Crossvergence: Questioning the Hofstede Paradigm One of Essay

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Crossvergence: Questioning the Hofstede paradigm

One of the most well-known and popular methods of analyzing differences between cultures is that of Geert Hofstede's framework, which conceptualizes different cultures as having fundamental, core values regarding power distance, masculine and feminine norms, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and future orientation. However, Kelley, MacNab, & Worthley (2006) in their article "Crossvergence and cultural tendencies: A longitudinal test of the Hong Kong, Taiwan and United States banking sectors" criticize the Hofstede framework as overly rigid and static. Cultures are not enclosed entities, but rather are permeable structures. The authors apply the concept of crossvergence to the Hong Kong and Chinese banking sectors, comparing the cultural differences between Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States -- the latter "an often assumed, dissimilar region" from these Asian nations -- during the years 1985-2000 (Kelley, MacNab, & Worthley 2006: 68).

One of the problems with using Hofstede's framework when analyzing Asia is that there has long been a tendency of Westerners to see Asia as a whole merely as more collectivist than itself, without sufficiently appreciating the nuances between different local environments. This is also addressed in a comparison of Hong Kong and China. "Asians are sometimes culturally, and arguably carelessly, lumped together in the treatment of management issues on the basis that they have a common value system (Fukuda and Wheeler, 1988). This similarity assumption is dangerous for researchers and practitioners alike, as several studies have demonstrated tendencies for cultural differences among various Asian groups and within Greater China" (Kelley, MacNab, & Worthley 2006: 69).

It should be noted that Hofstede does acknowledge that cultures can change.

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However, Hofstede believes that cultures tend to remain static when compared with one another -- in other words, even if Japan may grow more individualistic given the shifts and changes in modern global society, it is still more collectivist than the United States. According to Hofstede: "countries could all have moved [to different levels on cultural dimensions] without changes in their mutual ranking" (Kelley, MacNab, & Worthley 2006: 70). However, the concept of the convergence -- divergence -- crossvergence (CDC) phenomena suggests a more dynamic synergy and greater pliability of cultural ideals. Cultures may converge (blend) or diverge), but they may also engage in crossvergence, changing due to different economic circumstances and cultural exposures to other nations and ideals. This can results in a fundamental shift in cultural orientation away from its original status on Hofstede's measures. "The concept of crossvergence is vital to our position as it addresses the idea that as economies develop, interact and evolve, there will be an impact on culture, creating a unique type of identity. Altered blends of past standard cultural identity may evolve in order to meet new challenges and to respond more effectively to external pressures like global competition. For example, it may become less accurate to generally refer to Asians as highly collectivistic without….....

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