The most well-known framework on cultural values was derived from a landmark study in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Geert Hofstede, who analyzed data from 88,000 IBM employees from 72 countries in 20 languages. His research showed that employees working in different countries tended to prioritize different values, and those values clustered into several distinct dimensions. Those dimensions include: individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-femininity, and short-term vs. long-term orientation.
Required Reading:
Begin the SLP by reading:
Hofstede, G. (1993). Cultural constraints in management theories. Academy of Management Executive, 7(1), 81-94. Retrieved from EBSCO.
Session Long Project
Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, please prepare a paper that addresses how you would adapt your leadership approach to lead a cross-cultural group based upon Geert Hofstede's five dimensions if you were the CEO of a multinational organization. For example, would you promote an individualistic or collectivist environment? Would you implement a high or low power distance policy? Make sure to address all five of Hofstede's dimensions. Please be creative and provide examples to justify why you would make such decisions.
Your paper should be short (2-3 pages, not including the cover sheet and references) and to the point. You are expected to deal with these issues in an integrated fashion, rather than treating them as a series of individual questions to be answered one by one and left at that.