Dimensions of Culture: Underlying Assumptions
Some Dimensions of Culture
(or the CONTENT of an organization’s SPECIFIC underlying assumptions)
Ask yourself, what specific underlying assumptions are contributing to the problem to be solved? What category of content below do these assumptions fall into? These are the relevant dimensions.
Schein (Schein, 2010, pp 69-175)
From External Adaptation:
Shared Assumptions about
Mission
Strategy
Goals
Means
Measurement
Correction
From Internal Integration:
Common Language
Group Boundaries
Power, Authority and Status
Norms of Personal Relationships (Trust, Intimacy, etc.)
Rewards and Punishments
Myths and Stories
Macroculture Assumptions concerning:
Reality and Truth (e.g., High Context/Low Context, Moralism/Pragmatism)
Nature of Time (e.g., Planning Time/Development Time, Horizons, Accuracy)
Nature of Space (e.g., Personal, Social and Public Distance)
Human Nature, Activities and Relationships (e.g., Role Relationships, Power Distance)
Hofstede (from website)
Means-oriented vs. Goal-oriented
Internally-driven vs. Externally-driven
Easygoing work discipline vs. Strict work discipline
Local vs. Professional
Open-system vs. Closed-system
Employee-oriented vs. Work-oriented
Degree of acceptance of leadership style
Degree of identification with your organization
McNeil’s Version of Hofstede (McNeill, 2007)
Process vs. Results
Employee vs. Job
Parochial vs. Professional
Open vs. Closed System
Loose vs. Tight Control
Normative vs. Pragmatic
Trompenaars/Hampden-Turner’s Seven Orientations (Mind Tools)
Universalism vs. Particularism
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Specific vs. Diffuse
Neutral vs. Emotional
Achievement vs. Ascription
Sequential vs. Synchronous Time
Internal vs. Outer Direction
There are many other descriptions of cultural dimensions out there. These are just some of the most popular.
References
Hofstede, G. (n.d.). Organisational Culture Dimensions. Retrieved October 2013, from The
(or the CONTENT of an organization’s SPECIFIC underlying assumptions)
Ask yourself, what specific underlying assumptions are contributing to the problem to be solved? What category of content below do these assumptions fall into? These are the relevant dimensions.
Schein (Schein, 2010, pp 69-175)
From External Adaptation:
Shared Assumptions about
Mission
Strategy
Goals
Means
Measurement
Correction
From Internal Integration:
Common Language
Group Boundaries
Power, Authority and Status
Norms of Personal Relationships (Trust, Intimacy, etc.)
Rewards and Punishments
Myths and Stories
Macroculture Assumptions concerning:
Reality and Truth (e.g., High Context/Low Context, Moralism/Pragmatism)
Nature of Time (e.g., Planning Time/Development Time, Horizons, Accuracy)
Nature of Space (e.g., Personal, Social and Public Distance)
Human Nature, Activities and Relationships (e.g., Role Relationships, Power Distance)
Hofstede (from website)
Means-oriented vs. Goal-oriented
Internally-driven vs. Externally-driven
Easygoing work discipline vs. Strict work discipline
Local vs. Professional
Open-system vs. Closed-system
Employee-oriented vs. Work-oriented
Degree of acceptance of leadership style
Degree of identification with your organization
McNeil’s Version of Hofstede (McNeill, 2007)
Process vs. Results
Employee vs. Job
Parochial vs. Professional
Open vs. Closed System
Loose vs. Tight Control
Normative vs. Pragmatic
Trompenaars/Hampden-Turner’s Seven Orientations (Mind Tools)
Universalism vs. Particularism
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Specific vs. Diffuse
Neutral vs. Emotional
Achievement vs. Ascription
Sequential vs. Synchronous Time
Internal vs. Outer Direction
There are many other descriptions of cultural dimensions out there. These are just some of the most popular.
References
Hofstede, G. (n.d.). Organisational Culture Dimensions. Retrieved October 2013, from The
References: Hofstede, G. (n.d.). Organisational Culture Dimensions. Retrieved October 2013, from The Hofstede Center: http://geert-hofstede.com/organisational-culture-dimensions.html McNeill, J. (2007). Organizational Culture. Retrieved from SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/jeffmcneill/mcneill-2007-hofstedes-organizational-culture-dimensions Mind Tools. (n.d.). The Seven Dimensions of Culture. Retrieved from Mind Tools: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/seven-dimensions.htm Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.