Cultural Differences

Cultural Differences

Culture is a complicated system of ideas that represents uniqueness of countries. There is no right or wrong culture because no one can measure it. However, due to globalization we have a chance to compare Western and Asian countries which both differ in characteristics such as power distance, masculinity, and individualism.

Power distance is one of the dimensions of the culture that is usually used in business field to represent unequal distribution of power between people from different social levels. In comparison, Asian culture tends to have high power distance and people in those countries believe that everyone has a particular place; therefore, they easily accept unequal relationships. While Western countries have low power distance, leaders prefer using independent approach rather than forcing and they often encourage subordinates to suggest ideas for solving problems.

Furthermore, culture is differentiated by preferences of gender role. Western countries are usually masculine and it stands for a tendency to strength and ambitions. In workplace, men hold managerial positions and they are responsible for important decisions. On the other hand, Asian countries are mostly feminine and they show passive behavior which is more likely for women nature. Men can be influenced by women and they do not hold as much authority as men in masculine culture.

Additionally, another important aspect in culture is value. Individualist culture tends to focus on self-satisfaction and independence, while collectivist society concentrates its attention on group content. For example, Western countries are individualistic and people usually rely on themselves in making decisions. In contrast, Asian countries are mainly collectivists and people value relationships and achievements of groups’ goals.