Prof. Geert Hofstede on Cultural Awareness
Prof. Dr. Geert Hofstede. Meet the "Master" of Culture Cited more often in the Social Sciences Citation Index than Sigmund Freud, Geert Hofstede did his groundbreaking research in the 1960s when working with IBM. Statistical details can be found in the many books he...
Does Cultural Diversity make You Smile or Cry?
When giving a Cultural Awareness Training there is the question: Does Cultural Diversity make you Smile or Cry? In order to answer this question, it makes sense "breaking" culture/diversity (in this case inter-changeable words) into different layers. Much like an...
Where is Culture? A Focus Point
During our Cultural Awareness Training, we focus on Where Culture Is. In other words, can we isolate culture and distinguish it from Personality and what is Common to All ManKind? The answer is yes. Culture has a place amongst the other two (Personality and What is...
Cultural Awareness Definition
Cultural Awareness Definition You're on the website Culture Matters now What could be a cultural awareness definition? Or better, in which context is it used on this website? When you look up "Culture" on Wikipedia, there are 8 chapters of information and dozens of...
Humor in Culture
Let's Talk About Humor in Culture Consider this phrase: "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much..." Please, don't switch off, but please read on. Now ask yourself: is this funny or not? Chances are that it was, or it was not. In other words, it depends. On what? In your...
Informal Inspection by the Boss
Informal Inspection by the Boss Imagine this setting: A small company consisting of about 8 people. They busy themselves with interim services (finding and placing candidates within companies). All this is in the country of Belgium. Most of them work remotely. There...
The US elections from a Cultural perspective
2012 Elections It's an election year in the US. The first primaries have been held in Iowa for the bid of the republican candidate who will contest President Obama in November this year. The winner there: is Mitt Romney. For now. Another Republican contestant, Newt...
Working Internationally; 3 Things to consider
Working Internationally After doing a presentation on Personal Cultural Awareness Training in Amsterdam last month for Talk about IT, I was asked to comment on what 3 things someone can do to better understand "the other" culture. Watch this short 2-minute video......
Italian Culture; Why Berlusconi will not change Italy
Italian Culture; Why Berlusconi Will not Change Italy At the time of this writing, he has not yet resigned. Mr. Silvio Berlusconi. And even if he would or does, it will not make any difference to the Italian situation. The situation of (government) corruption, the...
