GL SESSION 2

1. Hofstede comparison NL vs. US

As can be seen, the US and the Netherlands arent that different in terms of three out of four
cultural dimensions, except for the masculinity versus femininity dimension. This dimension
shows that the Netherlands has a feminine culture that refers to fair distribution of roles
between genders. In contrast, the US scores quite high on the masculinity dimension, which
means a society where individual achievement is highly appreciated.

INDIV = According to Hofstede, Americans are the most Individualistic people in the world
and persue a structured individualistic style (figure 1). They seek leaders who delegate
authority to subordinates and put value on planning and rules. Besides, they believe they can
control their environment and what occurs in it.

According to Hofstedes cultural dimensions, the US and the

Netherlands do not differ much in the following dimensions: power
distance, individualism versus collectivism and uncertainty avoidance.
- The US has a higher power distance than the Netherlands. This
means that inequalities within an organization or society and to which
extent

members

accept

differences

in

status

and

power

among

themselves are higher in the US. Moreover, Americans accept subordinate

levels

and

respect

formal

hierarchical

authority.

- dimension individualism versus collectivism refers to the cultures norms

and values to satisfying either individual or group needs. Both countries
score high on individualism, which means that leaders in both countries
are looking for personal achievements. However, the Dutch leadership
style shows more collectivist behaviour, and encourages group harmony,
long-term goals and satisfaction with the leader.

- Uncertainty avoidance. Both cultures have an average score on this

dimension, which means people in those countries seek a balance
between

formal

rules

and

ambiguity.

- The US and the Netherlands are very different in terms of the masculinity
versus femininity dimension. This dimension shows that the Netherlands
has a feminine culture that refers to fair distribution of roles between
genders, while the US has

a masculine culture that encourages

decisiveness, assertiveness and individual achievement.

- In general, Dutch companies work more decentralized than American companies, which
gives leaders free room to operate. Besides, Dutch leaders are person-oriented, and are
focused on relationships and employees' needs. Furthermore, in Dutch companies the
hierarchical pyramid is flat and leaders have a long-term perspective.
- In the US most leaders are task-oriented leaders and are really focused to get the job done.
Also, Americans accept a very hierarchical work environment and individualistic leaders with
a short-term perspective.
2. Do you think national cultures are becoming more similar or
dissimilar?
Does globalization mean we will become one culture? Starbuck, McDonalds
3. Think of an example when you encountered some amount of
difficulty in working with someone from another culture. What
were the differences? How did you handle it?