Intercultural Communication and Diversity, BFH Summerschool Magglingen

1. Bern University of Applied Sciences BUAS Module BZG5002 | Summer School
Intercultural Communication and Diversity
Cultural Dimensions
Roland Bruggmann
Student BSc BFH in Computer Science
roland.bruggmann@students.bfh.ch
Magglingen, 15th of August 2015
The Bern University of Applied Sciences BUAS in
Biel/Bienne is located in a bilingual and multicultural
part of Switzerland. Several modules are teached in
French and German, both. With the aim of being
able to work in bilingual teams or even to work in the
Romandy—the French-speaking part of Switzerland, it
may be of advantage to know more about these two cul-
tures. Therefore, we would like to work out some sim-
ilarities and differences concerning the cultures of the
German- and the French-speaking Switzerland.
Method
In the workplace, values can be influenced by national
culture. As a result of studying the influence of cul-
ture, the dutch social psychiatrist Geert Hofstede [Hof01,
p. 29] proposed a model of five cultural dimensions.
Hofstede [Hof01, pp. 15–18] presupposes a position of
cultural relativism as known by the French anthropologist
L´evi-Strauss, as well as the avoidance of ethnocentrism.
In cooperation with Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael
Minkov, the cultural framework has been enhanced to a
6-D Model© (see [HHM10]). The method is understood
as non-deterministic, in respect “we are all human and
simultaneously we are all unique”, as the authors emphas-
ize (see [HCW, National Culture]). The six dimensions
are, briefly, defined as follows (ibid.):
1. Power Distance Index (PDI): The extent to which
the less powerful members of society accept that
power is distributed unequally, defined from below.
2. Individualism (IDV): Collectivism: people belong
to in-groups (families, organisations, etc.) who
look after them in exchange for loyalty. Individu-
alism: people only look after themselves and their
immediate family.
3. Masculinity (MAS): Dominant values in society are
achievement and success (masculinity) or caring
for others and quality of life (femininity).
4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): Degree of try-
ing to minimize the possibility of unstructured situ-
ations by strict law and rules.
5. Long Term Orientation (LTO): The extent to
which people show a pragmatic or future-oriented
perspective rather than a normative or short-term
point of view like preservation of face.
6. Indulgence (IND): The extent to which people try
to control their desires and impulses. Relatively
weak control is called ‘Indulgence’ and relatively
strong control is called ‘Restraint’.
Setup
[HCW, National Culture] notes that“culture can be only
used meaningfully by comparison.” The Website offers
some“cultural tools”, one of which is made for“country
comparison” (see [HCW, Countries]). In our case, we
focus on Switzerland only, as the cultural areas are both
in the same country.
Results
Online, the results for the six dimensions are presented
numerically by means of a bar chart as well as textually
(see [HCW, What about Switzerland?]). According to
[HCW], the French-speaking Switzerland “scores higher
in PDI (very similar to France).” [HHM10, pp. 57 sqq.]
list PDIs of 70 for“Switzerland Fr”and 26 for“Switzer-
land Ge”. IDV scores with 64/69 and MAS with 58/72
(see [HHM10, pp. 95, 141]).
In question of UAI, the “French-speaking Switzer-
land has a strong preference for avoiding uncertainty
while German-speaking Switzerland scores lower”, as
mentionned on [HCW]. For this, [HHM10, p. 193] list
indexes of 70 and 56. Finally, [HHM10, pp. 255, 282]
show an LTO of 74 and an IND of 66 for both regions,
the same as [HCW] does. Figure 1 visualises these nu-
meric values.
Cultural Dimensions, Version 1.5 | Roland Bruggmann Page 1 (2)

2. Bern University of Applied Sciences BUAS Module BZG5002 | Summer School
Figure 1: Bar chart plot for comparison of French- and
German-speaking Switzerland
Discussion
Reflecting the six cultural dimensions within the range
of the two areas just compared, there are some similar-
ities and differences to remark: For the French-speaking
Switzerland and myself, IDV, MAS, LTO, and IND are
valued nearly the same. Differences are mainly seen for
PDI and UAI—which we focus further on.
Hofstede [Hof01, p. 63] notes that“there [is] a wide
culture gap between the two language areas, in partic-
ular on the dimension of power distance”. According to
[HCW, What about Switzerland?], in German-speaking
Switzerland, power is decentralised and hierarchy is for
convenience only. Superiors are accessible, as they are
understood as coaching leaders who facilitate and em-
power, and count on the experience of their team mem-
bers. In the French-speaking Switzerland, however, cent-
ralisation is popular and hierarchy in an organisation is
seen as reflecting inherent inequalities. The ideal boss is
a benevolent autocrat, challenges to the leadership are
not well-received.
The questions“Who has the power to decide what?”
(PDI) and“What rules or procedures will be followed to
attain the desired ends?”(UAI) lead us to implicit models
of organisations, as described by [HHM10, pp. 302–307]:
ˆ Village market: Neither hierarchy nor rules but
rather the demands of the situation determine
what will happen (low-PDI/low-UAI).
ˆ Well-oiled machine: Management intervention is
limited to exeptional cases because the rules should
settle all daily problem (low-PDI/high-UAI).
ˆ Pyramid of people: The general manager at the
top of the pyramid and each successive level at its
proper place below (high-PDI/high-UAI).
ˆ Extended family: The owner-manager is
the almighty father—concentration of au-
thority without structuring of activities
(high-PDI/low-UAI).
As the positions in the related PDI-UAI matrix show,
organisations in low-PDI/medium-UAI German-speaking
Switzerland oscillate between being oriented more to
the market model and less to the machine model,
those in high-PDI/high-UAI French-speaking Switzer-
land tend to follow the pyramid model (cp. [HHM10,
p. 303]). In addition, coordinating mechanisms differ: In
German-speaking Switzerland, a standardisation of skills
is preferred, organisations in French-speaking Switzer-
land focus on standardisation of processes (cp. [HHM10,
p. 314]).
These differences may contain potential for conflict
situations in the workplace, e.g., in decision-making.
While in German-speaking Switzerland, communication
is direct and participative, and employees expect to be
consulted, subordinates in French-speaking Switzerland
expect to be told what to do (cp. [HCW, What about
Switzerland?]). The decision-making style may be auto-
cratic or even paternalistic, by all means, subordinates
are unlikely to contradict their superiors directly. Re-
lationships between subordinates and superiors are fre-
quently loaded with emotions (cp. [HHM10, pp. 56, 61,
73]).
To overcome a possible culture shock, to plug in
to the process of acculturation, and to reach a posit-
ive stable state (cp. [Hof01, p. 426]), it is recommended
to accept the large emotional distance between subordin-
ates and superiors. By awareness, it is not against an em-
ployee that he/she has not been consulted (cp. [Hof01,
p. 427]), a good tactic is to follow decisions made by
superiors. In case of the need for critics, one must not
contradict superiors directly, but one has to find a way
on how to be successful with own ideas.
Conclusions
Values can be influenced by national culture. Between
the German- and the French-speaking Switzerland, there
is a vast cultural difference. In the working environ-
ment this applies to how subordinates and superiors
interact—participative versus hierarchical—and to the
manner of organisational problem solving: Standardisa-
tion of skills versus standardisation of processes. Aware-
ness of these differences can serve as a basis to gain some
knowledge in how to manage conflict situations, or even
to avoid them.
References
[HCW] itim international. The Hofstede Centre Website. url: http:
//thehofstedecentre.com/ (visited on 17/07/2015).
[HHM10] Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov. Cul-
tures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. 3rd ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. isbn: 978-0-07-166418-9.
[Hof01] Geert Hofstede. Cultures’s Consequences: Comparing Val-
ues, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Na-
tions. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage, 2001. isbn: 0-8039-
7324-1.
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