ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some common expressions of cultural differences in the global workplace, such as how culture may shape work attitudes such as job satisfaction and leadership and direct our perceptions about co workers, management, and more. A cultural framework attempts to summarize and classify a set of norms, behaviors, customs, and traditions that are common to a given society. Geert Hofstede's cultural framework is arguably the most well-known in the world. Originally published in 1980, its influence and impact is hard to overestimate, especially because it is the largest effort to cluster countries by cultural values. Hofstede developed his framework using questionnaires collected from over 116,000 employees from more than 70 countries. This monumental set of data yielded four bipolar cultural dimensions: individualism–collectivism, masculinity–femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. The chapter concludes with advice to help people move beyond the "sophisticated stereotyping" that comes with the limitations of culture frameworks.
