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Now for the first time in paperback, Geert Hofstede's classic study of the "software of the mind" helps us look at how we think - and also at how we fail to think as members of groups. Diplomats lack both the skills and the organizational culture to act as successful entrepreneurs for development consulting activities.
However the most important stuff to take from the book is the fact that even Western countries differ a lot. In parts the book might be a bit dated, but imho Hofstede's cultural dimensions are still essential in understanding cultural diversity.
At the same time, it describes a revolutionary theory of cultural relativism and its applications in a range of professions. The frenetic whipsawing text of colonial policy followed by frank admission that isn’t reflected upon policy is (again) here: ''Many development agencies have grown out of the foreign service, the main objective of which is the promotion of the donor country’s interests abroad.
The last few chapters were interesting but filled with so much opinion and culturally-laden "should" and "should not" statements that I sometimes felt as if they were ignoring their own message that norms and values are culturally based. The key message is that country scores presented in the book shouldn't be used to make judgments on individuals based on their nationality, but rather to become aware, learn about, and embrace cultural differences that exist even in our globalized world based on the environment (rather than a nation) in which we grew up. Additional data was later collected from other countries and populations, outside IBM, and used to verify and enhance the original results.On the basis of such a revised declaration, victims of political and religious fundamentalisms can be protected; this protection should prevail over national sovereignty'', followed by the acknowledgement of historical record ''The nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century was the age of Europe; Europeans and their offspring overseas were the “lords of humankind,” who colonized most of the outside world while wealth owed from outside to inside'' but cannot seem to see the continuation of the practice so resort to vulgar opinion ''freedom from want became recognized as a fundamental human right, and around 1950 programs of development aid were gradually started, financed by the rich countries and with the poor ones as receivers. In times of globalization, understanding and accepting cultural diversity and appreciating other people's views about life and how human beings should relate to one another is increasingly important. Now, as an HR strategy consultant, Hofstede remains my trusted, go to source for making sense of the various dimensions of culture on multinational change enablement initiatives.
Rather than look at total giving (or perecentage) OF A SOCIETY, they authors confuse a society with its government.Collectivism describes societies in which people from birth are integrated into strong, cohesive in groups which protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.
This book is a simpler and more accessible version of the more comprehensive - but also more difficult, 'Culture's Consequences'. long term orientation and the power distance factors ring true about how companies are led and run, and the differences brought about by whether the terrain and climate lent itself to settled agriculture or hunting/gathering - and how firmly entrenched the mindsets continue to be despite the globalization of food supplies - was also thought provoking.In Part Four, he discusses how intercultural encounters are affected by these dimensions and how awareness and acceptance of these differences can yield more effective results. Although the book is based on pretty good statistical analysis, the book does not talk about it much.
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