Individualism & Collectivism

Michael Gallagher. Victoria Gathogo. Paige Gmyrek. Briana Goode. Lori He. Cedrick Houston.

Cross-Cultural Management Project

Overview

● Individualism vs. Collectivism

● Hofstede Ratings● Demonstration of Behavior

○ Family Life○ Housing and Clothing○ Social Customs○ Religion○ Education○ Business

Me or We?

How would you describe the United States: more individualistic or more collectivist? France?

Individualism Degree to which individuals are integrated into

groups.

Collectivism

Individualism“the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members”

Individualistic Traits● People taking care of themselves (including immediate family only)● Self-orientation● Identity based on individual● Guilt culture● Making decisions based on individual needs● “I” mentality● Emphasis on individual initiative and achievement● Everyone has a right to a private life

Collectivism “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members”

Collectivist Traits● Expect absolute loyalty to group ● Group orientation● Decisions based on what is best for the group.● Identity based on social system● Shame culture● Dependence on organization and institutions● “We” mentality

Hofstede Ratings

* partially based on an educated guess derived from data similar to countries

Family Life

● Both France (71) and the United States (91) are individualistic countries. Kenya (25), on the other hand, is a collectivist country.

● French Perspective vs. U.S. Perspective○ Host family Guilliaume and Catherine point of view○ Personal Experience

Housing, Clothing, & Food

● Elderly family members live with family

● More collectivist in dress

● Meals are eaten with the family

● Food is an expression of culture

Social Customs

France United States Kenya

Dinner:“We-ather”

Dinner:“Grab & Go”

Dinner:“Until the End of

Time”

Fashion:Black or Neutral

Fashion:Freedom

Fashion:Traditional

Personal & BusinessSeparate

Personal & Business Mixture

Personal & Business Blend

Religion & Common Beliefs

France United States Kenya

Secularism Mix of Spiritualism and Secularism

Spiritual

Separation of Church and State

Ideally State and Religion are Separate

Separation of State and Religion

Focus on Liberty and Tolerance

Mixture of People and Practice Tolerance

High Tolerance for Others

EducationFrance United States Kenya

Cooperation“Group Work”

Competitive “Individual Work”

Cooperation“Group Work”

Less Expensive More Expensive More Expensive

Not Risk Takers“Stay in Comfort

Zone”

Risk Takers“Not Afraid to Try and

Fail”

Semi Risk Takers

Business

France

Work Life Balance

United States

Emphasis on Work

Kenya

Work Life Balance

Strict Labor Laws Strict Labor Laws Relaxed Labor Laws

Lackadaisical in regards to time

Punctuality is thekey

Lackadaisical in regards to time

Conclusion

● United States shows the most individualistic tendencies

● France shows a mixture of both Individualism and Collectivism

● Kenya is the most Collectivist of the three countries

Any Questions?

Sourceshttp://outofafrika.org.uk/news/?p=347

http://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/bsad560/HofstedeIndividualism.html

http://www.norrag.org/ar/publications/norrag-news/online-version/targets-in-education-training-off-centre/detail/targeting-quality-education-in-kenya-in-the-face-of-universalizing-access.html