This document discusses cultural differences and how understanding culture can help improve communications and business strategies. It introduces Geert Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions that measures differences between cultures in areas like individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and long vs short-term orientation. Examples are given comparing cultures like the US, China, and UK. The document advocates understanding a culture from their perspective rather than expecting them to think like your own culture. Applying cultural relevance can help constrain creativity, know audiences better, and develop more effective products and content.
7. What we will talk about
• The roots of culture
• How culture drives behavior
• Ways to measure the differences between
cultures
• How to use this information for fun and profit
8. In-group versus Out-group is biology.
At the very basic level, those in an
In-group can eat and reproduce.
It is a zero-sum game where outsiders
threaten the survival of the In-group
and so are treated with hostility.
9. The role of culture for Human In-Groups
In-groups provide protection in exchange for loyalty
and in humans, a sense of identity.
17. Latin cultures: Black =
Fear, Anger & Grief
Chinese culture: Black =
Powerful & Expensive
18. Anglo culture: White =
Purity & Happiness
Latin cultures: Black = Fear, Anger Grief
Korean culture: White =
Death & Mourning
Chinese culture: Black = Powerful & Expensive
19. In the US, a person standing alone is likely seen an
independent free thinker, on his own path. This is positive.
In Japan, the same image likely conveys being without
support and lonely. This is negative.
22. About measuring differences
There are a variety of tools
We will talk about an influential
one: Geert Hofstede’s
Dimensions of Culture
There are more
23. Hofstede and the IBM Survey
Geert
Hofstede
analyzed
surveys
from
40,000
IBM
employees
in
70
countries
and
started
to
see
paBerns
in
the
answers
that
were
country
based.
Crea3ng
what
he
calls
Dimensions
of
Culture
25. Power Distance
Low—I am very comfortable with
questioning authority.
High—I embrace hierarchy and
expect that the powerful will be
appropriately responsible.
26. Collectivism versus Individualism
The needs and interests of my group My needs and interests as an
are often my first concern.
individual are my first concern.
27. Feminine/Masculine
Feminine: men and women are equally Masculine: men have power. Women
modest, nurturing, and concerned with normally are modest nurturing and
the needs of others. Power is shared.
concerned with the needs of others.
45. In
the
spider
chart,
we
can
compare
the
US
and
China,
and
see
interes3ng
and
telling
differences
and
similari3es.
US:
High
Individualism/Short-‐
Term
Orienta3on
China:
Collec3vist/Long-‐Term
Orienta3on
Nearly
iden3cal
Feminine
versus
Masculine
US
China
46. Hofstede China scores as bar chart
Long Term
Orientation
Power
Distance
Individualism
Indulgence
50. US
US
and
UK
have
very
similar
cultural
dimensions.
Yet
we
know
there
are
significant
cultural
differences.
Why?
UK
51. For
UK/US
differences
the
World
Value
Survey
is
a
place
to
look.
US
score
on
expressing
compe//veness
is
much
higher.
52. Looking at ourselves from the other’s side
• It is not about us thinking like a person from the
Chinese culture or the UK or any other culture.
• It is about us realizing why we seem different to
them and using that to understand them.
• From that, we can learn to work with them more
effectively.