer Hofstede is just a fallacy, which in the real sense do not exist. According to him, he notes that culture is formed from verbal statements and other human behaviors. Geer Hofstede describes cultures as a make-up of values and customs, which a person should follow in their different communities. He also notes that values are constructs from the communities in which people live in. this led him to come up with a framework, which he used to measure the amount of, pressure that societies exerts on themselves so that they would dictate and inculcate values. The culture of any country is a conglomerate of many societies, which are unique and special to them. However, the values are not measured on individual differences but the differences on the society. Such differences are known as group level constructs (Hofstede 16). While applying this knowledge, anyone has to consider several factors, which always accompany culture. Examples of these factors include the national wealth, national history and heritage, the different individuals who live in the country as well as any coincidental events. While applying this method, a great level of care has to be taken into consideration in order to predict the future with more accuracy. According to Geer, culture is the collection of programmes of the mind, which differentiates followers of one group or class of individuals from another (Hofstede 16). A research was conducted in sixty-two countries, which sought to identify the most common cultures among the people in the world. The results concluded by identifying nine similar cultures in most part of the world (Evan and Gordon Web). This therefore formed a benchmark for measuring independent variables. The variables were later noted to contribute to the differences between countries, which affect culture, and performance of my team (Ward Web). Being in South Korea, my country embraces deep religious practices among its citizens. Majority of the population in the country comprises of Buddhists, Christians, Confucians, Shamanist, and many other traditional religious groupings. Religion in this country will form a basis for the formation of work teams. Moreover, religion will form a moral code for human relations. I have also realized that Koreans are very respectful of an individual’s choice while the culture of impudence is highly discouraged. People in the groups will tend to avoid bad behaviors since it will discourage other group members from participating. I have also learnt that South Koreans have strict rules on decency and etiquette, whereby they tend to follow seniority in age and the hierarchical ranks (Asia Pulse Web). Individual collectivism is another cultural difference among nations, which impacts on the performance of teams. Individual collectivism is described as the value in which individuals and different groups give to themselves. Independent people are more concerned with achieving self-actualization and career success rather than dependent people who like to see themselves in successful teams. Cohesion among group members is of great concern than the individualism in the group. Therefore, I would consider that an individual has to prioritize group work rather than individual goals (Asia News Monitor Web). Gender concern is another issue that tends to affect the performance of group members. Different nations have different views and policies regarding the relationship of men and women in different work areas. In South Korea, masculinity defines responsibilities based on gender in the society. In high masculinity communities, there are higher salaried jobs and ranks that are meant for women whereas in low masculinity organizations, women get recognition, which is more equitable in terms of positions and power. In South Korea, people prefer to have man in power as compared to women. Moreover, people prefer to have men in professional career growth than women. This role has made South Korea a high masculinity society. This culture in South Korea is much different from other cultures in different parts of the world. The culture will affect the way people relate in the group. In South Korea, people are more affected by uncertainty avoidance. Uncertainty avoidance denotes to people’s acceptance of doubt. In South Korea, business relations and doubts are avoided at all costs. Many people in South Korea prefer arranging for meetings in order to circumvent any hidden or unintended situations. People love being sure about their choices to avoid any inconvenience. It is important to have rules and regulations governing the society and to inform people of the standards held by the citizens. In South Korea, senior people in the society are more respected than others in other parts of the world. Moreover, punctuality is highly regarded in South Korea than other nation in the world. However, I have discovered that the culture of uncertainty among the different world cultures will cause controversies among the group members. Moreover, the way South Koreans and other people in the world arrange for group meetings is quite different and will result to differences among group members. In addition, the issue of hierarchy of power among the group members will raise concerns because of the difference in opinions among members. Moreover, people who tend not to be punctual in the group meetings will cause misunderstandings and a possible underperformance in the group (BBC Web). Another issue that would cause concern in the performance of group members is power distance. Power distance refers to inequality of power existing among upper and lower positions or the influence of proximity to the political authority. South Korea is more of a liberal country than conservative. This means that the countries will tolerate divergent views from different peoples in the world. This will also mean that the fundamental rights of the people are respected. The country shows a high political distance as a respect of authority and tends to follow Confucianism, a religion that calls for total obedience of the authority. Power distance in South Korea will be a key cause of conflict for the teamwork. This is because different people in the world follow different religious beliefs and do not necessarily believe in equality in sharing of powers. For instance, most Arab nations believe that women should not be given any leadership positions in the country. This contradicts with many other country cultures where women are allowed to lead in different leadership positions. Works Cited Evan Ramstad and, Gordon F. "Politics & Economics: South Korean Pop Culture Looks North with Warmth, Not Fear." Wall Street Journal: A.6. Oct 27 2006. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Hofstede Geert. “A European in Asia”. Asian Journal of Social Psychology. (2007). 10, 16-21. Ward, Andrew. "Frenetic People in a Hurry: KOREAN CULTURE by Andrew Ward: South Koreans are Energetic, Emotional, Fun-Loving - and Usually Impatient." Financial Times: 09. May 28 2002. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Asia Pulse "South Korean Pop Culture Widespread in North Korea: Defectors." Asia Pulse Dec 16 2010. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Asia News Monitor "South Korea/Japan: S. Korean Culture Minister to Visit Japan Over Tourist Exchange." Asia News Monitor Mar 04 2009.ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. BBC. "South Korean Pop Culture "Widespread" in North Korea - Defector Group." BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific Dec 10 2010.ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Read More