A culture is the standard way of acting, thinking and feeling that a particular societal group has (Sun, 2008). Geert Hofstede developed five parameters to characterize cultures, some of which may prove to vary wildly (1964). This may prove to be challenging in a work environment, though finally enriching. This was the case in a job experience I had with a person from France, who had a very different culture than mine which is Saudi Arabian.
The first of these was particularly clear, especially because he was a man and I was a woman. For him, we were two equals, but I was accustomed to being treated very different than men. An example of this is when he wanted to shake hands, something that was forbidden in my culture as he was a man and not part of the family. Nevertheless, this was obviously something very natural for him, as it is a way to greet people.
Another important factor was indulgence vs. restraint, as I had too much of the latter and he, too much of the former. He felt that he could literally say anything to me, something that I was not accustomed to and felt rude as first. For instance, one time he started asking about my family, which was very personal information that I usually did not divulge. Later, when we became friends, he confessed that at first he thought that I did not like him because I did not talk to him about my personal life that much; I had to explain that it was simply how we did things in Saudi Arabia!
The text above showed how two of Hofstede’s cultural factors which had an influence in the manner that I communicated with were masculinity vs. femininity and indulgence vs. restraint. He was more relaxed towards male-female relations, yet in my culture, I could not even shake hands with him. Furthermore, he was used to talking and being more indulgent than me, including asking for personal information, something that was awkward because my culture is more restrained.
Reference List
Sun, S. (2008). Organizational Culture and Its Themes. International Journal of Business and Management, 3(12), 137-141.
Hofstede, Geert. (1984). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills: SAGE Publications.
