Section: The Dimensions of Culture | Playground - Jason Baxter | University of Edinburgh Moodle

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  • Welcome to Intercultural Communications

    Intercultural Communication focuses on the importance of culture in our everyday lives, and the ways in which culture interrelates with and effects communication processes. We live in an era of rapid globalization in which being able to communicate across cultures is imperative to our ability to function in a diverse workplace, city, and world. Using our stories and our online discussions, this course is designed to increase our sensitivity to other cultures by understanding the frameworks of culture. This course will increase our awareness of our own cultural backgrounds, and the contexts in which we live and communicate. 

    The course objectives are as follows:

    • To explore cultural self-awareness, and the dynamics that arise in interactions between differing cultures.
    • To identify challenges that arises from these differences in intercultural interactions and learns ways to creatively address them.
    • To acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that increase intercultural competence 
The Iceberg of Culture: A Metaphor
Section 5

The Dimensions of Culture

  • The Dimensions of Culture

    Tutor: Jason Baxter

    National cultures can be described according to the analysis of Geert Hofstede. These ideas were first based on a large research project into national culture differences across subsidiaries of a multinational corporation (IBM) in 64 countries. These studies identified and validated five independent dimensions of national culture differences.

    Activity: Go Shopping with Geert Hofstede.  Using the framework defined in the Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the De Mooij reading, you will apply your national's culture to the consumer habits and products at a retail outlet. 

    Learning Objectives:

    • Analyze the framework of Hofstede's definition of cultural dimension.
    • Compare and contrast countries through the Hofstede's cultural index tool.
    • Critically apply theories on culture to organizations in which they operate.

    Weekly Blog Entry:

    What do you think about making generalizations about national culture? Have you seen cultural norms in your national culture that seem to be different from those that Hofstede finds?  Do you think that Hofstede is right to argue that organisations should take national culture as a given?

The Iceberg of Culture: A Metaphor
Section 5