CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS
and how they color discourse
You
are talking in English
with a businessman at a Fair –
male, middle-aged, middle-class,
mainstream appearance.
His culture is one of those listed below.
How
do you present yourself (attire, background...)? 
He's from a strongly Form
Trusting culture
(Britain, Japan, Poland...)
Smart
but conservative attire, prestige education, love of
traditions...
He's from a strongly Form
Distrusting
culture
(U.S., Holland, Jamaica)
Simple
and comfortable attire; considerable experience, passion for job...
He
asks you how he should call you. You say:
He's from a strongly Hierarchical
culture
(India, China, Saudi Arabia...)
As
you like. My Italian clients call me Dr. Rossi; the British say Mr.
Rossi.
He's from a strongly Horizontal
culture
(New Zealand, Sweden, Israel)
As
you like. My Italian clients call me “Rossi”, but “Maria”
is fine, too.
You
believe your proposal is good for his company and for him
personally.
So you say to him:
He
is from a strongly Individualistic
culture
(U.S.A., Britain, Holland...)
This
proposal will get you a promotion, it's just what your company
needs. He
is from a strongly Collectivistic
culture
(China, Pakistan, Portugal...)
This
is what your company needs; your colleagues will be proud of
you.
You
don't like his counter proposal and want him to know it. So you
say:
He
is from a strongly Indirect
culture (Greece,
Saudi Arabia, China)
I'm
perplexed about that; I have to think it over. What else can
you offer? He
is from a strongly Direct
culture (Holland,
U.S.A., Australia...)
That
doesn't fit our needs, I don't think I could accept that. Another
offer?
You
make a verbal agreement and you
want him to respect it. So you say: He
is from a strongly Self-controlled
culture (Britain,
Japan, Switzerland)
I'd
appreciate a memo from you on this so we're sure about the
terms. He
is from a strongly Other-controlled
culture (China,
India, Mexico...)
I'll
announce this to the Chamber & the trade papers to keep them
abreast.
OTHER
DIMENSIONS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:
Learn from experience vs. from authority
Rules-observant vs. Rules-bending
Uncertainty-tolerant vs. Uncertainty-averse
