Introduction

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            When evaluating the diverse cultures of the world, it is necessary to consider that each culture may be guided by many different principles. Identifying each of these principles and their perceived value within the culture can be an arduous task. However, after years of formal research and review, several methodologies have emerged that systematically evaluate the primary values of a given culture and categorizes them into common elements. This categorization creates an opportunity to compare cultures and identify similarities and differences between them.  For the purposes of this assignment, I have chosen to utilize Hofstede’s cultural values model in order to assess the attributes of my cultural identity as well as the cultural identity of one of my coworkers. This model considers five different values of culture: Collectivism, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity, and Time Orientation. More than anything, these values gather information about the role of human relations within a culture and the social norms established to protect those roles.

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Part 1 – Self Review

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            In order to best understand the diversity of world cultures, it is essential that I first understand my own cultural identity. Though many aspects of my cultural identity are linked to growing up in the United States, there are some elements that relate more closely to my specific family. Using Hofstede’s model, I have been able to identify several elements that contribute to my cultural identity, both national and organizational.

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Collectivism refers to the relationship and responsibility of an individual as it compares to a larger group and is typically defined in terms of being a collectivist (focused on group needs) or an individualist (focused on the needs of the individual). Consistent with the trend in the US, I personally connect with the individualist identity. I was raised in a family that celebrated individual achievements and unique personal talents. My oldest sister has a PhD in nanotechnology and micro science and spent three years teaching in Africa as part of the Peace Corps. My other sister has a master’s degree in elementary education and works as a teacher. Though currently finalizing my college degree, I was often encouraged to pursue excellence through work – graduating high school with departmental awards for business and computer science and securing my first salaried management position at the age of 18. My family always encouraged each person to pursue their talent with little consideration on the needs of the family as a group.

After reviewing the collectivism aspect of Hofstede’s model, I next look into the concepts of Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Power distance is the level to which an individual or group feels comfort with the idea of unequal distribution of power. Having been raised to focus on the working world, I was introduced to the concept of bosses and subordinates early in life. I believe strongly in the concept of a hierarchy of authority as it relates to work, but that belief is diminished in day to day interactions with others. As such, I see myself as having a medium/high sense of comfort with power distance (high being comfortable with inequality in power and low being uncomfortable with it). My focus on the business word has also molded my beliefs around Uncertainty Avoidance – the degree to which an individual or group prefers structure and clarity. Though many jobs require a level of comfort with ambiguity, many of my working years have been spent within large scale organizations. As such, there is traditionally a prescribed policy or procedure for every situation. This allows large companies to produce consistent expectations and experiences across many separate business units. It also removes any question of uncertainty in most matters and has conditioned me to expect the same level of organization in my life. I have a relatively high level of uncertainty avoidance (also seen as tight) which differs from the national average of low level uncertainty avoidance (also seen as loose).

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The final two categories within Hofstede’s model are the aspects of Masculinity and Time Orientation. In a way, these two aspects are linked for my experiences. As mentioned earlier, my family had a strong focus on achievement and personal accomplishments. This focus is typically defined as a masculine. However, achievements were only really considered valuable if the path towards them was founded in diligent efforts with a focus on quality. Additionally, it was not considered proper to brag about achievements – the achievement should speak for itself. These thoughts are more closely seen as feminine qualities. So do I see my personal culture as masculine or feminine? The answer is yes to both. As I previously indicated, the concept of masculinity and time orientation are linked in the experiences of my youth. I think this relates to the culture of my parents and grandparents. They each lived through challenging times in American history – times when women adopted more masculine roles in society while men spent time away from home protecting their country and their families (during war time). My family believes strongly in tradition and the value of future planning. From the time that I was probably five years old, I’ve been taught the traditions of my families (Irish, German, Norwegian, American) and have been given the expectation that it would be my duty to carry those forward with my family. Not only that, but it was made very clear that I was expected to father at least one son who could carry on the “family name” and the family traditions. I now have a son who is also five years old, and he is being taught the same way. Being focused on a long-term time orientation (versus short-term) also means that I engage in future planning – for everything. From the time I received my first paycheck at the age of 15 I have had an IRA, a 401(k), and various mutual fund investments. Before buying my first car, I had to work and save enough money to buy it in cash. Before returning to school as an adult, I spent two years creating a financial plan that could not only support tuition, but also accommodate a decrease in work wages so that I could create time for studying. Everything takes time to plan for which means that nothing is done for short-term benefit.

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After reviewing these aspects of my personal identity, I have determined that I am many different things. I am an individualist with a medium/high level of power distance and a high level of uncertainty avoidance. I also have both masculine and feminine cultural qualities that have been passed down to me from my parents and their parents before them. After finding these qualities out about myself, I chose to evaluate the same qualities in somebody else. For this assignment, I met with one of my coworkers, Karina Alarcon (503-507-1365). We met for the interview on March 23rd at 7:00pm and spent an hour talking about her cultural identity based upon growing up as a young woman in southern Mexico. Karina had some unique perspectives as a result of growing up in the village of Santa Teresa with a population of only 1500 people. In an effort to be consistent with my own cultural evaluation, I asked Karina questions based upon the concepts covered by Hofstede’s model.

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Part 2 – Karina Alarcon

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In regard to collectivism, Karina sees herself as being raised in a collective culture. This was true for both her family level culture and that of the town in which she lived. In her village, people worked within specified roles that held a purpose for the town. Some people were farmers, some people were educators, and other people held positions of various other fields. Karina’s grandmother (with whom she lived) was known to the village as “the cheese lady” and, as one might guess, she made cheese for the village. Though these roles were part of a paid working class structure (not done for free), each person knew that it was their responsibility to produce product or services based on the needs of the community. In their family life, Karina and her siblings were always expected to do what they could to support the family needs. As a child, this meant helping with chores and making cheese before having the option to do something else (such as going out to play). Karina, however, never really questioned this aspect of her culture because it seemed true of the other families around her. Based upon her perception, Karina said that families were often expected to live in the same community as their relatives for the majority of their lives. Some people, like Karina, moved away to pursue their own development and new experiences – breaking the cultural norms of the community.

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In regard to the concept of power distance, Karina spoke about the system of hierarchy in family structure. Though there was importance placed upon the authority of parents, grandparents and other elders in the family, there was little official power structure in the actual community. Villagers were expected to behave in a way that was best for everybody. There was no official police force and only one “commisario” who was in charge of resolving infrequent disputes between citizens. This made their group very low in power distance cultural terms. In regard to uncertainty avoidance, Karina spoke to the very “laid back” feeling of her town. Though business had to be conducted for the benefit of the town, there were no strict timelines or set terms for production. Events in town happened when they happened – as long as everything got done eventually, there was no serious pressure. This fostered a general acceptance of flexibility in planning and supported a low uncertainty avoidance.

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The final two topics of consideration in my interview with Karina focused on the concepts of masculinity and time orientation. True to the common perception masculinity in Mexican culture, Karina spoke about the importance of gender roles in her village. Men were expected to manage physically demanding tasks such as farming, managing animals and working outdoors while women were expected to do indoor work such as baking, sewing and retail sales. If a women was found doing the work traditionally assigned to a male role, there would be harsh judgement of the female (for doing the work) and judgement of her family (for allowing it). There was, however, undertones of feminine culture present as there was a constant focus on family well-being and quality of work done. As indicated in previous statements, Karina’s village fostered a long-term planning approach to daily activities. Not much was done in a rush for instant reward. Instead, there was a long term investment in future results – specifically in relation to family culture. Often times, careers are passed from generation to generation and, as such, today’s work is for the future benefit of children and grandchildren (not for the person doing the work at the time).

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Upon reviewing Karina’s experiences, we were able to gain some perspective on her cultural identity based of the Hofstede model. Karina is a collectivist with low power distance and low uncertainty avoidance. She identifies with a masculine culture (with notes of feminine qualities) and approaches life with a long-term time orientation. Some of these results were similar to my own, but most were different. It was interesting to compare the culture of another person to my own, and enlightening to hear about specific examples. The interview was an hour long, but I could have spent so much more time connecting about our experiences, similarities and differences. As a result of our time together, I have an increased appreciation for aspects of Mexican culture and for Karina as an individual.