Culture is an important effect key elements for helping organisations development and

change around the whole world. In this essay. I will be talking about the culture
context, the six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural theory, identify the collectivist
culture and its characteristics and also how it influence organizations.

Culture context is the most important influence factor on human interaction. Culture
context help to design a universal framework in which human master organize their
thoughts, feeling, behaviour and relationship in their environment. Culture helps to
teach people how to think, feel and act. People usually would not realize that culture
is affecting their daily life. As Edward (1959), the late internationally recognized
anthropologist said that culture hides more that it expose especially from its own
members (Pg.39). Roger (1974), the Australian anthropologist, believed that culture
affords undemonstrative theory for human on how to conduct oneself and how to
unscramble others behaviors (Pg73-97). He thought that people learn different
undemonstrative theories when they are from different cultures, and socialization are
influencing their culture. Moreover, because of the influence of socialization, people
learn its specific culture and their identity of the mainstream values. Hofstedes study
of how does culture affect values in the workplace is one of the most comprehensive
studies. In the study, he defined that there are six dimensions for the collective
programming thought difference between members of a group or category of people
from others. The six dimensions are power distance index, individualism, masculinity,
uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence versus restraint , and these six

dimensions consist on a model of national culture, and the cultural dimensions is a

representative to measure cultural differences between different countries. Firstly, it is
power distance index, which means that in family, company, community and
organization, the acceptance levels for junior members when they encounter unequal
distribution of power. There is a fundamental problem of power distance index which
is that how to deal with the inequality between people in society. Secondly, it is
individualism, which is an opposite of collectivism. Individualism usually is

tendentious in a compact social structure, in which individual instinctively only care

about themselves and their immediate family members. And collectivism, its the
opposition, it tends to the compact framework in the society, making persons to
expect their family members can take care of them, in exchange of their loyalty. The
third part is masculinity, which means that the extent of the masculine values
dominate in the society. It also means that the society appreciate achievement,
heroism, confident and successful material rewards, and the whole society is more
competitive. On another hand, it is femininity which means that femininity dominate
the society and the representative of society is cooperation, humility and caring about
quality of life and weakness; and the society is more consensus oriented. The next part
is uncertainty avoidance, it means that what levels of the uncertainty and fuzziness
will make social members feel uncomfortable. There are two different situations of
uncertainty avoidance in countries, which are some countries would retain strict
standard of belief and behaviors; and other countries would keep relatively loose
attitude which make counts of practice are more than their principles. Long term
orientation is another part in six dimensions, at the initial time, it has called Confucian
dynamism, which means that the degree of importance that society value have in the
future. Some countries would maintain the long standing traditions and specifications,
at the same time, they observe social changes and suspect them. However, there are
some other countries who would advocate thrift and efforts education in modern time,
in order to prepare for the future. Finally, it is indulgence versus restraint, which
means that what levels can make social members want to control their own desires.
(Hofstede and Michael, 2010), (Hofstede, 1986). The Hofstedes cultural dimensions
theory usually used in international organizations where most staff think that they are
working in Hofstedes culture, nevertheless, the top managers would hope their staff
can work in collectivist culture.

In this paragraph, I will be talking about the meaning and characteristics of

collectivist culture and how collectivism influence organization development and

change. The meaning of collectivist culture is that individuals subordinate to society,

personal interests subject to group, nationality, class and national interest, when
individuals interests and collective interests are conflict, individuals should obey
collective (Triandis, 1988, 323-338). It is a theory of mind, and a kind of spirit. The
characteristic of collectivist culture is extending major organizations such as family,
community and professional group in which members dispersed mutual obligations
and expectations based on their status or rank. Individuals are not a separation of
individuals in the collectivist, they are interdependence with other members, and they
share collective responsibility and accountability (Hsu, 1986). Collectivist culture
affect organization in certain sections, such as time sense, concept of cooperation,
notions of change and risk. In the collectivist culture, concept of cooperation is a
major factor for organizations. When staff work in companies, particularly
multinational companies, their different culture would affect the way they choose
their cooperative partners. For example, when collectivist values is prevailing in
society, conventions tend to require employees depend on collective, emotional and
elsewhere, and organizations will accordingly take responsibility for them. Japan is a
very typical example of the collectivist culture. (Guanghua, 2005 323)

In conclusion, economic is growing in the global, and culture also influence how the
organizations work. Culture context and Hofstedes cultural dimensions theory are the
most important factors for organization development and change. Culture context is
different, and different culture contexts help organizations to easily and quickly adopt
to local economic systems. Identifying the six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural
theory which can help organizations to work in an appropriate country and solve
potential problems. Collectivist culture is a typical culture that an organizations can
have and using suitable collectivist culture in some workplace can helps growing the
economic development of organizations.

Reference list.

Hall, E. T. 1959. The Silent Language. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett, p. 39.

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Hofstede, Geert, Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov. 2010.Cultures and
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Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Consequences: comparing values, behaviors,

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Hsu, F. L. K. 1986. Americans and Chinese: Passage to Differences. Honolulu:

University of Hawaii Press; Triandis, Individualism and Collectivism.

Triandis, 1988. Cross-Cultural Studies of Individualism and Collectivism.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1988, Vol. 54, No, 2. 323-338

Guanghua,Xu.2005. Human resource management practices. Beijing: Tsinghua

University Publishing Company. Page 323