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In “Culture’s Consequences”, Hofstede mentions five key aspects of culture based on extensive research. 1. Individualism (IDV) 2. Masculinity (MAS) 3. Power Distance (PDI) 4. Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) 5. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) Furthermore, there is a distinction made between values and practices. Practices are comprised of symbols, heroes, and rituals. Whereas values refer to the meaning to people of their practices. People can thus have the same practices (watching same TV shows, dressing similarly, leisure activities) while have drastically different values. Values and practices together define key aspects of the organization. Values are more important as you move towards national identities whereas practices tend to dominate at the organizational level. Furthermore, values tend to be instilled earlier in life through family and community while practices are learned later in life, for instance, once one enters the workforce itself. Some factors of practice include professionalism, distance from management, trust in colleagues, orderliness, hostility, and integration. Likewise, some factors in values include personal need for achievement, need for supportive environment, machismo, workaholism, alienation, and authoritarianism. The main thesis of this comment is that if one understands the factors that go into culture, one can be better equipped to actually probe the organization thoughtfully and develop their own questions in order to do so. |