UNIT 2

Lecture on the theme «Individualistic and Collectivistic Cultures»

Plan
1. Collectivism/Individualism as one of the 4 Dimensions of Culture (G. Hofstede)
2. Key characteristics of Individualistic and Collectivistic cultures
3. Key factors in determining whether a culture becomes Individualistic or Collectivistic
4. Four types of Individualism and Collectivism (Harry Triandis)
5. Influence of Individualistic and Collectivistic value orientations on Communication Styles,
Decision Making, Dealing with Conflicts
6. Advantages and disadvantages of Individualistic and Collectivistic cultures

There are two contrasting cultural orientations: one values individualism, and the other
values collectivism. How is individualism and collectivism defined? Broadly defined,
individualism emphasizes personal freedom and achievement. Collectivism, in contrast
emphasizes embeddedness of individuals in a larger group. The best known international
measure of individualism and collectivism is that developed by the Dutch scholar Geert Hofstede
who used surveys of IBM employees from (eventually) 72 countries. The idea was to survey
people with equivalent jobs in different countries in the same company so as to measure cultural
differences in order to live or work successfully in any society or organisation. According to
Hofstede, “Individualism stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose;
everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only. . . .
Collectivism stands for a society in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong,
cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for
unquestioning loyalty”. Hofstede developed a quantitative ranking system in which countries are
organized based on the persistence of Individualism and Collectivism within their national
culture. For instance, the United States ranked #1 out of 50 countries for Individualism, with a
score of 91 on the Individualism-Collectivism index, followed by Australia, Great Britain,
Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand; and China (Hong Kong) ranked #35 out of 50 countries
for Individualism, with a score of 25 on the Individualism-Collectivism index reflecting low
levels of Individualism and high levels of Collectivism. So, Asian cultures, Latin cultures and
Middle Eastern cultures are typically considered collectivistic.
In order to interpret the implications of these scores and better summarize the differences
between individualistic and collectivistic cultures, one should consider certain conditions
(ecology, i.e., features of geography, resources, and the history of a society, as well as family
structure, distribution of wealth, and demographics). Ecology: Historically, individualistic
cultures have been associated with complex hunter-gather tendencies in which individuals rely
less on the land and more on individual ambitions. Mobility also increases the likelihood of
individualism that allows people to separate and live at a distance from other people. In
comparison, collectivism is usually associated with agricultural societies in which obedience and
conformity are required. Since agricultural societies are typically isolated from other societies, it
is difficult to make a living independently from the group. When individuals cannot survive
independently and have limited access to resources, group cooperation becomes more important.
Additionally, agricultural societies have predominately been characterized as collectivistic
because of low mobility (limited resources and isolation) and more pressure to be accepted by
the in-group (less social diversity). Family structure within a culture can also indicate whether a
culture is individualistic or collectivistic. Large, extended families that promote embeddedness
are associated with collectivistic cultures because of increased interdependence. Conversely,
small families that permit separation are individualistic in nature. Wealth facilitates separation
and independence, and in 1980, Hofstede “found a positive correlation between individualism
and wealth, with industrialized wealthy countries scoring higher on individualism than
developing countries”. Hofstede concluded that increases in national wealth cause an increase in
individualism, but not vice versa. When people within a country experience an increase in
affluence, they consequently have an increase in personal discretion to spend their money, which
creates an increase in individualism. Demographics within a culture can refer to age, education,
type of employment, income, gender, race, and urban versus rural environment. In 1997, Smith
and Schwartz proposed that younger, educated individuals typically act more individualistically
than older, less educated individuals. Gender differences between individualism and collectivism
have not been statistically significant (Kashima et al., 1995). Racial groups, such as people of
color and Caucasians in the United States, have also demonstrated differences in individualistic
and collectivistic tendencies (Triandis, 2012). For instance, people of color in the United States
have scored higher on collectivism compared to Caucasians in the United States (Triandis, 2012
referenced Gaines et al., 1997).
Having explained the conditions (ecology, family structure, distribution of wealth, and
demographics) necessary for individualistic or collectivistic cultures to exist, it is equally
important to explain how individualistic and collectivistic cultures persist through individual
attributes (cognitions, norms, emotions, values, self-concepts). Cognitions: Cognitive processes
within individualistic cultures require individuals to focus on personal needs, rights, capacities,
and contracts, and assume complete responsibility for their actions (Triandis, 1995). In addition,
individualistic cognitions are motivated by individually oriented goals. For example, in the
United States Constitution, the promotion of, and primary focus on, the individual’s rights,
liberties, and pursuit of happiness promotes individualistic cognitions. In contrast, within
collectivistic cultures, individuals are motivated by socially oriented goals, focus primarily on
the needs of the group, and identify the collective as responsible for outcomes. Norms within a
culture relate to patterns of behaviors within a given context. Norms within individualistic
cultures are less consistent because individuals act as independent agents (Triandis, 1995). In
comparison, social behavior is less evident within collectivistic cultures because there is a
tendency to shift behavior depending on the context, such that individuals act differently to each
in-member but uniformly with out-group members. Emotions: Individuals who operate within
an individualistic culture have egocentric emotions where they primarily are concerned about
themselves; in contrast, individuals who operate within a collectivistic culture are concerned
about others (Triandis, 1995). The emotions of collectivists may incorporate the conditions of
others, such as empathy, but the emotions of individualists may only incorporate the individual’s
condition, such as anger. Emotions concerning privacy also fluctuate between individualism and
collectivism; individualistic cultures protect privacy, whereas collectivistic cultures believe
people should be concerned and involved with other people’s business. Values: Within
individualistic cultures, curiosity, creativity, having an exciting life, and pleasure are valued. In
comparison, collectivistic cultures value security, social relationships, in-group harmony and
personalized relationships (Triandis, McCuster, and Hui, 1990; S.H. Schwartz, 1994). Self-
concepts differ between cultures and are the product of social factors. Individualists define the
self as an autonomous entity independent of groups. Collectivists define the self in terms of its
connectedness to others in various in-groups.
Taking all above mentioned information into account, one can name three key factors
determining whether a culture becomes individualistic or collectivistic (Harry Triandis). The first
is the complexity of a society. As people live in more complex industrialized and service-
information societies (compared to e.g. food-gathering nomads), there are more groups to
identify with, which means less loyalty to any group and a greater focus on personal rather than
collective goals. The second is the affluence of society. As people begin to prosper, they gain
financial independence from each other, a condition that promotes social independence as well
as mobility and a focus on personal rather than collective goals. The third factor is heterogeneity.
Societies that are homogenous or ‘tight’ (where members share the same language, religion, and
societal customs) tend to be rigid and intolerant of those who veer from the norm. Societies that
are culturally diverse or ‘loose’ (where two or more cultures coexist) are more permissive of
dissent – thus allowing for more individual expression.
While it is clear that individualistic cultures differ from collectivistic cultures,
individualistic cultures can, and do, differ from other individualistic cultures. The same can be
said of collectivistic cultures. Some individualistic cultures, for example, link self-reliance with
competition, while other individualistic cultures do not. Some collectivistic cultures emphasize
in-group harmony above all else, while other collectivistic cultures do not. To account for some
of these finer distinctions among individualistic and collectivistic cultures, Harry Triandis and
his colleagues differentiate between vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism.
According to them, horizontal individualism is a cultural orientation where an autonomous self
is valued but the individual is more or less equal in status to others. The self is perceived as
independent but nevertheless the same as others. Vertical individualism is the cultural
orientation where an autonomous self is also valued but the self is seen as different from and
perhaps unequal to others. Status and competition are important aspects of this orientation.
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States are examples of vertical
individualism, whereas Australia, Denmark, and Sweden are examples of horizontal
individualism. Horizontal collectivism is the cultural orientation where the individual sees the
self as a member of an in-group whose members are similar to one another. The self is
interdependent and the same as the self of others. Equality is expected and practiced within this
orientation. China is probably a good example of horizontal collectivism. Theoretical
communism is an example of extreme horizontal collectivism. Vertical collectivism is the
cultural orientation in which the individual sees the self as an integral part of the in-group but the
members are different from one another, some having more status than others. The self is
interdependent, and inequality within the group is valued. In this orientation, serving and
sacrifice are important. Japan, India, and rural traditional Greece are examples of vertical
collectivism.
When living or doing business in individualistic or collectivistic nation you should consider
how cultural differences impact business conduct, communication, decision making, and conflict
resolution. Communication patterns develop very differently in individualistic and in
collectivistic cultures. In the latter, where communication is shaped to protect relationships, the
rules governing directness and emotional expression, for instance, are quite constraining when
communicating within the group and relatively loose when communicating with people outside
one's group. In collectivistic cultures, indirectness is used as a vehicle to save face (respect,
honor, status, reputation, credibility, competence). Individualistic cultures permit more direct
expression in most circumstances where self-expression trumps relationship. Being too indirect
can be seen as a sign of weakness, and it is associated with a lack of self-assurance. For example,
people coming from individualistic cultures often have difficulty understanding when "yes"
means "yes" and when "yes" means "no" in collectivistic cultures. In collectivistic cultures, to
say "no" to someone of superior rank—especially in face-to-face situations—dishonors them.
Thus, people from individualistic cultures need to learn the more subtle cues that indicate
whether "yes" means "yes" or whether "yes" means "no."The use of silence is another form of
communication that typically means something different in individualistic and collectivistic
cultures. In individualistic cultures, silence is the absence of communication or, alternatively,
implicit agreement with what is being said ("silence means consent"). In collectivistic cultures,
silence can be a powerful mode of communication. It can mean agreement, but it also can mean
profound disagreement. People in collectivistic cultures who have been oppressed by
individualistic cultures will sometimes test the sincerity of their individualist counterparts. For
example, in Native American cultures historically oppressed by Europeans, Native Americans
tend to notice how well Europeans are able to remain silent without interrupting Native
Americans who are speaking. Body language is also an important form of communication. In
individualistic cultures, children being scolded are typically expected to maintain eye contact
with their elders as a way of showing respect and sincerity. In many collectivistic cultures,
however, the exact opposite is expected: the child being scolded is expected to look down and
avoid eye contact with their elders. Finally, expressions of emotion vary from culture to culture.
Giggling may be a sign of agreement or solidarity (especially around something that is perceived
as humorous) in individualist cultures, but it is frequently a sign of nervousness in collectivist
cultures. As to individuals' decision making, there are three ways in which individualistic and
collectivistic values can influence it (Güss, C.D). These values can influence the perception of
the problem, the generation of strategies and alternatives, and the selection of an alternative.
Individuals from collectivistic cultures pay much more attention to the social aspects of
problems. They perceive a problem based on the judgment if the problem concerns more about
themselves or the people around them. People with individualistic values, on the other hand, put
more attention to the individual aspects of problems. They will react faster if the problems deal
with the self. Once they have identified the problem, the generation of strategies and
alternatives has to go along with the values. People in individualistic cultures prefer active,
assertive and confrontational strategies for resolving conflicts, as well as have more confidence
in their personal decisions and might, therefore, be more decisive and risky than people in
collectivist cultures in their decisions. Individualistic cultures will make a decision that can
benefit them. On the other hand, the strategies and alternatives generated from collectivistic
cultures will put greater emphasis on relationship with others. It means that if they are not in line
with the society's expectation, the strategies and alternatives might be rejected. (Imagine a
situation where an employee is being offered a position because of favouritism. In individualistic
cultures, he or she is more likely to accept it though he or she is aware that others know that he
or she is being promoted because of favouritism. Yet, he or she will still take it because it can
benefit him or herself. On the other hand, if that employee is in collectivistic cultures, he/she is
more likely to refuse the promotion because he/she feels bad to others. The fact that he/she is
chosen not because of performance but of favouritism may create enough discomfort already).
The way they choose an alternative is also deeply influenced by the cultural values.
Individualistic countries are much or less dominated by values like personal achievement,
growth, and advancement. They will prefer a decision that emphasis on self-improvement. When
they fail to reach consensus, they will turn to majority vote as it allows each individual to voice
out their opinion. Meanwhile, collectivistic cultures will prefer a decision that puts emphasis on
the significance of relationships, roles and status within the social system. People from
collectivistic countries are more likely to ask approval from others before making a decision
because they do not want to ruin their relationship. They also favour consensus when it comes to
group decision that enhance relationship and harmony. (A dissatisfied employee, for instance,
decides to quit his job. If his values are influenced by individualistic values, he will quit his job
because it is the right thing to do for him. However, this is not the case if he is from collectivistic
cultures. He might stay on the job because his parents or families expect him to be successful in
the job. Or, there is also a high possibility that he will discuss furthermore with his peers/families
whether he should quit the job or not). There is evidence that members of different cultures
tackle conflict situations differently. Research has shown that since people in individualistic
cultures attempt to save and protect their own face (respect, honor, status, reputation, credibility,
competence) they prefer direct, overt, active, assertive, controlling, and confrontational styles
such as dominating and competitive styles and are more likely to push for speedy closure. In
some circumstances, they will adopt a policy of compromise, with the intention of later returning
to the conflict when conditions are more favorable for winning. Correspondingly, people in
collectivistic cultures use more accommodating and avoiding styles. They will prefer strategies
that are more indirect or allow conflict to remain subtle, unspoken, so as to promote mutual face-
saving (remaining calm, mindful listening, apologizing, compromising, intentional reframing,
practicing collaborative dialogue, and problem solving). Therefore, individualists finding
themselves in conflict within a collectivistic culture or with an individual from a collectivistic
culture would do well to keep the following in mind. First, they should be aware of face-saving
concerns, especially in terms of balancing humiliation and pride, respect and disrespect, and
shame and honor. Second, they should be patient and observe mindfully, and give themeselves a
few seconds before responding. Considering that collectivists tend to focus on «how» questions,
they should be aware of this and limit their «why» questions. Third, they should be mindful
listeners and pay attention to nonverbal cues. For collectivists engaging in conflict with
individualists, another set of recommendations may be applied. First, they should try to be
assertive and practice a conflict communication style that allows everyone the right to speak
equally. Second, they should use "I" statements and ask more «why» questions. Third, as
mindful listeners, they should paraphrase often and learn to occasionally verbalize their
emotions, attitudes, and experiences within the conflict situation itself. That is, they shouldn't
rely too heavily on nonverbal cues or count on others to read theirs.
Finally, let us stress some advantages and disadvantages of collectivistic and
individualistic cultures. As individualism emphasizes personal freedom and achievement
individualistic culture awards social status to personal accomplishments such as important
discoveries, innovations or great artistic achievements. In addition, strongly voiced opinions can
lead to robust discussions and debates, resulting in processes that are more efficient. On the other
hand, individualism can make collective action more difficult because individuals pursue their
own interest without internalizing collective interests. Resistance to cooperation can result in
inferior products or services if employees aren't working together. Powerful opinions can lead to
workplace clashes with colleagues or managers. Correspondently, collectivism makes collective
action easier in the sense that individuals internalize group interests to a greater degree, provides
a strong harmony, teamwork and minimizes confrontations. However, it also encourages
conformity and discourages individuals from standing out, in addition, it lacks creativity and
openness to opinions. There are some more failings of collectivistic and individualistic cultures.
Sometimes people in individualistic cultures can become selfish, greedy, lonely, etc.: selfish
because of a self-focus as they can obtain as much as they have ability for their own pursuits, and
lonely because there is less focus on groups such as family. Many individualistic cultures do not
have strong family ties as various members of the family are off doing their own things. People
in collectivist cultures can have a strong fear of rejection. The failure to accomplish something
that is expected brings much shame. Elders who instill collectivist rejection rules in youngsters
are often rejected by foreign direct investment from individualist capital.
These are, of course, extremes. It is important to remember that no society can be either
exclusively individualistic or collectivistic. According to Triandis, functional cultures are a
mixture of each. Cultures that are severely individualistic or collectivistic would be severely
dysfunctional. A culture that would contain all individualistic people would be a society of
narcissists. There would be high rates of crime, divorce, and child abuse. On the opposite side of
the continuum would be a pure collectivistic society that would ostracize anyone not closely
associated with the “in-crowd.” This would result in situations of ethnic cleansing and
oppression. As not all cultures are wholly individualistic or collectivistic, aspects of each can
occur in an organization. Robert Axelrod has suggested three ways of promoting and creating
cooperation within an organization. First, changing payoffs to make cooperation more appealing
and defection less attractive can enhance cooperation. For instance, by making individual
rewards contingent on cooperation in teams. Therefore, managers should carefully construct
reward schemes in order to demonstrate the cooperative behavior they are hoping to achieve.
Second, emphasizing the future of the organization and allowing members to use the threats in
order to reduce defection can reinforce cooperation. In other words, if an employee can't
contribute to an organization's goals, then out the door they go! This illustrates that longer time
horizons, specifically manifested in lower employee turnover, can contribute to cooperative
decision-making. Third, teaching people values, facts, and skills that will promote cooperation,
such as the importance of reciprocity and how to recognize social norms can enhance
cooperative orientations.

Practical assignments

Unit 2 Individualistic and Collectivistic Cultures

I. Comment on the proverbs.

«The squeaky wheel gets the grease». (American proverb)

«The nail that stands out gets pounded down». (Japanease proverb)

II. Starting up

Answer these questions individually. Then compare your answers with a partner.
1. Do you feel that you belong to an individualistic or collectivistic culture? Why? What are the
signs?
2. What do you think determines whether a culture is individualistic or collectivistic? Try to
come up with three main points.
3. Do you think Eastern culture is more collectivistic than Western culture? Give reasons for
your answer.
4. Are people in collectivistic societies happier than those who live in individualistic societies?
Why? Why not?
5. Do societies become individualistic through civilization and modernization? Or are societies
more civilized and modernized because they are individualistic? Or is it just a coincidence that
most of the wealthiest countries today have individualistic cultures rather than collectivistic?

III. Vocabulary Moral Codes

1. Match the words to their meanings.

contempt the state of existing or acting separately from
others
hierarchy joint ownership or participation
divinity lack of guilt or evil thoughts
moral code a series of agreements to which a person has
subscribed to guarantee the survival of a group
emotion the quality or state of being holy or sacred
autonomy a system in which people or things are placed
in a series of levels with different importance
or status
purity the formal study of religion, religious practices,
and religious belief
community a lack of respect for or fear of something that is
usually respected or feared
violation the act of doing something that is not allowed
by a law or rule
sanctity a strong feeling (such as love, anger, joy, hate,
or fear)

2. Complete the text with with the correct form of the words from Exercise 1

There are three …..1: community, autonomy, and …..2. …..3 codes are especially important to people
in collectivist cultures, whereas …..4 codes are important in individualist cultures. They evoke
different …..5. Violation of communal codes, including …..6, evokes …..7; …..8 of the autonomy
code (e.g., individual rights) evokes anger. Violation of the divinity code (…..9, …..10) evokes
disgust. Data from Japan and the United States support the theory.

IV. Key Characteristics of Collectivistic and Individualistic cultures

Listening
Reading
Speaking

1. Listen to the speaker talking about collectivistic and individualistic cultures and create a plan of
their analysis. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b8YcXWkqvo).

2. Use the table given below to make a detailed comparative analysis of collectivistic and
individualistic cultures. Work in groups.

Individualistic Cultures Collectivistic Cultures

"Society exists only as a mental
concept; in the real world there are only
individuals." (Oscar Wilde)
a laissez-faire government approach to
the economy
faster economic growth through
innovation
developed/ wealthy
modern industries/ urbanization
greater social mobility/larger middle
"We don't have private property, only
degrees of collectivism." (Peter
Cajander)
government intervention in business
situations to ensure that business
practices benefit the group
less economically developed
underdeveloped / poor
more traditional agriculture
less social mobility/smaller middle class
Economy class
equity in resource distribution
compatible with productivity,
competition, and self-gain
higher ability for coordination and
comparative advantage at coordination-
intensive production
primacy of the individual
higher ability to overcome collective
action problems possibly leading to
higher efficiency of government
organization
Politics open to institutional innovations and
experiments in governance reform
decided democratically and reversed
democratically in case of failure
competitive elections to gain power
laws / the same rights for all
Values individual competitiveness and personal
achievement
self-determination and individual choice
postsecondary education
independent living and self-reliance
self-respect
behavior is more predictable from
attitudes
non-intimate and short-term
relationships
monotheistic
Religion/ individual conversion
Ideas science/tech seen as matter of fact
nuclear family
Family loose family ties
staff category (management,
professional technical, clerical, manual)
are most filled through recruitment
agencies, advertisement and direct from
educational institution
hiring and promotion based on skill and
personal records/ rules
equity in resource distribution associated
with solidarity, harmony, and cohesion
higher ability to overcome collective
action problems possibly leading to
better public good provision
primacy of the group—class, society, or
the nation
higher demand for political and social
stability
a lower taste for institutional
experimentation
political power by interest groups
law / rights depend on the group
group competitiveness and group
achievement
group or hierarchical decision-making
contributing to the family through
wages, housework, etc.
residing with kin, interdependence, and
possibly being cared for
“loss of face”
behavior is more predictable from norms
and roles
intimate and long- term relationships
influence of social proof arguments
polytheistic
group conversions
science/tech seen as magic
extended family / tribe
a strong sense of obligation toward each
other
staff category (management,
professional technical, clerical, manual)
are most frequently filled internally
hiring and promotion based on
recommendations of family members,
who already work for the company
 more formal recruitment methods more informal recruitment methods

more working hours fewer working hours

attempt to change groups more often
Workplace and have weaker bonds to them
performance is more related to ability
than effort
more accurate evaluation of the
performance of colleagues
greater preference for individual-based
rewards
fight about jobs and trying to climb up
in the hierarchy ladder and less caring
who will left behind
in favour of flexibility in job allocation
the purpose: to learn how to learn
Education teachers deal with individuals
students are encouraged to be self-
reliant, competitive, and pursue
personal goals
students are expected to speak up
more permanent attachment to the group
low performance is explained mainly by
lack of effort
more generous evaluation in-group
members
greater preference for team-based
rewards
trust, harmony and a deep understanding
of moral values in the relationship
between employer and employee or
business partners
in favour of long term contracts
the purpose: how to do and acquire the
customs and norms of that society in
order to function better as an in-group
member
teachers deal with groups
classroom group activities, teamwork
and cooperation
students are expected to listen

3. Read the dialogue and explain what mistake Mr. Patterson has made. Complete the dialogue.

Mr. Patterson, an American manager working in Korea, is meeting with his supervisor, Mr. Wyman, who is
also American. Mr. Patterson reports to Mr. Wyman about some changes he has made within several of his
sales teams.
Later, Park Young Sam, their Korean counterpart, enters into the dialogue.

Mr. Patterson:
Good morning, Mr. Wyman, thanks for meeting with me this morning. As you know, our division has
been doing very well this quarter. In fact, our numbers are up across the board.
Mr. Wyman:
Yes, I’ve seen your quarterly reports. Nice job!
Mr. Patterson:
Thanks. In order to recognize their hard work, I’ve made some changes in our sales teams. I’ve created
team leaders in each group. In our product group, I promoted Lee Young Sam. In the marketing group,
I promoted Chun Tae-woo, and in the technology group, I promoted Choi Mino. All of them have been
real leaders. I think this idea will really motivate them. In fact, I met with the groups individually and
announced the promotions.
Mr. Wyman:
Good job, Patterson. I can see you’re really on top of things. Good work.

Two Months Later Mr. Patterson, Mr. Wyman, and Park Young Sam, a Korean manager, are discussing the
poor performance of Mr. Patterson’s sales teams.
Mr. Wyman:
Well, just look at these dismal results. The numbers for this quarter are way down from last quarter.
What’s happened?
Mr. Patterson:
I don’t know. Ever since I introduced the team leader concept, the groups’ productivity has really
plummeted. I thought it was a great idea. I guess I chose the wrong people to lead the teams. I’ll assign
new leaders tomorrow.
Park Young Sam:
Well . . . you may select new leaders if you desire, but the men you chose were all very capable.
However, by elevating them, you …………..
Mr. Patterson:
I guess I should …………..

4. Comment the situations.

a) A Saudi working in the United States wakes up ill. He sends his younger brother to work for him
that day. The U.S. employer, sends the brother home. What has happened?

b) A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist agencies around the world. The questionnaires
came back from most countries in less than a month. But the agencies in the Asian countries took
months to do it. After many telexes, it was finally done. What was the reason?

5. Using all information given above create simulations for hiring employees in the collectivistic
and individualistic cultures. Recognize how differences between these cultures may play out in
interviewing situations. Adapt interview questions so that people from both individualistic and
collectivist cultures feel comfortable answering.

V. Skills Roundtable Discussion: “Individualistic and collectivistic cultures:

their advantages and disadvantages».

Follow the structure and some guidelines for a roundtable discussion:

- Facilitator’s self-introduction and welcoming of the group.

- Explanation of facilitator’s role and process.
- General expectations/objectives of the roundtable .
- Discussion of issues related to schedule, timing and ground rules. Revision of planned roundtable
format (what? how? how long? why? what’s in it for you?).
- Participant introduction.
- Collection of preliminary discussion questions and their record.
- Communication of the main ideas and sub-ideas.
- Discussion: (this will be the bulk of the time and the time should be managed carefully).
Speaker should communicate a clear message and solicit specific feedback as well as moderate the
discussion and engage each participant at the table. Audience should be directed to answer specific,
but open-ended questions.
- Consensus achievement and summary of roundtable objectives and ground rules.
- Conclusion: thank participants for attending and engaging in the discussion, let them know whether
you will follow-up and state when the next roundtable discussion will take place.

Useful language
Setting aims and objectives
Today I want to consider ...
The subject of this talk is ...
The purpose of this talk is to ...
Introducing your
group/team
I'd like to introduce ....
Can I introduce ...
Our first team member is, …..
Asking for reactions
What do you think about ...?
What are you views on ...?
How do you feel about ...?
What's your opinion of ...?
Agreeing
On the whole, I think the
speaker's arguments are fair.
I think you're absolutely right.
You've got a very good point
there.
Disagreeing
I take your point, but ..
Yes, but on the other hand ....
All the evidence suggests that ..
I think that's debatable.
I agree to some extent, but ....
Asking for
clarification/more
information
Sorry, but I'm not quite clear
on what you're saying.
Could you be more specific
about ..?
Could you give an example
of… ..?
What exactly do you mean?
Exemplification - giving
examples
For example/instance, ..
And as proof of that, ..
To illustrate my/our point ....
Controlling the discussion
Let's start by looking at ....
Does anyone have any
comments/ questions/opinions?
Do you agree with what …..
has just said?
Dealing with interruptions
Could you let him/her finish?
Sorry to interrupt, but …
Excuse me, but could I say .…
Could you just hang on a
moment, please?
Speeding up
Can we move on to the next
point, please?
Can we come back to that?
The next point is ...
Slowing down
Hold on, we need to look at this
in more detail.
I think we should discuss this a
bit more.
Summarising
OK, let’s go over what we’ve
agreed.
Right, to sum up then …
We couldn't agree on ...
Opinion was divided on …
After some discussion we
reached a consensus on …
 VI.Self-Assessment
Multiple Choice Tasks
1. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentence.
1. The individualism vs. collectivism dimension of Hofstede's study explored ________.
A. The extent to which different cultures socialized their members into accepting ambiguous
situations and tolerating uncertainty
B. The relationship between gender and work roles
C. How a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual
capabilities
D. The relationship between the individual and his or her fellows
2. According to Hofstede's research ________.
A. individualist cultures give higher priority to personal as opposed to group goals and needs
than do collectivist cultures
B. "responsibility," "loyalty," and "commitment" reflect collectivist cultural values
C. individualist cultures are superior to collectivist cultures
D. both A and B
3. Values are: ________.
A. a learned set of enduring values, beliefs, and practices that are shared by an identifiable, large
group of people with a common history
B. the most deeply felt, generally shared view of what is deemed good, right, or worthwhile
thinking or behavior.
C. what a person thinks is true or probable.
D. a group of people who live in a dominant culture yet remain connected to another cultural
heritage
4. In a country that emphasizes collectivism, ________.
A. the interests of the individual are more important than the interests of the state
B. one person or political party exercises absolute control over the political and economic
systems
C. the needs of society and the needs of individuals are treated as equally important
D. the needs of society take precedence over individual freedoms
5. In an individualistic culture, members often believe ________.
A. people should care for extended family before themselves.
B. their primary responsibility is helping themselves.
C. age, group security, tradition, and hierarchy are most important.
D. in an emphasis on belonging to a very few permanent in-groups.
6. A culture that feels loyalties and obligations to an in-group such as one's extended family,
community, or even the organization one works for is ________.
A. an individualistic culture.
B. an in-group.
C. a collectivist culture.
D. an out-group.
7. People in collectivist cultures tend to have ________ than do those in individualistic cultures.
A. more independent selves
B. more intimate relationships with friends
C. greater skills in entering new social groups
D. greater skills in leaving social groups
8. Political systems based on the ________ paradigm, such as those of Japan and China, accept
the principle that government may intervene to ensure that business practices benefit society.
A. individualistic
B. collectivistic
C. pluralistic
D. laissez-faire
9. Proponents of ________ argue that individual interests are not as important as the welfare of
the group.
A. pluralism
B. capitalism
C. collectivism
D. individualism
10. An individualist culture promotes ________.
A. benevolence.
B. tradition.
C. competition.
D. conformity.
11. In an individualist culture, members are ________.
A. responsible for themselves and perhaps their immediate family.
B. comprised of many people doing their own thing.
C. individuals.
D. are responsible for only themselves.
12. In a collectivist culture members are ________.
A. responsible for themselves.
B. collectors.
C. responsible for the entire group.
responsible for themselves and perhaps their immediate family.
13. People from individualistic cultures, like Canada and the United States, tend to express their
emotions ______ than in collectivist cultures.
A. more openly
B. more privately
C. more quietly
D. more aggressively
14. The emphasis on individualism in the United States results in all of the following
disadvantages except: ______.
A. managers tend to develop good general skills but lack the company-specific experience.
B. difficulty in building teams within an organization to perform collective tasks.
C. executives are not exposed to different ways of doing business.
D. difficulty to achieve cooperation both within a company and between companies.
15. Employer-employee relationships in individualistic cultures tend to be based on ______.
A. team success
B. hierarchical respect
C. mutual advantage
D. familial belonging

2. Select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list.

1. Which of the following country tends to value individualism over collectivism?

A. Mexico
B. India
C. United States
D. Japan
2. Which culture has traditionally valued the wisdom that comes with age?
A. American
B. British
C. European
D. Asian
3. Which of the following countries has an individualistic orientation?
A. Venezuela
B. Japan
C. Egypt
D. Canada
4. Which of the following countries has a collectivist orientation?
A. Canada
B. Australia
C. Japan
D. Netherlands
5. Which of the following is not characteristic of individualist/collectivist culture
A. self-promotion is encouraged in collectivist cultures
B. a low-context communication style is typical of individualist cultures
C. public-speaking skills are perceived as useful in an individualist culture
D. harmony is highly valued in collectivist cultures

True/False Task

1. All human beings share the goals of both autonomy and belonging, only to different degrees.
A. True B. False
2. People from individualistic cultures tend to use self-enhancing biases to distinguish
themselves from others.
A. True B. False
3. Individualistic cultures deny that any sort of society exists and refuse to believe that people
benefit from living in them.
A. True B. False
4. Individualists tend to make an extra effort to demonstrate their self-importance by focusing on
securing relationships with superiors and inferiors, ignoring their peers.
A. True B. False
5. Collectivistic societies do not deny the reality of the individual, but believe that his or her
identity is determined by the groups with which the individual interacts.
A. True B. False
6. Since collectivistic cultures encourage teamwork, each individual member feels sufficiently
protected to take professional risks and to speak his or her mind without caution.
A. True B. False
7. The only way to reach a deal when negotiating with persons from collectivistic cultures is to
pressure them to speed up the process.
A. True B. False
8. Executives from collectivistic cultures are more willing to give priority to organization goals
over personal goals.
A. True B. False