Exploring Culture

Exploring Culture: Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures truly brings Geert Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture to life.This unique training book contains an abundance of exercises, dialogues, stories and simulations that put the five dimensions of culture (power distance, collectivism versus individualism, femininity versus masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term versus short term orientation) into action. Derived from these five dimensions are what Hofstede calls synthetic cultures: ten pure cultural types.Exploring Culture is arranged to follow the classic culture learning sequence of gaining awareness, knowledge and skills. Part light, part serious, but always thought-provoking, the book provides more than seventy-five activities, dialogues and stories for readers to explore and discuss. Exploring Culture is an outstanding resource for trainers and educators and the perfect complement to Hofstede's popular Cultures and Organizations.ContentsForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPar I: Stories and Exercises1 Worlds Apart in One Village2 Culture: The Rules of the Social GamePart II: Synthetic Cultures3 The Ten Synthetic Culture Profiles4 Getting to Know the Synthetic Cultures5 Dialogues in Synthetic Culture Role6 Summing UpPart III: Group Work and Similuations7 Group Work for Cross-Cultural Learning8 Using Synthetic Cultures in Simulations9 The Trade Mission10 Follow-the-Sun Global Technology TeamReferencesIndex

Exploring Culture: Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures truly brings Geert Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture to life.This unique training book contains an abundance of exercises, dialogues, stories and simulations that put the five dimensions of culture (power distance, collectivism versus individualism, femininity versus masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term versus short term orientation) into action. Derived from these five dimensions are what Hofstede calls synthetic cultures: ten pure cultural types.Exploring Culture is arranged to follow the classic culture learning sequence of gaining awareness, knowledge and skills. Part light, part serious, but always thought-provoking, the book provides more than seventy-five activities, dialogues and stories for readers to explore and discuss. Exploring Culture is an outstanding resource for trainers and educators and the perfect complement to Hofstede's popular Cultures and Organizations.

Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Stories and Exercises
1 Worlds Apart in One Village
2 Culture: The Rules of the Social Game

Part II: Synthetic Cultures
3 The Ten Synthetic Culture Profiles
4 Getting to Know the Synthetic Cultures
5 Dialogues in Synthetic Culture Role
6 Summing Up

Part III: Group Work and Similuations
7 Group Work for Cross-Cultural Learning
8 Using Synthetic Cultures in Simulations
9 The Trade Mission
10 Follow-the-Sun Global Technology Team
References
Index

Gert Jan Hofstede, son of Geert Hofstede, is a senior researcher and assistant professor in information technology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He has authored four books and numerous articles.Paul B. Pedersen is professor emeritus at Syracuse University and visiting professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii. He is a well-known author and authority in the field of cross-cultural counseling. His best-known book is Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling and Therapy. For more information, visit his website at suedweb.syr.edu/chs/pedersen

Geert H. Hofstede is an international authority in the field of cross-cultural social psychology and is cofounder of the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation at Tilburg University, where he also serves as a senior fellow. Culture's Consequences and Cultures and Organizations are two of the books for which he is best known. For more information, visit his website at www.geert-hofstede.com