Midterm

1. Explain how cultures vary, how that variance systematically affects organizations, and how Kluckhohn and Strodtbecks’six values orientations (Adler with Gundersen, 2008: Tables 1-3 and 1-4), and Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions (Adler with Gundersen, 2008) may be used to recognize cultural variance within their own work environments and others? (Note: As part of the response to this question, please engage several of the cultural dimensions and describe how cultures vary on the dimensions selected and discuss the implications.

How Cultures Vary

Cultures vary is a number of different ways. These variances range from a number roof different culture characteristics, including physical differences like languages to belief differences based individualistic views. These differences have been summed up with Kluckhohn and Strodtbecks’ six values orientations and Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions. All these variances affect organizations in various ways.

Kluckhohn and Strodtbecks’ six values orientations:

Kluckhohn and Strodtbecks believed that six basic dimensions can describe any cultural society; Individual, world, human relations, activity, time, and space. “The six dimensions answer the questions: Who am I? How do I see the world? How do I relate to other people? What do I do? How do I use space and time” (Adler with Gunderson, 2008).

Individual/Nature of People- Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck believe that individuals believe either change is possible or impossible. Organizations that believe change is possible emphasize training and development to give people the opportunity to learn, whereas believers of the impossible emphasize that each person is right for a specific job and that those people will not change once hired.

World/Relationship to the External Environment- Cultures either believe people are dominant over nature or that nature should be protected. This affects organizations regarding decisions that involved either preserving nature or altering nature to fulfill the organizations’ needs.

Human Relations/Relationship to Other People- People are either individualistic or social. The affect on individualistic organizations is hiring/appointing people based on academic and/employment history and making individual decisions, which has a positive impact since employees are hired based on skill set. In a social/group organization, relatives of the each person in a specific position are hired and groups make decisions. The affect here is negative because relatives may not have the same skill set for the position.

Activity/Primary Mode of Activity- The difference here is doing versus being. An organization that hires “doers” usually have people who maximize their time at work to reach goals. In contrast, a “being” organization employs people who only work as much as needed and who minimize