A cultural analysis of Greece Essay

This paper presents a pagan digest of Greece and how this translates into the uncouths phone line practices. The importance in much(prenominal) profiling whoremaster be seen in the emergence of much cross- heathen studies that aim to screw up with an effective theoretical theoretical account that guides inter depicted object companies to relate to new(prenominal) companies from variant countries with different cultivations. cardinal of these frameworks was formulated by a serial publication of study studies conducted by Hofstede in which the author de terminationine destinations correspond to v indices.Basically, Hofstedes betterment presents that acculturation burn be described as a set of qualityistics ingrained or wired-in to the brains and the drumhead of the members of a especial(a) lodge in that respectby walk outing deportment. With much(prenominal) understanding correspond to study horti acculturations, cross-cultural managers cornerstone on that pointfrom make use of this information that corporation serve as a basis for cross-cultural and inter subject argona initiatives of the organization.In application, this paper examines Greece according to Hofstedes cardinal dimensions and how this translates into the artlesss pedigree acculturation this paper then comp bes this with the wrinkle kitchen-gardening in the get together States. The conclusion then leads to the identification of the different points of compatibility and conflict, and the atomic number 18as which the classical and the Ameri green goddess business polishs contribute reconcile for a much successful business communication theory and relations.Global Business Cultural Analysis Greece I. Section One idealion Communication plays an of the essence(p) image in any cross-cultural relations, and in the aspect of business, communication in the international context spans beyond linguistic communication and includes protocols, perceptions and different chemical elements pertaining to business practices.According to Hendon, Hendon and Herbig (1996), the challenge is that although two or much parties be trying to reach an agreement aiming to serve each others interests, cultural factors whether in terms practice and perception crucially contri thoe to the processing of information that would lead to either the success or the failure of the negotiations or the management strategy should international companies decide to range together.As Hendon, et al. (1996) pointed out, cultural aspects sour managers, thereby affecting their behavior this as intumesce reflects at the organisational level thereby the course of the embodiment of the national culture of these companies is constantly present. Cross-cultural issues open become crucial give that more than than than and more businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities brought by globularization.One of the issues that emerged from this is that ther e was an determine potential point of conflict based on the precept that the differences in the values of the different groups whitethorn lead to jobs, thereby jeopardizing the advantages offered by the global and international markets (Fontaine, 2007). As a result, international organizations lay down invested in cross-cultural management initiatives in mold to create the nigh effective approach should the follow reaches the point of venturing into foreign operating theaters or cross-cultural negotiations.In appurtenance to the organizational dimension in cross-cultural issues are the elements that toilet further wreak the operations of any business. Kanungo (2006) identified that globalization ha overly created a signifi supportt impact to the consumers behavior now that they are aware of the strong global threads technological macrocosm and the environment. These elements do not only represent modifications in terms of the markets and the societies global businesses cater to save withal the potential overall shift and cultural perceptions that resonate at various levels, from the individual to the organizational behaviors.Which is wherefore habituated that globalization has become a phenomenon that represents present-day reality (Steger, 2003), horizontal companies who are not internationalized are still strung-out to many another(prenominal) global forces such(prenominal) as buying or selling their supplies from sources overseas. It is likewise possible that the union whitethorn have a bun in the oven to work with a foreign employee or a worker from a different cultural background. In any case, the instances of a cultural add-on has become more and more regular (Berger, 1998, 124).However, it is important to look at the many theoretical establishations on cross-cultural studies, oddly as to how national cultures are perceived as an important influence in organizational and management behavior. There is one distinctive studies that chiffonier be considered to have created a potent buzz in the total context of cross-cultural studies Geert Hofstedes four dimensions, which would later add another(prenominal) component. Hofstedes studies gave way to conclusions that would help in the different approaches towards understanding different cultures, and how these rear also create effects at individual, organizational and national levels.Hofstedes Four Dimensions One of the most commonly used exemplification in cross-cultural studies is Hofstedes four dimensions these dimensions emerged from Hofstedes studies on 40 different countries in which he identified four major prevailing factors in terms of the cultural aspect (Bjerke, 1998) ? Power blank ? suspicion scheme ? Individualism/collectivism ? Masculinity/femininity In range to understand these four dimensions, it is important to look at how Hofstede views culture and how this plays a role in global business applications.Hofstede is renowned for his researc h on differences among countries in terms of their culture and how these differences are essential. Hofstede operated based on the concept that comparisons among cultures can play a significant role in the make the right decisions based on the acquired information about other cultures this is deemed helpful when it comes to devising negotiations and dismantle tendencying business strategies should companies decide to enter a foreign market.Hence, Hofstedes works have been founded on how the differences of these cultures are authoritative to behavior crossways whitethorn mixer levels. Hofstedes dimensions tend to understand groups, hence, for instance, multicultural nations are condensen as a singular culture (Fontaine, 2007). The four dimensions Hofstede formulated are the main indications that can identify the points of resemblingities and differences across these many national cultures (Vinken, Soeters & Ester, 2004). His studies on many national cultures have therefor e served as a reference point among many cross-cultural managers.Hofstedes approach is known to adapt a more scientific approach as he argued that cultures can be measured and analyzed (Hofstede, Neuijen, Ohavy & Sanders, 1990) such can be seen not only in his informationbase which analyzed countries according to their measures in origin duration, perplexity avoidance, individualism/collectivism, and maleness/femininity but also in terms of how these factors can impact many organizational tasks such as business negotiations. Culture is therefore an important index of behavior and at the same while, it acts as a binding force that defines a group, a golf club or a region.The four dimensions Hofstede identified are based on how a culture can be also defined according to relations, attitudes and values in specific contexts, it can be observed that these four dimensions that pertain to Hofstedes commentary of culture the programming of the mind that differentiates one group of another (as cited in Fontaine, 2007, 125) presents a predictable framework of symptomatics. A fifth dimension was also introduced by Hofstede by including Confucian framework to his dimension, and he identified this as the hanker term/short term predilection.The bulky term/short term orientation, a recent addition to Hofstede/s dimension, was founded on the perceptions of time, and how this can affect the behavior of passel. This dimension was based on the Confucian orientation with detect to past, present and future, and for Hofstede, this fifth dimension can reflect a beau mondes perception of time, especially as to how this affects their perseverance and regard for values, and how societies also wish to command discover and gain st world power (Jacob, 2005).This orientation is seen as an important component as this can reflect how approximately concourse can act as based on their searchations with respect to time, such as, for instance, whether their actions are motiva ted by long-term causes or their short-term goals. The provide distance aspect refers to a cultures orientation towards ascendence. This orientation includes how mountain understand power and how power works in their communities. With this component, power distance serves as an indicator of equality such as whether roughly cultures tend to be more democratic or practices a abundant amount of inequality (Hofstede, 2001).Another index identified by Hofstede (2001) is the precariousness avoidance. Generally, this refers to how nightclub can tolerate uncertainty. This therefore shows how a culture may be more comfortable in a more merged and rational framework because the tolerance of ambiguity is low whereas some societies may tend to live in the uncertainty, hence, their systems do not adhere to unbending rules. Individualism/collectivism pertains to how a culture tend to be more individualist and autonomous or the spirit of the corporal fills the members of its society (Ho fstede, 2001).In the former, there is a great disposition of independence because the individual is promote to hark back for him self or herself. A collectivist culture, its opposite, tends to have a great degree of influence according to the brotherly or cultural psyche and norm. Although individuals can be utter to initially come from defined groups such as families, the degree of cohesion across neighborly levels differs from one culture to the next. Last but not the least, the masculinity/femininity index measures sex activity roles in a culture, especially as to how each of these genders are positioned in the society.The values among these two genders are among the fundamental elements in any society because one tends to dominate the other, if not, the attempt to equalize roles can be said to be also present in some cultures (Hofstede, 2001). In addition to the aspect of the relevance of power in these roles, this indicator also describes whether the terra firma is ma sculine or feminine the former associates the culture as more assertive and competitive, thereby embodying the male characteristics whereas feminine cultures are viewed as lovingness and more modest.The strength of Hofstedes approach is that the study and the collect data have come up with a set of information that principally describes the national cultures thereby demonstrating a general sense how people in a certain unpolished can be expected to behave. The five dimensions have served as an important framework and Hofstedes ride has served many nation-level researches especially as to how the applicability of his collected data can be regarded to be valid at a certain point (Smith, 2006).However, the model is not without any criticisms as this brings the issue on how many dimensions must(prenominal) be used as a authority to measure culture (Smith, 2006). Another study conducted by Blodgett, Bakir and Rose (2008) that the model has limitations especially as to its stiffne ss among individuals. From this, it can be gathered that applicability of Hofstedes framework mainly gives a good reference for a cultural overview of nation, but in more specific terms, there is still some confer as to the design of a more effective cross-cultural analysis model.II. Section Two classic Culture an Overview Greece can be slowly associated with its glory during the antiquity, with the unpolished immersed in a rich culture of cognition and might, in addition to the production of several works of art and architecture that can be considered to still have an influence in the advanced(a) world. Hence, Greece has unceasingly had the impression of classicism, especially with the mark left by Hellenism in the world and classical business relationship transcending fact and has become an interesting motif for literary works.From political thought to mythology, classical as a culture inhabits to be an object of fascination, especially as it has founded an important definition where the Western world begins in this Mediterranean archipelago. Culture can be basically defined through with(predicate) customs and traditions, and in Greece, albeit its training into youngity, has maintain a strong grasp for tradition this tradition is defined by the roles played by religion and paganism in the farming.Greece is dominantly Orthodox Christian although some variations of the faith, as determined by paganistic influences, can be seen to be present and also vary from island to island. This is why Greek culture is in the main regarded to have a risqueer degree of mixed beliefs and that Greeks also tend to be superstitious (Buxton, 1999). Early Greek civilization has butt ond a significant amount of intellect yet at the same time, the society was also driven by its mythological past.Such combination can be seen to present an attempt to balance myth and reason, and in youthful Greece, this can be seen to have developed as novel Greek society stif f to take pride in its past through the continuous charge of its customs and traditions, yet at the same time, modern-day Greek culture has demonstrated significant social changes that have take place in the last century. This is discussed by Mouzelis (1978) who mentioned how social values remain to be dictated by its core values, and these core values, evidently, play a significant role in the definition of a societys culture.The parsimony, in the past centuries, has created a significant impact to the social development of any society, and Greece, as it moved on to the modern times, had adapted to these changes. In the social context, Greece had demonstrated the ability to adjust to these new economical demands, and its society, inevitably, has redefined social classes. Its economy also started to redefine itself especially as to how it would define its role in the modern world. All in all, the modernization of Greece has created a degree of impact to its modern culture, but interestingly, Greek culture has strongly well-kept what it has always been.As previously mentioned Greek culture has been distinct in terms of the roles religion plays in the lives of the people this religion fuses the more unionized leanings of the Christian Orthodox Church and the more paganistic or mythical practices that many Greeks still practice today. In addition to customs and traditions, Greek culture has maintained its strong identity across many cultural facets, from its art, music, fodder and wine. The Greek people has demonstrated a strong sense of resilience considering the number of wars they had to endure in the modern times.These wars include its conflict with the Ottomans in which the country fell under rule for a long time, the Balkan Wars, the front World War, and the Greco-Turkish wars. The country also fell under military absolutism from 1967-1974. With their wounded past, the Greek people had redeveloped a strong national character that had adapted to the realities they faced, especially as Greeces glory would seem to be stuck more in the past and the modernity seems to have favored more the Western nations (Chilton, Dubin, Edwards, Garvey, Fisher, & Ellingham, 2008).Interestingly, as Greece would struggle to find its place in the modern world, the Greek society and the people had gone through periods of diaspora in order to escape the conflicts at home. Those who were left behind would be stuck in the funny farm of the country in which the economy would find a tough time adjusting to the greater powers coming from the western world, more specifically Europe. The Greek people experienced lack of opportunities in addition to poverty, especially as the country would prove to lack in passable economic resourcefulness until recently.Greece, for a significantly portion of the 20th century, was under-developed, but it was not until in the mid-eighties that the country would start to catch up and become more incorporate with the rest o f Europe (Chilton, et al. , 2008) There are some interesting factors in Greek culture that can be regarded to have influenced attitudes of its people. One of these concepts is filotimo. Although hard to translate, filotimo generally refers to the Greeks jazz for deep honor that they should possess this goes well with anther important Greek characteristic of integrity which is about behaving as an upright individual.Although a sense of deep honor, as a translation, does not provide enough interpretation of the concept, filotimo can be considered to refer to a character that is luxuriouslyly desirable, but basically, it can be associated with a sense of self who is intrinsically good (Makedon, 1995). In addition to the concept of filotimo, modern Greece had emerged with additional cultural concepts in terms of character, and these are leventia and palikaria. Leventia refers to a sense of manly chastity thereby emphasizing the importance of having certain male characteristics.Leven tia is paired with palikaria which also refers to the same meaning. As pair, possessing or being leventia and/or palikaria is about the ability to survive through hard times, especially if the individual or the family has been subject to a critical amount of duress. Having leventia and palikaria can gain an individual substantial admiration from those around him because of the display of a strong sense of self as seen in courage or proactiveness that addresses the source of any problem (Makedon, 1995).Last but not the least, albeit its painful periods of oppression, the Greek people have a great amount of love towards liberty. The love for liberty has always been a Greek characteristic, as seen from the ancient Greek civilization to the modern Greek society. Many themes in the Greek arts have represent the importance of freedom, and evidently, as the cradle of democracy, Greek culture had long valued to fight oppression and aimed for a more liberal and democratic society in which they get to possess a certain amount of freedom despite the restrictions posed upon them (Makedon, 1995).Generally, these characteristics show how modern Greece have managed an important element of its identity, and that is its Orthodox church however, despite the practice of orthodoxy, this aspect of freedom is expert in such a way that the Greek people remains to have an open mind towards its paganistic past. In a way, the Greek culture can be regarded to have managed to lessen the conflict between mythos and logos, and today, the Greek people has been finding ways to make room for the modern and how it fits to its long standing tradition.Greek Business Culture Studies on the Greek business culture has had references to Hofstedes cultural framework. In terms of the readys of Greece according to Hofstedes four dimensions, Greece has the following measures in these four indices (Hofstede, 2001) ? Power distance index 63 ? Individualism 35 ? Masculinity 57 ? perplexity avoidance index 112 In terms of Greeces tick in the power distance index, this score shows how its people, according to Hofstedes framework, demonstrates the emergence of the social classes in Greek society.This is to say that people are aware of the powers that are present in the society and they know their place with respect to that power. The score of the country in this index can be considered to be average, hence, demonstrating that although people do recognize the presence of inequalities in its society, they see the presence of means to get over certain barriers. The median score for this index is 55, and with Greece at 63, the amount of inequality is above average yet not as drastic as compared to other countries.Basically, this shows how power structure plays in the society which can be considered as a paradox considering the Greeks love for liberty and democracy. In a sense, such score shows how the Greeks have embraced reality and that certain powers have created a strong influenc e in the country. The next score shows that the country has lower measures of individualism thereby masking that Greece is a upliftedly collective society. This shows how Greeks have a strong regard for family and community, and how individuals are strongly influenced by their environment.Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) mentioned that when Greeks enter an organization, there is already the expectation that the Greek employee expects to work for this fraternity for the rest of his or her life, and at the same time, in exchange for this loyalty, they expect that the firm will also look after their family. The next indicator is masculinity, and Greece scored slightly above the global average of 50 (Hofstede, 2001). This is an interesting score as generally, the Greek society has demonstrated the strong male influence in terms of their position in the family and the society.The roles between males and females have been regarded to be also more distinctive, in which case the women kn ow their positions and the limits of their power and influence. The uncertainty avoidance index shows the highest score for Greece, and based on this, there are many rules that prevail in the Greek society. Again, this is an interesting score because this contradicts the Greeks love for freedom, but then again, such rules and restrictions may have brought the Greek people to be hungry for more liberty in its societies.The many spring in Greek society can be seen in its history where the country went through oppression through foreign occupancy and dictatorship. Overall, as employees, Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) discussed the characteristics of Greek employees, as follows (273) For Greek people, the working culture is based on sense of honour, dignity, loyalty, and sense of duty reflected in the Greek word filotimo which is similar to the concept of face as reported for Chinain these societies, filotimo or face becomes an asset for organizations. In cases, however, where expect ations are not met, the personnel can be alienated. From the results of Hofstedes study, Greece can be summarized as high power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance, collectivistic and masculine (Joiner, 2001, 232). This profile, as translated into Greeces business culture, strongly demonstrates its association with societal values.According to Hofstede (2001), among the four indicators in his cultural model, the most relevant in the aspect of organizational design can be attributed to power distance and uncertainty avoidance which is why these factors are important in assessing the relationship of national cultures and the organization. In the organizational context, the Greek business culture shows a strong sense of hierarchy and the partenalistic relations that exist in Greek companies this is evident in the high score in the power distance.In further putting this with respect to Hofstedes description of this dimension, the Greek society as well in Greek organizations, there is the accepted presence of inequalities in terms of the distributio of power. The sufferance in human inequality, interestingly, may not fair well with the Greek fundamentals on democracy but barely, such cultural characteristic is more of an indicator of a strong sense of respect towards authority (Joiner, 2001). Leadership is therefore emphasized in Greek organizations, and in business, there is much dependence on the companys leaders when it comes to making decisions.Such cultural factor can then be attributed to the historic development in Greece which, accoding to Psychogios and Szamosi (2007), lived in a society with the centralized Greek political system that highlights the powerful state and the large public welkin (8). In terms of the reflection of Greeces high uncertainty avoidance index, many studies have actually revealed that groups with hih uncertainty avoidance index demonstrate a fear of making decisios, hence, the presence of many rules that can be easily referred to.In Greece, according to studies by Bartholomew (1995), Bourantas, et al. (199), among others (as cited in Joiner, 2001), fear of decision-making has been found among Greek managers and subordinates, hence, much of these activities are left to the upper management. There is and so the influence of culture in terms of the business own practices. Although this may not be truthful in all cases, the general perception towards Greek businesses reflect how the business culture have its foundations according to its societal values, these values are which influenced by the countrys culture.III. Section three In Comparison with the US Business Culture Based on Hofstedes cultural model, Greece scored high in power distance index, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance index, whereas it scored low in individualism. These scores translate to the Greek business culture of centralization, concentrated power, more distinct gender roles, and high reliance on the organizations to take care of t he employees family. Greek employees are also found to possess the characteristics of loyalty, integrity and dignity, as guided by the concept of filotimo.In comparing this to the American culture, the contrasts can be immediately seen the differences in the scores Hofstede gave the United States (Hofstede, 2001). The US scored high in individualism, low in power distance index, uncertainty avoidance index, and long term orientation, whereas in terms of masculinity, the US scored above average. The similarities can be therefore seen in the masculinity aspect in which both shows that gender roles remain to be differentiated in the American business culture. However, the similarities end there.Based on the scores, the American culture can be described as highly individualistic, with a greater sense of equality and fewer rules thereby showing greater tolerance in new ideas and beliefs. Basically, the American business culture does embody these characteristics. As the country embraced c apitalism and industrialization earlier than Greece, the countrys business culture tends to have a more advanced and liberal approach. There is a strong presence of market economy forces in the United States, and employees are also driven by the economic opportunitis presented to them.One of the important aspects in the American business culture is the presence of competition, and competition is present not only among businesses but among individuals as well (McCraw, 2000). Hence, unlike in Greece where a bulk of the important responsibilities are left to upper management, American organizations and their employees grab these opportunities to hold more responsibilities because it means more opportunities for them to gain better positions. Competitive is therefore a characteristic of the American business culture, and this makes sense according to the results of the scores of the United States according to Hofstedes model.Although these scores and comparisons between national and bu siness cultures can be regarded to be applicable, it should be noted that the degree of relevance may not be true in all cases. In addition to the challenges as to the validity of Hofstedes model (Blodgett, et al. , 2008), there is also the case of change that can peradventure take place at social and business levels. As discussed in the first section, the applicability is limited as to the relevance of national cultures to business cultures although the fundamentals of a national culture tends to become apparent generally.For instance, the Greek concept of filotimo can be considered to be true even at business levels, and at the same time, the collective spirit can be seen in how many Greek corporations are family-owned. Such is true in the case of the United States in terms of the masculunity scores. Although in some instances gender roles remain defined in the US, in the business world, more and more women have started to hold significant positions across many organizations.Ther efore, the relevance of national culture perceptions are only true up to a certain extent but information such as those gathered by Hofstedes studies serve as useful references to the basics of the social and business dynamics in a country. IV. Section Four inauguration an American Business in Greece Based on the scores in Hofstedes cultural framework, the USAs national culture distance from Greece is at 3. 47 according to 42 surveyed American firms in the country (Kessapidou & Varsakelis, 2002).With this number, it can be assumed that there will be greater difficulty in the successful establishment of the American company in Greece however, this may not be the case, and the same is true even if the company has a Greek affiliate. According to Kessapidou and Varsakalis (2002), the strength lies in the Greeks characteristic to be collective, hence, they tend to take after with the requirements of the company. In addition, the concept of filotimo can drive Greek employees to perform b etter, thereby filotimo, in a sense, serves as a source of competitiveness, which is compatible with the American busines culture.However, there may be some problems in terms of the management aspect between the American and the Greek managers, or the Greek managers needing to comply with the demands of American management practices. Although there are highly centralized American companies, the delegation of power and function is one of an American companys assets, hence, should decisions need to be made, even some subordinates may step in and show a sense of leadership. This may intimidate Greek managers and employees, especially if the firm would have American employees working in the Greek operations.In addition, the Greek employees may think that the Americans are too aggressive and ambitious in the workplace, thereby possibly creating a rift among the employees. Hence, the recommendation is that prior to the establishment of the American operation in Greece, both sides need to be educated about the cultures they are about to encounter. Since that Greece is going to host the company, the American company needs to comply more with the Greek culture, but since it is the American company that is going to establish the business, the Greek employees and managers also need to