Social and cultural

variables in global
Organizations
Unit-2
CULTURE
The word culture was derived from the Latin word
"CULTURA" which is related to cult or worship or to mean
civilization. In the context of GHRM, culture is acquired
knowledge that people use to interpret experience and
generate social behavior. Culture is a set of traditional
beliefs and values that are transmitted and shared in a
given society.
DEFINITION-
culture is a body of learning behavior, a collection
of beliefs, habits and traditions, shared by a group of
people and successively learned by people who enter
society
- MEAD
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE

Culture is invented

Culture is socially shared

Culture is learned

Culture are similar but different

Culture is adaptive

Culture is prescriptive
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
Attitudes
and values

Language Education

Legal Political
system sysystem

Technology Religion
Factors affecting cultural variables

Public policy Societal

Social
and legal cultural
intuitions
frame work values
CROSS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
cultural differences are the differences in
cultural among different countries.
 FACTORS CONSTITUTING CROSS CULTURAL
DIFFERENCE
Time

Patterns of thoughts

Personal space

Family roles and relationships

Language

Religion

Personal achievement

Competitiveness and individuality

Ethnocentric attitude

Flexibility and sincerity

CROSS CULTURAL RESEARCH
cross cultural research investigates similarities
and differences between cultures. In the context of
HRM, cross cultural studies investigate and compare
HR activities and practices such as selection, training,
evaluating and retaining employees across cultures
and nations.
APPROACHES OF CROSS CULTURAL
RESEARCH

Emic Eric
approach approach
CROSS CULTURAL RESEARCH
METHODOLOGIES
• Case studies
• Controlled comparison method
• Analysis of empirical data
EVOLUTION OF CCRM:
PHASE1-CROSS CUKTURAL COMPARISIONS
PHASE2-IDENTIFING DIEMENTIONS
PHASE3- CULTURAL STUDIES
HOFSTEDE'S HERMES STUDY
Geert hosted defined national culture as the
set of collective beliefs and values that distinguish
people of one nationality from those of another. His
original comprehensive study that he conducted
while working at IBM as a psychologist involved over
1,00,000 individuals from 50 countries and three
regions.
HOFSTEDE'S dimensions and it's managerial
implications

Uncertainty avoidance

Power distance

Individualism vs collectivism

Masculinity vs feminity

Confucianism Dynamism
Cultural issues Personal goals vs
Organizational
goals
Personal ethics vs
Short-term vs
Organizational
Long-term
ethics

Change vs Stability Rights vs Duties

Grooming vs Obedience vs Self-

Pampering respect

Feedback vs Discipline vs
Abuse Autonomy

Delegation vs Self-confidence vs
Abdication Arrogance

Leadership vs Authority vs
Followership Accountability