Asweallknow,differentcountrieshavedefferentculture.“Cultureisthecollectiveprogrammingofthemindwhichdistinguishesthemembersofonecategoryofpeoplefromanother.”
Itisinevitablethattheculturaldifferencehasimpactonbusiness.Forexample,whenacompanyishavingmeeting,theword“table”theymentioninAmericanEnglishmeanstoputsomethingontheagenda,butinBritishEnglishitmeanstopusomethingofftheagenda.Thisexampleindicatedhowthecultureaffectsthebusiness.
TherearefourculturaldimensionsthatweredefinedinHofstede’sresearch:powerdistance,uncertaintyavoidance,individualismandmasculinity.
Themostsignificantinfluenceinculturaldifferenceisthepowerdistance.“Itwouldconditiontheextenttowhichemployeesacceptthattheirbosshasmorepowerthathaveandtheextenttowhichtheyacceptthattheirboss’sopinionsanddecisionsarerightbecauseheorsheistheboss.”Amongmostorientalcorporatecultures,thereishierachismreasons,greatcentralization,sometimescalled‘power-orientedculture’,duetothehistoricalreasons.Thatisahighpowerdistanceculturethatmangersmakethedecisionandsuperiousappealtobeentitledmoreprivileges.Theirdecisionalwaysclosesupervisionpositivelyevaluatedbysubordinates.Inthissituation,itisnotberegardedifsubordinateshaveadisagreementwiththeirmanagers.