Fons Trompenaars
James Rafferty
Fons Trompenaars is an internationally renowned management theorist, speaker and consultant in the field of cross-cultural competency. This report analyzes Mr. Trompenaars work with Charles Hamden-Turner and specifically, their collaboration on the creation of the “Seven Dimensions of Culture�.
Management Practice Continuous Assessment Business Management TA_BMNGT_B X00074410 3/1/2013
Declaration I acknowledge that this content for this continuous assessment is my original work and any work of any other authors has been cited and referenced.
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01/03/2013__
Introduction
I have chosen Dutch theorist Fons Trompenaars as the focus of my report on new management thinking. Mr. Trompenaars is a key thinker in relation to cross- cultural literacy and competency and also founder of Trompenaars Hamden-Turner, an internationally renowned, research driven, consultancy firm – who act as a center of excellence in the field of cultural diversity within the workplace. He has spent over twenty years consulting “Fortune 500” companies in relation to combating ambiguous dilemmas such as culture clashes whilst also promoting the concept of the “multi-cultural company”. Brotherton, P (2011) Mr. Trompenaars has penned a large volume of business culture based literature such as Seven Cultures of Capitalism (1993), Riding the waves of Culture (1997) and Building crosscultural competence (2000). The majority of Trompenaars thinking focuses on gaining understanding, knowledge and flexibility towards the rapid integration of multiple cultural backgrounds in the workplace. He ties this increasing trend to the rise of globalization and the relatively easy platforms available to operate on a global level. UKEssays (2012) Trompenaars has been subject to debate and has also been likened to Geert Hofstedt, as he has further developed Hofstedt’s theories on cultural differentiation to develop some of his thinking that I will talk about further on. These managerial tools assist in dealing with Heterogeneous environments, managing complexity and also reconciling cultural disagreements – a potentially lucrative competitive advantage for any organization. “All people face the same dilemmas, it’s the culture that half kills us” (Trompenaars) Trompenaars has developed many models and theories that are globally accredited, but given the sheer volume of his work, I have chosen to focus on his work with Hamden-Turner in creating the “Seven dimensions of Culture” mostly conversed about in their book “Riding the Waves of Culture” Trompenaars, F. Hamden-Turner, C. (1997)
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Trompenaars & the Seven Dimensions of Culture
“The reason leaders must mediate values is that corporations have reached such
levels of complexity that 'giving orders’ rarely works anymore. What increasingly happens is that leaders ‘manage culture' by fine-tuning values and dilemmas, and then that culture runs the organization. The leader defines excellence and develops an appropriate culture, and then the culture does the excelling.” Even during the 1980’s, Fons Trompenaars believed that having comprehensive knowledge of different cultures and values, would one day be a prerequisite for any globalized organization. In present day, seemingly miniscule companies can operate across national boundaries and continents – facilitated by improved transport and communication platforms, deregulation and the increase in trade agreements. These conditions brought Trompenaars to the conclusion that operating globally would ultimately mean hiring globally. Managing Directors and top management within every organization strive to obtain hard to duplicate or “inimitable” competitive advantages. Trompenaars believes that gaining a comprehensive knowledge of the different cultures that coexist within a workplace, could yield tremendous results. This included a more harmonious, productive workplace, reduced wastage, and ultimately reduced costs. Dealing with disputes and brokering platforms of recourse for stand offs can be very expensive. Trompenaars highlighted this. Trompenaars work with Hamden-turner gave birth to their “Seven Dimensions of Culture” theory. This sets in place a school of thought focused on how people act within a workplace setting and also, what they value in terms of their work and position. These cultural factors are broken into seven orientations which assess the values that a person holds.
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Given the limitations of this reports scope, rather than assign these orientations to specific cultures, or nations that are generally seen as conducive to them, I will focus primarily on the individual, modern day worker regardless of nationality. The methodology will allow me to deduce to the reader what orientations can be assigned to the worker and how these orientations are broken down and synopsized. 1.1 Universalism vs. Particularism This refers to how a culture rates the importance of rules relative to the importance of relationships and vice-versa. Universalism dictates that the law should be prioritized over relationships. Whilst Particularism is juxtaposed in position, believing that relationships between people should take precedence over rules, as they only “codify” how people interact with each other. Proven Models (2012) 1.2 Individualism vs. Communitarianism This refers to whether a member of a culture prefers to be a member of a group or remain individual. Individualism has foundations in individual happiness and fulfillment for one’s self, Whilst Collectivism dictates that the actions of the individual should be undertaken with the best interests of the group at heart. ProvenModels (2012) 1.3 Affectivity or Neutrality Should a person show emotion within an organization? Or should they remain inverted? In an affective business culture, workers are enthused to show their emotions as they are impossible to hide. In a neutral culture, emotions are unnecessary and risky - if shown overtly. They should be controlled to a minimum amount as to avoid emotion overriding logical thinking. 1.4 Specific vs. Diffuse This orientation classifies how responsibility is assigned into two groups. A specific culture views components as individual parts that can be added in one by one, and then as a whole. They prefer hard facts, standards and contracts than more malleable information. A diffuse culture originally see’s things as a whole and then breaks it down into individual components. All components are related to each other and the sum of the whole is more important than the individual parts. 4
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1.5 Achievement vs. Ascription In this culture, Trompenaars looks at how people receive status. In an achieved culture, people are given status by their accomplishments, which must be proven over and over to continuously be pushed up an organizations ladder. An ascripted culture assigns status by a workers age, gender and so on. This method of receiving status can be viewed as less democratic than that of the achieved culture. ProvenModels (2012) 1.6 Sequential vs. Synchronic This is related to how a culture completes tasks. As workers, should we complete tasks in sequential order? (One at a time), or should be we undertake tasks synchronically? (Many at once) How organizations decide is dependent on how they view time. Do they see time as flexible or do they see it as a rigidity that they must abide by. Time orientation dictates which route works and top management choose. ProvenModels (2012) 1.7 Inner Directed vs. Outer Directed Within an organization, does the dominant culture view the environment as controllable? Or alternatively, do they see the environment as being in control of them? In an Inner Directed culture, it is believed that although the environment is powerful –it can be controlled. The Outer Directed culture sees control in a more holistic view. ProvenModels (2012) The environment is seen as part of nature and that mankind must co-exist with it rather than openly try to seek dominion over it. In an organization, it would be wise not to attempt to control the external environment, given the sheer volume of variables and uncertainties that must be taken into account. Trompenaars, F. Hamden-Turner, C. (1997)
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Personal Opinion & Impact
Trompenaars’ work has brought me to reanalyze my management style. Not only to manage effectively, but also to try to create a culture of excellence within the workplace – casting aside cultural ambiguities that are merely fodder. My leadership style is conducive with the delegation and participation approaches; I am more of a “Transitioner” type manager. This management style fits well with many of Trompenaars theories, especially in relation to cultural theory and how differing cultural backgrounds in the workplace must be managed enthusiastically and with a sense of decorum and respect. A “transitioner” management style is based on the ideals of taking the organization to the next generation, which consists of developing potential leaders for the future. Transitioners traits are associated patience, vision and team-centered. This team orientated management style can work well when used in unison with a culturally diverse outlook on the work place and your subordinates. This hybrid management style has foundations in Trompenaars theory – quite suitable for a modern manager. Identifying and building successors for the future dictates constant interaction with your team. In today’s globalized business world, this team can consist of members from the most disparate corners of the world. This brings along a challenge of managing and embracing many different cultures and ways of thinking within the one team. Trompenaars’ “Seven dimension of culture” theory allows me to understand how people deal with each other in a business setting. It sets in place an infrastructure to help me identify how people act in the workplace and what they value. Assessing workers using this studied criterion allows the prospective manager to pinpoint how they react to different social situations, their cultural influences, and broadly – what type of worker they are. This way, managers can gauge emotional information that was previously viewed as too uncertain and intangible. Thus, allowing them to decide if the worker would prosper in a culture of excellence.
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Trompenaars’ thinking has also impacted how I view a culturally diverse workplace. Rather than enforce a heterogeneous style workplace, where everyone must adhere to a generic business culture, my management style dictates a more utopian approach. Management is changing. Today, most managers have no other choice but to embrace the fact that they will regularly come into contact with various cultures during the course of their work. Trompenaars’ has enlightened how I view different cultures and how to respect their values and opinions. It has also helped me identify different cultural styles and enables me to deduce which orientation a worker could be. This covers many areas for me – emotional intelligence, status, work preferences, completion of tasks and so on. Trompenaars has communicated to me through his work that even disparate and sometimes conflicting cultures, if managed and embraced correctly, can be the foundations to a culture of excellence. This advocates an environment of mutual respect in that all members of the organization work towards common objectives. Without stating the obvious, a happy workplace is an efficient workplace, and with Trompenaars “Seven Dimension of Culture” theory, I can manage in a way that will compliment this.
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1.1 Websites
References
Brotherton, P (2011) “Fons Trompenaars” [Online] Available http://www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2011/08/Fons-Trompenaars Accessed: February 19th 2013
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ChangingMinds.Org (2012) “Trompenaars Four Diversity Cultures” [Online] Available at: http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/trompenaars_four_cultures.htm Accessed: th February 17 2013 Medlock, M (2010) “Affective vs. Neutral” [Online] Available th http://www.slideshare.net/dragon888/affective-neutral Accessed: February 17 2013
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ProvenModels (2012) “Seven Dimensions of Culture” [Online] Available at: http://www.provenmodels.com/580/seven-dimensions-of-culture/charles-hampden-turner--fonstrompenaars/ Accessed: February 18th 2013 THT Consulting (2012) Available at: http://www2.thtconsulting.com/about/ Accessed: February 17th 2013 UkEssays (2012) “Geert Hofstedt vs. Fons Trompenaars” [Online] Available http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/management/geert-hofstede-vs-fons-trompenaars.php Accessed February 17th 2013
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MindTools (2012) “Seven Dimensions of Culture: Understanding and Managing Cultural http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/sevenDifferences” [Online] Available at: th dimensions.htm Accessed: February 17 2013 1.2 Books Trompenaars, F. Hamden-Turner, C. (1997) “Riding the waves of culture” Second Edition [Online] Available at: http://khurrambukhari.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/riding-on-the-wavesof-culture.pdf Accessed: February 15th 2013
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1.1 Books/Journals
Bibliography
Hamden-Turner, C. Trompenaars, F. Lewis, C. (2000): Building Cross-Cultural Competence: How to create wealth from conflicting values. Accessed: February 11th 2013. Trompenaars, F. Woolliams, P (2004): Business across Cultures. Accessed: February 10th 2013.
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