In Figuring Foreigners Out, the article talks about different ways cultures are different from each other. Whether they consist of individualists or collectivists, monochronic or polychronic, internal or external, and direct or indirect communication, none of them are exclusively one or the other –all cultures have elements of both. Hofstede Dimensions of Culture provides insight on how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. He came up with six basic issues that he believes society needs to come to term with in order to organize itself, otherwise known as the dimensions of culture. The six dimensions are: power distance index (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), and long-term orientation (LTO). Hofstede’s dimension analysis can assist a businessperson or traveler in better understanding the intercultural differences within regions and between countries.
In my opinion, I do predominantly agree with these assessments as both articles are able to describe and label different aspects and dimensions of culture seen today. I found the uncertainty avoidance index to be quite interesting. As I was reading its description, I wondered what countries are ranked with a low uncertainty avoidance. The dimension maps for uncertainty avoidance displayed the countries with the aforementioned ranking is primarily located in Africa as well as South America. I’m not surprised the countries that are support communism are ranked with a high uncertainty avoidance index.
These ideas relate both to my own native culture and the target culture associated with the language I am studying because I am a Korean American studying Korean. The descriptions provide more clarity in distinguishing the cultural differences between South Korea and America which provides a better understanding of the two.
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