The psychology of culture | Fernando Lanzer | TEDxAUBG

Summary

This script delves into the significance of understanding cultural values to foster global harmony and productivity. It introduces Hofstede's model, which identifies five cultural dilemmas—hierarchy vs. equality, individualism vs. collectivism, performance orientation vs. quality of life, uncertainty avoidance, and flexibility vs. discipline. Through examples from Thailand, Sweden, and Denmark, it illustrates the impact of power distance on societal norms. The script contrasts cultures like the US, known for individualism and performance orientation, with more collectivist and hierarchical societies like Bulgaria. It emphasizes that no culture is superior, and effective cross-cultural communication requires recognizing and respecting these differences.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Understanding cultural values is crucial for better interpersonal relations, productivity, and peaceful coexistence.
• 📏 Hofstede's cultural dimensions provide a framework to measure and compare cultures based on five key dilemmas: power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, performance orientation vs. quality of life, uncertainty avoidance, and flexibility vs. discipline.
• 👑 Power distance is evident in societal hierarchies, with examples like the prime minister of Thailand showing deference to the king, versus the prime minister of Sweden using an ATM like any other citizen.
• 🌐 Cultural norms are not static and are influenced by local practices and global interactions, as seen with the Danish princess receiving a royal welcome in Thailand.
• 👶 Cultural values are ingrained from a young age, shaping an individual's perception of power, authority, and social roles.
• 🏙️ Different cultures prioritize individualism or collectivism, affecting social dynamics and group interactions.
• 💼 Performance-oriented cultures reward achievement and status, while caring cultures prioritize work-life balance and quality of life.
• 🚧 Uncertainty avoidance is a cultural trait that influences behaviors such as planning, organizing, and religious practices.
• 🔄 Flexibility and discipline in a culture dictate how societies approach problem-solving and adapt to change.
• 🌐 Recognizing cultural differences is essential for effective communication, management, and leadership in a globalized world.

Q & A

What is the main idea behind understanding culture according to the script?

The main idea is that understanding the values behind culture allows us to comprehend people better, accept them for who they are, and ultimately lead to more productivity, less violence, and peaceful coexistence.

What are the five dilemmas that all communities have to cope with according to Hofstede's research?

The five dilemmas are hierarchy versus equality, individualism versus collectivism, performance orientation versus caring for others or quality of life, uncertainty avoidance, and flexibility versus discipline.

How does the script illustrate the concept of high power distance in Thailand?

The script illustrates high power distance in Thailand by showing the prime minister sitting on the floor in the presence of the king, indicating the importance of showing power differences even among the most powerful individuals in the society.

What is the contrast in power distance culture between Sweden and Thailand as described in the script?

In Sweden, which is a low power distance culture, the prime minister is shown standing in line to use an ATM like everyone else, indicating a more subtle and less evident power hierarchy. In contrast, Thailand, with a high power distance culture, shows a clear distinction in power and respect, even when treating foreign royalty.

How does the script explain the influence of childhood on cultural values?

The script explains that cultural values are learned during childhood, particularly before the age of 10, when children are taught what is right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate in their community, thus shaping their cultural understanding.

What is the difference between individualism and collectivism as described in the script?

Individualism emphasizes the importance of the individual over the group, valuing independence and personal expression. Collectivism prioritizes group loyalty and harmony, with the group taking care of its members as long as they remain loyal.

How does the script describe the performance-oriented versus caring cultures?

In performance-oriented cultures, achieving and performing are highly valued, and success is often rewarded with financial or status gains. In caring cultures, the quality of life is more important, with work seen as a means to enjoy life, rather than the meaning of life itself.

What does the script suggest about the relationship between culture and management practices?

The script suggests that management practices often reflect the values of the culture in which they originate. It highlights that what works in one culture, such as direct communication in contest cultures, may not work in another, like pyramid cultures, where indirect communication is more common.

Why is it important to understand cultural differences when addressing issues like corruption or nepotism?

Understanding cultural differences is crucial because these issues are often linked to cultural values such as power distance and collectivism. Without addressing the underlying cultural aspects, efforts to combat corruption or nepotism may be ineffective.

What can individuals do to better understand and adapt to different cultures according to the script?

Individuals can enhance their understanding by recognizing their own biases, learning about other people's values, and judging others according to their values. Additionally, maintaining curiosity and interest in learning about other cultures can help in adapting to different cultural contexts.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Cultural Values

The speaker introduces the concept of standing in someone else's shoes to better understand cultural values. They emphasize the importance of recognizing the unwritten norms that dictate behavior and perceptions of right and wrong across cultures. The speaker references Professor Hofstede's work, which categorizes cultures based on five dilemmas: hierarchy vs. equality, individualism vs. collectivism, performance orientation vs. caring for others, uncertainty avoidance, and flexibility vs. discipline. These dilemmas are used to measure and understand cultural differences, and the speaker provides examples from Thailand, Sweden, and Denmark to illustrate the concept of power distance within cultures.

05:01

👣 Early Cultural Learning and Dilemmas

The speaker discusses how cultural values are learned from a young age, particularly before the age of 10, and how these early experiences shape our understanding of societal norms. They share personal anecdotes from growing up in Brazil, a hierarchical society, and contrast it with their experiences in the Netherlands, which has a more egalitarian culture. The speaker explains the concepts of individualism and collectivism, highlighting the differences in how societies value the individual versus the group. They also touch on the third dilemma of performance versus caring, explaining how some cultures prioritize achievement and performance, while others focus on quality of life and work-life balance.

10:03

📊 Cultural Dimensions and Their Impact

This paragraph delves into the practical implications of cultural dimensions, using Bulgaria, the USA, and the Netherlands as examples. The speaker outlines how each country scores on Hofstede's dimensions, affecting their societal structures and work cultures. They explain how different cultural dimensions lead to distinct workplace expectations and behaviors, such as the importance of a detailed resume and loyalty in Bulgaria versus the emphasis on individual achievement and assertiveness in the USA. The speaker also introduces the concepts of contest, network, and pyramid cultures, which are different cultural models that influence how people interact and conduct business.

15:03

🏢 Cultural Impact on Management and Communication

The speaker explores how cultural values affect management practices and communication styles. They contrast direct communication in contest cultures with the more indirect approach in pyramid cultures. The paragraph discusses the differences in meeting styles and decision-making processes across cultures, emphasizing the importance of understanding these nuances to effectively work in a global context. The speaker also addresses the concept of feedback, which is common in contest cultures but can be perceived as personal criticism in pyramid cultures. They stress the importance of considering cultural values when addressing issues like corruption and nepotism.

20:04

🌟 Embracing Cultural Diversity

In the final paragraph, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and embracing cultural diversity. They argue that there is no single 'best' culture, and that what works in one culture may not be effective in another. The speaker suggests that to change cultural practices, one must first understand the underlying cultural values and then decide what aspects to keep or change. They also highlight the difficulty of changing a culture, which requires re-educating adults and changing childhood education. The speaker encourages individuals to recognize their own biases, learn about other cultures, and maintain curiosity as a means to better navigate and appreciate cultural differences.

Keywords

💡Culture

Culture refers to the unwritten norms, values, and behaviors that are shared by a group of people and are passed on by tradition or example. In the video, culture is discussed as a set of guidelines that influence how people interact and perceive what is right or wrong. The script uses examples such as the hierarchical culture of Thailand versus the egalitarian culture of Sweden to illustrate the impact of culture on social norms and behaviors.

💡Hofstede's Dimensions

Hofstede's Dimensions are a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede, which identifies five key dimensions that characterize differences in cultures around the world. The video explains how these dimensions—power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, performance orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation—provide a statistical approach to understanding cultural values and their implications on behavior.

💡Power Distance

Power Distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept that power is distributed unequally. The video uses the example of Thailand, where the Prime Minister sits on the floor in the presence of the King, to illustrate high power distance. Conversely, Sweden is described as a low power distance culture where the Prime Minister stands in line at an ATM like everyone else.

💡Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualism versus Collectivism is a cultural dimension that contrasts societies that prioritize the goals of the individual over the group (individualism) with those that emphasize group goals over individual goals (collectivism). The video discusses how individualistic cultures value independence and personal achievement, while collectivist cultures prioritize group harmony and loyalty.

💡Performance Orientation

Performance Orientation refers to the extent to which a culture focuses on achieving results and success. Cultures with high performance orientation value hard work, competitiveness, and material success. The video contrasts this with cultures that prioritize quality of life and a balanced approach to work and leisure.

💡Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty Avoidance is the degree to which a culture prefers structured over unstructured situations. Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance have a low tolerance for ambiguity and seek to create laws and rules to avoid uncertainty. The video discusses how some societies use planning, organizing, and religion as mechanisms to cope with uncertainty.

💡Flexibility vs. Discipline

Flexibility versus Discipline is a cultural dimension that contrasts cultures that value adaptability and spontaneity with those that emphasize orderliness and strict adherence to rules. The video explains that cultures scoring high on flexibility accept multiple paths to achieve goals, while cultures scoring low favor a single, disciplined approach.

💡Egalitarian Culture

An Egalitarian Culture is one where all members of a society are considered equal, and there is little emphasis on hierarchy or status differences. The video uses the example of the Prime Minister of Sweden to illustrate how egalitarian cultures tend to minimize power distance and treat everyone with equal respect.

💡Hierarchical Culture

A Hierarchical Culture is characterized by a clear ranking of people within the society, with distinct roles and expectations for each level. The video describes how hierarchical cultures, like Thailand, emphasize status and power differences, with rituals and behaviors that reflect and reinforce these distinctions.

💡Cultural Adaptation

Cultural Adaptation refers to the process of adjusting management practices or behaviors to fit the cultural context. The video discusses the importance of cultural adaptation, especially when applying management principles from one culture to another, to avoid clashes and ensure effectiveness.

💡Cultural Bias

Cultural Bias is a tendency to prefer the values and practices of one's own culture over those of others. The video emphasizes the need for individuals to recognize their own cultural biases and to strive for a more objective understanding of other cultures, which can lead to more effective cross-cultural communication and collaboration.

Highlights

Understanding cultural values can lead to better acceptance of people and promote peace.

Culture consists of unwritten norms that dictate right and wrong, and appropriate behavior.

Hofstede's research provides a framework for measuring culture through five dilemmas: hierarchy vs. equality, individualism vs. collectivism, performance orientation vs. caring for others, uncertainty avoidance, and flexibility vs. discipline.

Hierarchical cultures, like Thailand, emphasize power distance and deference to authority figures.

Egalitarian cultures, such as Sweden, exhibit less overt power distance and more subtle hierarchy.

The treatment of royalty in Thailand illustrates the cultural emphasis on hierarchy even towards foreign dignitaries.

Societies are considered hierarchical or egalitarian based on the acceptance of power structures by the general population, not just the leadership.

Cultural norms are learned from a young age and shape an individual's understanding of power dynamics.

In individualistic cultures, personal achievement and independence are valued over group loyalty.

Collectivist cultures prioritize group harmony and loyalty, often suppressing individual dissent.

Performance-oriented cultures reward achievement and status, viewing work as a central life focus.

Caring cultures prioritize quality of life and view work as a means to enjoy life, rather than an end in itself.

Uncertainty avoidance is high in cultures that use planning, organizing, and religion to mitigate uncertainty.

Flexibility is valued in cultures that adapt to situations and accept multiple paths to achieve goals.

Disciplined cultures adhere strictly to a single path and apply laws uniformly without exceptions.

Comparative cultural studies, such as those between Bulgaria, the USA, and Holland, reveal significant differences in power distance, individualism, and performance orientation.

There is no 'best' culture; all cultures have unique values that should be respected and understood.

Management practices taught in Western universities may not be universally applicable and may require adaptation for different cultural contexts.

Understanding cultural values is crucial for addressing societal issues like corruption and nepotism effectively.

Personal biases should be recognized, and an effort should be made to understand and respect other cultures' values.

Maintaining curiosity and interest in learning about other cultures is essential for personal and societal growth.

Transcripts

hi so let's

start this is actually all about

um standing in someone else's

shoes I believe that if we can

understand understand the values behind

culture we can understand people better

we can accept them for who they are for

what they stand for where they're coming

from and then we'll have more

productivity we'll have less

violence and we can live uh in

peace now when I say culture I mean the

set of Unwritten Norms that guide

people's behavior and gives them a sense

of what is right and what is wrong what

is appropriate and what is

not today we can measure

culture we use tools developed by

Professor her hofstead that allow us to

measure culture based on

statistics and how people react to

different

situations what Hof identified was that

all communities basically have five

dilemas five dilemmas that they have to

cope with one way or

another these are hierarchy

versus

equality individualism versus

collectivism performance orientation

versus caring for others or quality of

life uncertainty avoid or not worrying

about

uncertainty and flexibility versus

discipline now the research of hoffstead

is not new but these dilemas they are

still valid they have been with us for

centuries and they continue to be valid

today let's look at uh some of these

dilemmas the guy in white is the the

prime minister of

Thailand so how come he's sitting on the

floor because the guy behind the desk is

the king of

Thailand Thailand is a very hierarchical

culture it has what we call a big Power

distance in high power distance

societies like Thailand it's very

important to show the power distance

among the different rungs in the

hierarchy even among the two most

powerful people in that

Society

now this guy over here is the prime

minister of

Sweden but he's standing in line to use

the ATM like everyone

else Sweden is a low power distance

culture in a low power distance culture

there is also hierarchy there is also

power distance but it's much more

subtle it's not so

evident now

this is the princess of

Denmark and Denmark is also uh an

egalitarian culture low power distance

so how come she's getting the red carpet

treated and uh people are throwing

petals at her

feet because she's not in Denmark she is

visiting

Thailand this is how people this is how

people in Thailand treat

royalty even if it's not their own

royalty if it's somebody coming from

abroad and maybe this is why the

princess of Denmark enjoys visiting

Thailand so much because she would never

get this treatment in

Denmark now this is very important

because

it is the people at the bottom of the so

social pyramid that determine whether

the societ is high power distance

hierarchical or not it's not the

dictator who determines the dictatorship

it's the people at the bottom who accept

a dictator or do not accept a

dictator they are the ones who determine

if a society is hierarchical or

egalitarian

and it all begins in

childhood when we are less than 10 years

old that's when we all learn what is

right and what is wrong what is

appropriate and what is not appropriate

in our community that's when we learn in

which way of those dilemmas is our

community

going let me give

you a couple of examples

when I was a young kid in Brazil Brazil

is a very hierarchical society and I

would come into the living room with my

sister playing and my parents were

entertaining guests and they would tell

us go play outside we're having an adult

conversation and of course we would go

outside and we learned that in this

world there are some people who have

more power the adults and some people

have less power the

children but now I live in Holland when

I go to my next door neighbor and his

kids come playing running into the

living room he stops talking to me he

includes the children in the

conversation he treats the children as

adults so his children learned that in

this world people have more or less the

same amount of

power when we moved to the Netherlands

years ago there was a knock on my

door a guy identified himself as being

from the mayor's office and he said

we're going to refurbish the playground

there's a playground down the street and

we're going to refurbish it we're going

to put in new toys but we want to make

sure that the toys that we're going to

put in are the toys that people prefer

that the children prefer in this

neighborhood so do you have children at

home and I said yeah cool I do have I

have two daughters they're very young

they're four and five and they like the

slide they like the Seesaw and said no

sir are they home I want to speak to

them my jaw dropped to the floor rolled

on the

sidewalk this would never happen in

Brazil

he didn't want to speak to me he wanted

to speak directly to my kids now that's

a

difference can you imagine how Dutch

children grow up learning that they are

treated like

people

so individualism is the other dilemma

between individualism and

collectivism in individualism it is more

important the individual is more

important than the group and it's

important to be independent and to

express your own opinion even if you

don't please other

people while in collectivism the most

important thing is to belong to a group

remain loyal to that group as long as

you are loyal to that group the group

will take care of you and it's most

important to maintain Harmony in the

group so you don't express disent

opinions mind you in collectivistic

societies there are many groups and

these groups sometimes fight with each

other but within the same group you try

to maintain

Harmony the third dilemma is about

performance versus caring in a

performance-oriented culture it's

important to achieve to perform and

people who do that are rewarded by

Society in financial Cal terms or in

status terms this is where pay for

performance comes from performance is

more important while in caring cultures

quality of life is more

important it doesn't mean that people in

caring cultures do not perform they also

perform they also have to work but in

these cultures work is a necessary evil

you work so that you may enjoy life in

performance oriented

cultures work is your

life work is the meaning of

life the fourth dilemma is uncertainty

avoidance or just letting it

be there are some societies that have

all kinds of mechanisms to avoid

uncertainty some of these mechanisms are

for instance planning organizing

structur ing things yeah checking if

everything is

okay if a society scores high on

uncertainty avoidance another mechanism

is also religion

Superstition because if you pray you

will pass the

exam it avoids

uncertainty while in other societies

there is less religion or less planning

they don't wor so much about uncertainty

avoidance they think okay let's worry

about crossing the river when we get to

the river it's no use worrying about

that before we get

there last but not

least the fifth uh dilemma is between

flexibility and discipline flexibility

means that if you have a objective far

away in the distance there are many

different paths that you can take

to reach your exact your objective so

it's important to be flexible go one way

or go the other according to the

situation it all

depends but when a a society scores High

sorry low on this the most important

thing is discipline and the idea is you

have one true path that you must follow

all other paths are

wrong so this discipline is much more

important and the law is applied in all

situations exactly the same way there's

no room for

exceptions no room for exceptions while

in high flexibility cultures there's a

lot of exceptions because everything

depends on each

situation

now let's look at Bulgaria the USA and

Holland

this is a study carried out in Bulgaria

so you can see that Bulgaria

scores

high on power distance it's hierarchical

it's more collectivistic than

individualistic it scores somewhere in

the middle in terms of performance

orientation but uncertainty avoidance is

very high we don't have a score for

flexibility in Bulgaria it hasn't been

it hasn't been researched maybe we can

talk about it later yeah now let's

compare

with the

States you can see that it's much more

egalitarian less hierarchical than

Bulgaria it's much more

individualistic it's the most indiv

individualistic Society on Earth the

highest

score it scores higher also in

performance orientation and it's lower

in uncertainty avoidance and if you

compare it to Holland just to uh have a

different frame of reference you see

that Holland is very similar to the

states in terms of hierarchy

individualism but it's much lower in

terms of performance

orientation and it's similar again in

terms of uncertainty avoidance now if

you look at the gaps between Bulgaria

you can see that there's a big

difference in terms of hierarchy

big difference in terms of individualism

and an interesting situation in terms of

performance orientation because Bulgaria

scores higher than Holland but less than

the

us but what does this

mean in real

life things are not bar charts so there

are combinations

these these different dimensions they're

always combined in a situation and we

have some names for these different

combinations for instance the Americans

are part of what we call a contest

culture the Dutch are part of what we

call a network culture and Bulgaria is

what we call a pyramid

culture what does this mean in

practice what are the implications at

work for instance suppose that you are

applying for a job you finished College

you're applying for a job if you're

doing that in a contest culture what is

a good candidate in a contest culture

good

candidate is somebody who has a glowing

CV it's somebody who in the interview is

confident assertive and shows a can do

attitude but it's different in other

cultures for instance in pyramid

cultures it's important to have a more

detailed resume

you should show

loyalty you need to ask polite questions

to avoid

confrontation and you indic you you

should indicate who you know because you

might make some relationship links with

people who are already in the

company in contest cultures the task

comes first what needs to be done and

when this is what you need to do

but in pyramid cultures relationship

comes first how can you do business with

people that you don't

know first build a relationship then you

can get down to

business now which culture is

best actually there is no best culture

there is no right culture no wrong

culture we always think that our culture

is the right one and everybody else is

wrong we always think that the culture

that fits our own personal values that's

good the culture that doesn't fit our

own personal values that's

bad but in

practice nobody is right and nobody is

wrong the problem that we have is that

65% of management books in the whole

world are published in the US the UK and

Canada and these principles of

management are taught by universities

all over the world as being the way to

manage which is fine when you do it in

America because it's consistent with

American values or in the UK or Canada

but when you use it in other cultures

you need to have some kind of adaptation

or else it might not work it might

backfire if it clashes with the

values for

instance in contest cultures you have

direct

communication people tell it like it is

they speak it to your

face but in pyramid cultures you have

more indirect communication if you want

to talk to somebody who is over here you

don't go

direct what you usually do is you talk

to someone who can talk to someone else

will talk to the person that you want

the message to get to to avoid

embarrassment to avoid

confrontation meetings meetings are very

different from one culture to another in

a contest culture meetings are short and

they're action oriented you make

decisions in meetings and you decide who

is going to do

what in pyramid

cultures meetings are a platform for the

boss the boss decides before the meeting

Consulting with one or two trusted

advisers and at the meeting the boss

announces the decision and then checks

if everybody is still

loyal so if you want to influence a

decision in a pyramid culture talk to

the boss before the meeting

don't wait for the

meeting feedback feedback is a very

American

concept you tell somebody how you feel

about what that person has done you can

give feedback to your boss your boss can

give feedback to you it works very fine

in a contest culture but in a pyramid

culture it could be very

different if your boss gives feedback

it's probably because he didn't like

something you did you better watch out

and you never give feedback to your boss

because if he doesn't like the feedback

you might get

fired feedback is often interpreted as

personal criticism so it's

avoided why is all this

important because it affects the way we

look at

problems we might be looking in the

wrong

Direction

unless unless we consider the values and

culture so if we want to address for

instance the matter of corruption it's a

big problem in Brazil where I come

from you have to realize that corruption

is linked to power distance and

flexibility the higher the power

distance the more favorable the

atmosphere for corruption the higher the

flexibility the more tolerance for

corruption so if you want to reduce

corruption you have to do something

about the power distance and the

flexibility otherwise you won't get very

far or for instance

nepotism if you want to change a culture

where there is too much nepotism where

people are always favoring their

relatives or their friends you need to

understand that this is typical of

collectivism so you need to do something

about the culture otherwise you won't be

able to change change

nepotism what can you do then first you

need to understand the

culture then you can choose what do you

want to change what do you want to keep

but you need to understand the culture

as a starting point and in the

meantime realize that changing a culture

is very difficult change requires

re-educating adults

about values that they learned as

children not easy to

change it also requires that you change

the way children are being

educated if you want to reduce hierarchy

you cannot continue to educate children

in an authoritarian way because they

will grow up to form a hierarchical

society if you want to change that you

need to change the way children are

being educated

what you can do personally in the

meantime is realize your own

bias what are your

values how do your values affect the way

you judge other

people how can you learn about other

people's values and judge them according

to their values instead of your own and

last but not

least never lose your curiosity

never lose your interest in learning

about other

cultures when you find something in

another culture that is puzzling or

annoying don't be furious be

curious thank you very much