04-014 Ch01 pp5

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one of these dimensions to the exclusion of another,

but there are clear differences in the amount of emphasis placed on each dimension.
The first five dimensions of the model refer to how
individuals relate to other people. Some countries (e.g.,
the United States, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland)
emphasize a value of universalism, in which other
peoples behavior is governed by universal standards
and rules (e.g., do not lie, do not cheat, do not run a red
light even if no one is coming the other way). General
societal rules govern behavior. Other countries (e.g.,
Korea, China, Indonesia, Singapore) hold a value of
particularism, in which the relationship with an individual governs behavior (e.g., is the other person a
friend, a family member, a relative?). To illustrate the differences, consider your answer to this question: You are
driving in a car with a close friend who hits a pedestrian while going 40 miles an hour in a 25-mile-an-hour
zone. There are no witnesses, and your friends lawyer
says that if youll testify that he was traveling only 25
miles an hour, hell get off. Will you lie for him? People
in universalistic cultures are more likely to refuse than
people in particularistic cultures. For example, 97 percent of the Swiss and 93 percent of North Americans
(Canada and the United States) would refuse to testify,
whereas 32 percent of Venezuelans and 37 percent of
South Koreans would refuse.
A second value dimension differentiates cultures
that value individualisman emphasis on the self, on
independence, and on uniquenessversus collectivisman emphasis on the group, the combined unit, and
on joining with others. Individualistic values hold the
contributions of individuals to be most valued whereas
collectivism values team contributions. In general, individual responsibility dominates much more in Western
cultures than in Eastern cultures. Consider your answer
to this question: What kind of job is found most frequently in your organization, one in which everyone
works together and you do not get individual credit, or
one in which everyone is allowed to work individually
and you receive individual recognition? Eastern
Europeans (e.g., Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland) average above 80 percent in agreeing that individual credit is received, whereas Asians (e.g., Japan,
India, Nepal) average below 45 percent (United States
score is 72 percent).
A third value dimension refers to the display of
feelings in public. It identifies an affective versus
neutral orientation. Cultures with high affective values show emotions openly and deal in emotional ways
with problems. Loud laughter, anger, and intense passion may all be displayed in the course of a business

negotiation. Cultures with neutral values are more

rational and stoic in their approach to problem solving.
Instrumental, goal-directed behaviors rather than emotions dominate interactions. If you became very upset
at work or in classsay you feel slighted, offended,
or angryhow likely would you be to display your
feelings openly in public? Managers in Japan,
Ethiopia, and Hong Kong, for example, average 64 percent, 74 percent, and 81 percent, respectively, in
refusing to show emotions publicly. On the other
hand, 15 percent of Kuwait managers, 18 percent of
Egyptian managers, and 19 percent of Spanish managers would refuse (United States score is 43 percent).
A fourth dimensionspecific versus diffuse
describes the difference between cultures that segregate the different roles in life so as to maintain privacy
and personal autonomy compared to cultures that
integrate and merge their roles. Cultures with specific
values separate work relationships from family relationships, whereas diffuse cultures entangle work and
home relationships. People with specific values may
seem difficult to get to know because they keep a
boundary between their personal lives and their work
lives. People with diffuse values may seem too forward and too superficial because they seem to share
personal information freely. Diffuse cultures have
lower turnover rates among employees and higher
degrees of loyalty to an employer because work and
personal relationships are more intertwined. To illustrate the difference, how would you respond to this
question: Your boss asks you to come to her home to
help her paint her house. You dont want to do it
because you hate painting. Would you refuse? More
than 90 percent of the Dutch and Swedes would
refuse, whereas only 32 percent of the Chinese and
46 percent of Nigerians would refuse (in the United
States, 82 percent would refuse).
A fifth value dimension differentiates cultures that
emphasize an achievement orientation versus an
ascription culture. People tend to acquire high status
based on their personal accomplishments in some cultures, whereas in other cultures status and prestige are
based more on ascribed characteristics such as age, gender, family heritage, or ethnic background. Who you
know (ascription) versus what you can do (achievement)
helps identify the difference on this value dimension. For
example, the following statement helps highlight
achievement versus ascription value differences: It is
important to act the way you are, to be consistent with
your true self, even if you do not accomplish the task at
hand. Only 10 percent of managers from Uruguay,
12 percent from Argentina, and 13 percent from Spain
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