Hofstede analysis of cultures 5 parameters. Six dimensions of culture H. Hofstede

Please select a country in the dropdown menu below to see the values ​​for the 6 dimensions. After a first country has been selected, a second and even a third country can be chosen to be able to see a comparison of their scores.

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Please note that culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. This programming influences patterns of thinking which are reflected in the meaning people attach to various aspects of life and which become crystallized in the institutions of a society.

This does not imply that everyone in a given society is programmed in the same way; there are considerable differences between individuals. It may well be that the differences among individuals in one country culture are bigger than the differences among all country cultures. We can, nevertheless, still use such country scores based on the law of the big numbers, and on the fact, most of us are strongly influenced by social control. Please realise that statements about just one culture on the level of “values” do not describe “reality”; such statements are generalizations and they ought to be relative. Without comparison, a country score is meaningless.

The scores used for the fifth dimension are based on the research of Michael Minkov as published in the 3rd and the latest edition of Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind(2010), pages 255-258.

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Different countries differ greatly in the level of economic development, political structure, culture, historical experience, natural and climatic conditions, etc. How do these facts affect the characteristics of the cultures of organizations and the behavior of people? The famous typology of organizational cultures by Hert Hofstede makes it possible to evaluate different national cultures in terms of such parameters as individualism and collectivism, power distance, masculinity and femininity, perception of uncertainty, etc.

Many business organizations operate in different countries of the world, which are very different from each other in the level of economic development, political structure, culture, historical experience, natural and climatic conditions, etc. This stimulates the search for an answer to the question of how these facts are reflected in the characteristics of the cultures of organizations and, consequently, on the behavior of people.

The research of management researchers aimed at developing typological criteria and creating typologies of organizational cultures helps to answer this question.

Today, there are a number of cultural typologies created by researchers of organizational culture. The most famous of them are the typologies of G. Hofstede, T. Deal and A. Kennedy, R. Blake and J. Moughton, S. Handy, K. Cameron and R. Quinn. Consideration of their most characteristic features allows us to understand the mechanism of the relationship between organizational behavior and culture. Here we take a look at one of the most popular and comprehensive typologies by the Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede.

Hofstede's typology of organizational cultures was developed in the early 1980s based on the results of a large-scale study of divisions of the famous transnational corporation IBM located on different continents and in different countries (116 thousand employees were interviewed in 40 countries). This typology can be considered the most famous and popular, which is explained by the successfully found set of universal parameters suitable for analyzing the cultures of organizations, regardless of which country they are in, in which broader cultural context they operate.

The results of G. Hofstede's research are very relevant for Russian leaders in the light of the problems of the domestic labor market. It is characterized by a growing inflow of low-skilled labor from abroad, an increase in the number of foreign companies, high staff turnover and low labor motivation. It is also important for domestic companies to enter international markets, where they will have to face difficulties in overcoming cultural barriers.

To study national culture as a basic factor in organizational behavior, Hofstede suggested using the following options, representing the continua of such behavior characteristics:

• individualism - collectivism;
• power distance (degree of participation in decision-making that affects everyone);
• acceptability of uncertainty;
• masculinity - femininity (masculinity - femininity);
• time horizon of orientation towards the future (short - long).

The parameter "individualism - collectivism" characterizes the degree with which citizens of a given country or employees of an organization prefer to act independently, and not as members of a particular group.

The extreme values ​​of this scale: absolutization of their personal interests and complete submission to the interests of a group or society. Thus, having determined the value of this parameter, it is possible to determine the tightness of the socio-psychological connection between members of society or employees of an organization. Indicators that make it possible to do this by constructing appropriate measuring scales, opinion polls and observations are presented in table. 1.

Table 1. Composition and differences of indicators according to the parameter "individualism - collectivism"

Countries with high values ​​of collectivism	Countries with high values ​​of individualism
Priority of employee training on the part of the company (training, physical condition, etc.)	Priority of the employee's personal life (in terms of spending free time)
Emotional dependence on the company	Emotional independence from the company
Striving to work in large companies	Striving to work in small companies
Moral obligations prevail in the relationship with the company	Sober calculation prevails in relations with the company
Students find it socially less acceptable to pursue their own goals without caring for others	Students find it socially acceptable to pursue their own goals without caring about others.
Managers strive for obedience and order	Managers strive for leadership and diversity
Managers assess their position by prioritizing confidence and stability	Managers assess their position by prioritizing their independence
Managers hold traditional views, discouraging employee initiatives or group activities	Managers have a modern perspective on fostering employee initiative or group activity
Group solutions are more attractive than individual ones	Individual solutions are more attractive than group solutions
Students are guided in life by the imperative of duty	Students are guided by the joy of life
Managers cite duty, experience and prestige as the main goals in life	Managers cite pleasure, attraction, and safety as their top goals in life.
Individual initiative is condemned by society: fatalism	Individual initiative is encouraged by the community
Greater compliance in response to a question of significance	Less pliability in response to the question of significance
People think in terms of their own - alien: particularism	People think in general terms: universalism
Social relationships are determined by belonging to one's own or someone else's group.	People need personal friendships
Longer apprenticeship period (time before promotion)	Shorter apprenticeship period (time before promotion)
Greater value of the specific indicator of road traffic accidents	Lower value of the specific indicator of road traffic accidents
The predominance of traditional ways of spending time	The prevalence of modern ways of spending time

In the course of his research, Hofstede studied the relationship between the level of a country's welfare (the indicator is the size of the gross national product per capita) and its position on the scale of individualism (collectivism). According to the data he obtained, rich countries (the United States and Western Europe) had a high index of individualism (the ratio of values ​​of indicators of individualism (collectivism), while countries with low indicators of welfare (Colombia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Russia, etc.) had high rates of collectivism.

Distance of power- the recognized or permissible degree of inequality between people in terms of influence on the decisions made. Simply put, it is the actual availability of leadership to subordinates.

The degree of inequality was measured on a scale "distance of power" on a 100-point scale by expert means using the indicators of the size of the distance given in Table. 2.

Table 2. Composition and differences of indicators by the parameter "distance of power"

Countries with less power distance	Countries with greater power distance
Parents attach less importance to child obedience	Parents place more emphasis on children's obedience
Students value independence	Students value comfort
The authoritarian approach among students is a consequence of their personal characteristics	Students view an authoritarian approach as a social norm
Managers tend to seek advice from their subordinates when making decisions.	Managers make decisions on an autocratic and paternalistic basis
Constant supervision and control is assessed negatively by subordinates	Constant supervision and control is assessed positively by subordinates
Strong work ethic: do not believe that a person might not like to work	Weak work ethics: believe rather than not believe that a person may not like to work
Managers are more governed by the boss who is directly involved in affairs	Managers are more governed by a directive and motivating boss
The preferences of subordinates in relation to the style of decision-making by the manager are clearly directed towards the advisory, compromise type.	Subordinates' preferences regarding managerial decision-making style are polarized between authoritarian-paternalistic style and the rule of subordination of the minority to the majority.
Managers prefer to view themselves as practical and systematic people, recognize the need for support	Managers prefer to see themselves as generous people who take responsibility for making decisions.
Workers are less afraid of expressing disagreement with their superiors	Employees are afraid to express disagreement with their superiors
Workers are more willing to cooperate	Workers show less willingness to cooperate
Managers are believed to be more reasoning	It is believed that managers are less inclined to reason
Among students, the words "power" and "wealth" tend to evoke a positive reaction.	Among students, the words "power" and "wealth" tend to cause negative reactions.
Mixed Sentiments About Subordinate Participation in Management	Ideological support for the participation of subordinates in the management process
Mixed sentiment among managers about the possibility of distributing leadership and initiative	Ideological support among managers for a wide distribution of leadership functions and initiatives
Possible informal advice with employees without their formal participation in the process	Formal participation of employees in the process is possible without informal advice with them
Highly educated workers are less likely to adhere to authoritarian values ​​than poorly educated workers	The level of education does not affect the adherence of the majority to authoritarian values

Societies and organizations are run as autocratically as the members of those societies or organizations allow. The power distance is very long in countries such as the Philippines and Venezuela. India, and quite large in France, Belgium and the Russian Federation. Denmark, Israel and Austria have low rates. You can see that there is no correlation between power distance and individualism rating: a country's collectivism always indicates a large power distance, but individualism does not always mean a small power distance. All other wealthy Western countries are characterized by short power distances and high ratings of individualism. Conversely, all poor countries are characterized by collectivism and a large power distance.

Perception of uncertainty. Striving to avoid uncertainty - the degree to which people choose to act independently, caring for themselves and their loved ones... We are talking about the uncertainty of the future in all aspects that are significant for everyday life, and not so much distant as the next tomorrow (days, weeks, months). In countries with different cultures, people tend to perceive uncertainty in their own way: in polar cases, either as a completely undesirable phenomenon, or almost neutral, as unstable weather.

People in societies where uncertainty is considered the natural state of the social environment accept each new day as it is. They take risks relatively easily and don't tend to work too hard.

Societies with the opposite attitude to uncertainty perceive it as an undeniably negative circumstance, trying to control the future. Studies show that societies with a strong aversion to uncertainty and a large power distance include all Latin American and Mediterranean countries (the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey), as well as Japan and South Korea. As you can see, after carefully reading Table 3, values, communication and work attitudes, a number of other (24 in total) important socio-psychological and cultural factors in the behavior of the working population as a whole and managers of countries accepting uncertainty and countries rejecting uncertainty are essential. differ.

Table 3. Composition and differences of indicators for the parameter "attitude to uncertainty"

Countries embracing uncertainty	Countries rejecting uncertainty
Reduced public anxiety	Increased level of public anxiety
Greater willingness to live for today	Great concern for the future
Less work-related stress	High levels of work-related stress
Less emotional resistance to change	More emotional resistance to change
Loyalty to the employer is not considered a virtue	Loyalty towards the employer is seen as a virtue
They prefer small organizations as employers	Preferred as employers by large organizations
Smaller generation gap	As a rule, senior positions are held by older people: gerontocracy
Managers are selected based on criteria other than age	Managers are selected based on seniority criteria
Stronger motivation to achieve	Less motivation to achieve
Hope for success	Fear of defeat
Great risk appetite	Less risk appetite
Stronger focus on individual achievement	Less strong focus on individual achievement
Career preference of manager over specialist career	The manager must be an expert in the field he is managing
Organizational hierarchical structures can be neglected for pragmatic interests	Organizational hierarchies need to be respected
Broader directives are preferred	Detailed requirements and instructions are preferred
Possibility of violation of established rules for pragmatic reasons	Impossibility of breaking the rules
Conflict in an organization is normal	Organization conflict is undesirable
Competition between employees must be fair	Competition between employees is discouraged at the level of personal consciousness
Great sympathy is given to an individual and authoritarian solution.	Ideological Demand for Consensus and Advisory Leadership
Full delegation of authority to subordinates is possible	The initiative of subordinates should be controlled
High tolerance for uncertainty in the perception of others	Low tolerance for uncertainty in the perception of others
High readiness to reach a compromise with opponents	Low willingness to compromise with opponents
Foreigners are admitted as managers	Suspicious attitude towards foreigners as managers
A large number of people are ready for life abroad	Few are ready for life abroad
Higher tolerance for ambiguity in assessing one's own work (low level of satisfaction)	Low tolerance for ambiguity in assessing one's own work (high level of satisfaction)
Optimism about the ability to control decision-making by politicians	Pessimism about the ability to control decision-making by politicians
Optimism of employees about the motives of the company	Pessimism of employees about the motives of the company
Optimism about initiative, ambition and leadership skills of staff	Pessimism about ambition and leadership skills of staff

Comparison on the scale "masculinity - femininity"... G. Hofstede called societies with a rigid traditional division and consolidation of social roles and labor functions between men and women masculine, and societies with a weak division of roles - feminine. According to his research, Japan is the most masculine country, followed by German-speaking countries - Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Among the countries with the most pronounced signs of femininity of culture are the countries of continental Northern Europe - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Finland. An intermediate position is occupied by Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, as well as the Russian Federation. In the societies of these countries, the distribution of roles between the male and female parts of the population is less and less regulated by the traditions characteristic of the 19th century. and earlier eras. Quite a few roles are played by both men and women.

In his theory of cultural dimensions, the Dutch sociologist, specialist in management theory Geert (Gerard Hendrick) Hofstede (p. 1928) proposed a set of indicators that determine the cultural characteristics of different peoples. The study conducted by G. Hofstede (Fig. 4.1) consisted of a survey of a large number of employees (more than 1000) of a transnational corporation in more than 100 countries about their attitude to work and behavior in the workplace. As a result, five indicators were formulated ( criteria), by which he distinguished cultures:

• 1) power distance (low to high):
• 2) isolation (collectivism - individualism);
• 3) assertiveness (masculinity - femininity);
• 4) avoidance of uncertainty (aversion to uncertainty);
• 5) strategic thinking (short-term or long-term orientation towards the future).

As an empirical base, we used the results of a written survey conducted in the 1960s – 1970s. in 40 countries of the world (excluding the former socialist countries). These studies made it possible to establish that various cultural phenomena can be measured by several of the specified parameters, which in practice appear in various combinations with each other, which determines the mentality of the corresponding culture. The results of G. Hofstede's research were published in the works "The Consequences of Culture" (1980) and "Measurements of National Cultures in Fifty Countries and Three Regions" (1983).

Distance from power- the degree to which a society accepts an unequal distribution of power among its members. In cultures with a low distance from power, for example, in Scandinavia, the communicative style of politicians is markedly different from that adopted, for example, in Turkey, where a politician must radiate significance, authority and power.

Rice. 4.1.

Some cultures have a hierarchical, vertical organization structure. In other cultures, the hierarchy is not so strong, its structure has a horizontal character of building relationships. In hierarchical societies with a high power distance, powers between subordinates are unevenly distributed. In such cultures, it is customary to obey all superiors: traditionally, emphasized respect is given to anyone in power. In such cultures, harsh criticism of leadership is not tolerated.

For crops with big distance from power is characterized by the perception of power as the most important part of life, admiration for the authorities. These are Arab countries, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Russia.

In cultures with low distance from the authorities, the point of view was adopted that inequality in society should be minimized. People belonging to this type of culture consider the hierarchy as a conditional consolidation of the inequality of people in society. In such cultures, values ​​such as equality in relationships, individual freedom, and respect for the individual are more important. Subordinates consider themselves to be the same people as their leaders. Communication in cultures with a low distance from power is not so formalized, the equality of interlocutors is more pronounced, the style of communication is consultative in nature. As an example, we can cite the principles of Western business culture, which is characterized by glass doors in offices, free entrance to the boss, a mutually respectful form of communication between managers and subordinates, which ultimately indicates a short distance from power. In contrast to Western countries, the business culture of countries with a high distance from power presupposes two or three hierarchical levels, a large number of instructions from managers to their subordinates at each of them, which significantly lengthens the distance between the boss and the subordinate and complicates the solution of all issues.

The cultures with little distance from the authorities, which are characterized by the building of relations on the basis of equality, respect for the individual, include Austria, Denmark, USA, Germany.

Isolation (collectivism - individualism)- the degree to which society agrees that the views and actions of an individual can be independent of collective or group beliefs and actions. For example, in the United States, a person's success is associated with his individual achievements, individual responsibility for actions is emphasized, in contrast to Japan, where belonging to a team is valued.

Individualistic called a culture in which the individual goals of its members are more important than the group goals. Individualism is common in societies with a free social structure, in which everyone must take care of themselves and their families. In individualist cultures, relationships between people depend on the individual interests and aspirations of their participants and therefore change as interests and aspirations change. The type of individualistic cultures (developed "I") includes the cultures of Germany, the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Collectivist culture is characterized by the domination of group goals and values ​​over individual ones. Collectivism is inherent in societies with a strict social structure, a clear division into social groups, within which each individual is guaranteed the care and attention of others in exchange for unconditional loyalty to the group. Most of the traditional Asian and African cultures, as well as the Catholic countries of Southern Europe and Latin America, which are distinguished by an increased attention to family and community relations and values, belong to the type of collectivist cultures (developed collective origin).

According to G. Hofstede, the overwhelming majority of people live in collectivist societies, in which the interests of the group prevail over the interests of the individual.

Assertiveness (masculinity - femininity) suggests that male (Masculine) cultures should be considered those that value vanity, the pursuit of success, recognition of personal achievement and concern for high wealth. By women (feminine) cultures should be recognized in which the importance of interpersonal relationships, cooperation, the desire for understanding and the manifestation of care for others prevail.

Masculine cultures are dominated by values ​​such as perseverance, strength, independence, material success, openness. Such cultures are typical for Austria, Great Britain, Venezuela, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, the Philippines, and Japan. The gender differences between male and female roles in society are clearly defined: boys are taught to be decisive and persistent, and girls - docile and caring. In the work here, the result is valued most of all, and the reward is based on the principle of a real contribution to this result.

In feminine cultures, for example, in the cultures of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Finland, Chile, Sweden, emotional connections between people, caring for other members of society are more valued. Men in such cultures should not be assertive, they should take part in raising children. Accordingly, in the upbringing of children, great importance is attached to the development of a sense of solidarity and modesty. Social equality of the sexes and empathy for losers are preached here, conflicts are usually resolved through negotiation and compromise.

Uncertainty avoidance (uncertainty aversion)- the degree to which members of society feel insecure in uncertain, unstructured situations and try to avoid them by developing rules, formulas and rituals and refusing to put up with behavior that deviates from the standard. Societies with a high degree of uncertainty avoidance fear innovation and embrace the quest for absolute truth.

In cultures with high level of avoidance Uncertainty In a situation of uncertainty, people constantly experience stress and a sense of fear. There is a high level of aggressiveness here, for the release of which special channels are created in society. Representatives of such cultures try to avoid ambiguous situations, protecting themselves with many formal rules, rejection of deviations from the norm in behavior, and belief in absolute truth. People belonging to this type of culture are intolerant of people with a different type of behavior, they are more resistant to any changes, are sensitive to ambiguity, worried about the future, and are less inclined to take risks. They prefer clear goals, detailed assignments, tight work schedules and action schedules.

This type of culture includes the cultures of Belgium, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay, France, Japan. For example, during a conversation in France, it is not customary to immediately raise the question that interests the questioner the most. They approach him gradually, after a long conversation around the bush on various neutral topics, and as if casually, without pressure, often at the end of lunch or dinner.

For crops with low level of avoidance uncertainty is characterized by a more optimistic attitude towards any situation than people belonging to cultures with a high level of uncertainty avoidance, the hope of success in any business, the desire to live in the present. Representatives of these cultures are inclined to take risks, they resist the introduction of formalized rules of command, they are less prone to stress in unfamiliar situations. Such people are very hardworking and active, and also prone to critical thinking.

This type of culture includes the cultures of Singapore, Jamaica, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Great Britain, and the USA. For example, for students belonging to this type of culture, it is quite acceptable if the teacher answers their question: "I don't know." This is regarded by ns as the incompetence of the teacher, but as the equality of student and teacher, teacher and student, readiness for dialogue and exchange of views.

Strategic thinking (short-term or long-term orientation towards the future)- this is an orientation towards solving strategic, long-term goals, a desire to look into the future. For crops with large values ​​of this parameter (Southeast Asia) are characterized by prudence, persistence in achieving goals, persistence, for crops with small value (European countries) - adherence to traditions, fulfillment of social obligations.

It is important to remember

The significance of the theory of G. Hofstede, formulated by him as a result of extensive research, lies in the fact that features were identified that can describe national cultures according to their position relative to each other. The characteristics obtained as a result of statistical processing made it possible to make important observations about cultural oppositions.

In general, the system of cultural typologies created in the 19th – 20th centuries is very diverse, allowing modern researchers to use various methodological foundations and principles of classifications and, with their help, carry out the analysis of cultures.

• Hofstede G. Organizational culture. URL: nashaucheba.ru/v8114 (date of access: 28.10.2015).

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Geert Hofstede, a Dutch psychologist, who based on a questionnaire survey of more than 100 thousand employees of IB departments "from 40 countries of the world proposed an approach to assessing the influence of national cultures on the organizational behavior of people in several dimensions. After quantitative processing of the collected data, G. Hofstede obtained for each country indicators on a scale, where 0 points mean the complete absence of the corresponding feature, and 100 points - its maximum manifestation. Research G. Hofstede, conducted in the 1960s - 70s, lasted more than 14 years. Olkhovsky PN Four-factor model organizational system G. Hofstede M. NORMA 2010.

Hofstede defined national culture as "collective mental programming, part of our predetermined perception of the world, programming, part of our predetermined perception of the world, is common with other representatives of our nation, region or group and different with representatives of other nations, regions or groups" ( Culture's Consequences, 1980).

Five "cultural dimensions", according to Hofstede's theory, distinguish one culture from another:

power distance (large - short)

This criterion characterizes the degree of unevenness in the distribution of power, which is acceptable for the population of a given country. A low degree is characterized by relative equality in society, while a high degree induces tolerance for an authoritarian management style. Hofstede's findings indicate that the "power distance" criterion affects the degree of centralization of power and the style of leadership (autocratic - collegial).

individualism - collectivism

The value of the criterion characterizes the degree to which the population of a particular country prefers individual rather than collective, group actions. A high value indicates that a person is motivated mainly by the personal interests and interests of family members. Respect for human rights and the high value of personal life are fundamental values ​​in individualist societies. The low value of the criterion characterizes the countries in which the individual feels psychologically more comfortable as a member of the team. In collectivist societies, each individual observes the interests of his group and does not have views and judgments that differ from those adopted in the group. And in return, the group protects its members, deals with their problems.

The following criteria are defined that characterize countries with a high degree of individualism in business culture:

People are outspoken criticism;

Hiring and career advancement is associated only with personal

qualities;

Management is person-centered, not group-centered;

Everyone is guided by personal success, not by the group;

The society is distinguished by a high standard of living.

Perceptions of uncertainty (strong - weak) Hofstede G. Organizational culture: concept, components, characteristics. Reprinted. M. BEK. 2008.

This criterion can be defined as the degree to which the people of the country concerned prefer structured situations as opposed to unstructured ones. Structured situations are situations with clear, formal procedures that are determined by previously known rules, codes, laws, or supported by traditions. Countries with a high degree of uncertainty avoidance tend to try to control the future, avoid ambiguity in relationships, and "define conditions on this shore."

courage - femininity

This measurement classifies countries according to how developed

social distribution of roles. Societies with rigid social divisions are called by Hofstede "courageous", and societies with a weak distribution of roles - "Feminine". In "courageous" societies, social values ​​traditionally inherent in men dominate: productivity, striving for success, competition. In "feminine" societies for both men and women, values ​​prevail traditionally associated with female roles: the priority of interpersonal relations, family values, social guarantees, the ability to reach consensus.

short-term - long-term orientation towards the future

Long-term orientation is characterized by an attempt to determine plans for building the future, manifested in perseverance and perseverance in achieving goals. Short-term orientation is characterized by a look into the past and manifests itself through respect for traditions, fulfillment of social obligations. Ogurtsov A.I. Organizational culture models in organization management. M. Benefit. 2010.

Values ​​are the first thing children learn, not realizing, but fully perceiving. Development psychologists believe that by the age of ten, most children have already formed a basic value system and that after that age it is difficult to make changes. Since the basic values ​​are fixed in the earliest period of life, most of them are not realized by their carriers. Consequently, values ​​can neither be studied nor directly observed from the outside. We can only make assumptions about their presence, analyzing the actions of people in various circumstances.

Two large research projects - one aimed at studying differences in national cultures (Hofstede, 1991), and the second at studying different organizational cultures (Hofstede et al, 1990) - have shown that national cultures differ mainly on the level of values, in while organizational cultures are more often at the surface level of practice: symbols, heroes, and rituals.

In fig. 1 clearly shows the differences in the ratio of values ​​and practices for the national organizational levels of culture, as well as for different genders, social classes, professions and business activity (business). These differences can be explained by differences in the environments in which socialization (learning) of values ​​and practices occurs; they are shown on the right side of the diagram. Values ​​are acquired at an early age, mainly in the family, and later in school. At birth, two characteristics are acquired - gender and nationality. By the age of ten, the child has already consolidated in memory most of the basic values ​​as programs. The school is a place of socialization associated with the future profession of the student (student). Organizational culture is acquired only in the process of socialization in the workplace, where most people come in adulthood, i.e. with a system of their already fixed values. The level of business culture (such as the culture of banking or tourism) falls between the professional and organizational levels of culture. Porshnev A.G., Kibanov A.Ya., Gunin V.N. Organization management. Encyclopedic Dictionary. M. BEK. 2009.

National and organizational cultures are phenomena of a different order. The use of one word “culture” to name these phenomena can be misleading.

In popular management literature, organizational culture is often presented as the basis for values ​​(see, for example, Peter's and Watennan, 1982) Confusion arises from the fact that the literature does not distinguish between the values ​​of founders and leaders and the values ​​of ordinary workers. .Founders and leaders create symbols, heroes and rituals that define

daily practice of behavior of all members of the organization. But employees do not have to fully adapt their personal values ​​to the needs of the organization. A production organization, as a rule, is not a “totalitarian institution” like, for example, a prison or a mental hospital.

The values ​​of the members of the organization depend mainly on criteria other than membership in the organization: for example, gender, nationality, social class and profession. They are taken into account in the process of hiring workers: the organization hires people of a certain gender, nationality, class, education or

Rice. 1.

Age systems. Their subsequent socialization depends on the assimilation of practice: symbols, heroes and rituals. HR workers, who pre-select people for hiring, play an important role in maintaining organizational values ​​(improving or deteriorating them). L.A. Gorshkova, M.V. Gorbunova Organization management fundamentals. Workshop. M. Benefit. 2012.

The point is that organizational culture consists more of established practices than of values ​​that make it somewhat manageable: culture can be managed by changing practice. The values ​​of recruited workers are much more difficult for an employer to change because they are acquired during childhood. Sometimes the employer can awaken the hidden values ​​that the employee possesses, but previously he was not given the opportunity to show them: for example, the desire for initiative and creativity, which are elements of the current practice, while they were not accepted in the previous one.

An analysis of the profiles of twenty business units obtained as a result of research in six aspects showed that aspects 1, 3, 5 and 6 (process versus results, professional versus shop floor, tightly controlled versus poorly controlled, pragmatic versus regulatory) affects the type of activity of the organization and the type of market in which it operates. In fact, these four aspects reflect business culture or industrial culture.

As for the 1st aspect, most of the manufacturing and large office units are process oriented; research and development and service delivery units are more results oriented. According to the 3rd indicator, units with traditional technologies turned out to be shop-based, while units with high technologies were professional. Regarding the 5th indicator: units supplying products, the production of which requires high accuracy or is associated with high risks, as well as units providing services (for example, pharmaceuticals or carrying out monetary transactions), turned out to be tightly controlled, and innovative organizations or organizations with unpredictable activities - poorly controlled. Surprisingly, the two surveyed municipal police corps were found to be in a culture with weak control: police work is unpredictable and police officers use completely different ways to accomplish tasks. As for the 6th indicator, here organizations providing services, as well as operating in highly competitive markets, find themselves in a group with a pragmatic culture, and organizational units related to the implementation of legislative acts and operating under a monopoly, in a group with a normative approach ... Abchuk V.A., Borisov A.F., Vorontsov A.V. Organization management system. Tutorial. UMO stamp of Russian universities. M. Aura. 2010.

Since the specifics of the tasks and the market environment affect the parameters of the organization's culture, the IRIC study also revealed the presence of specific elements in each culture, even when compared with other organizations operating in the same industry. These elements represent competitive advantages and disadvantages.

The remaining 2nd and 4th aspects (orientation to work versus orientation to employees, openness versus closedness), apparently, are less determined by the tasks of the organization or the market, and are more based on historical factors, for example, such as the philosophy of the founder (she ) and recent economic crises. In the case of aspect 4, as already shown above, it turns out that the national cultural environment plays an important role.

Even if organizational culture was largely determined by established practice, it would include a modest value component. In the IR1C study, organizations also differ in three groups of values. The first is similar to the cross-national measure of ambition avoidance. The cross-organizational criterion for uncertainty avoidance is related to the fourth aspect (open or closed system): it is obvious that a company that does not avoid uncertainty creates an atmosphere of open information exchange. The second group of cross-organizational values ​​resembles an indicator of power distance. It is related to the first aspect (process or results); the greater the distance of power, the more the organization is process-oriented, otherwise, with a shorter distance, it is results-oriented.

For the other three indicators (2.5 and 6), no relationship with values ​​was found at all. These aspects describe only the practice that people learn, without affecting their core values.

In IBM's cross-national survey, country scores on 5 dimensions were statistically correlated with many other country data. The IRIC cross-organizational study included a similar “valorization”, that is, the recognition of the validity of the presence of links between aspects of organizational culture in terms of the characteristics of the external environment. Of course, used in this case, these are composed of information about organizational units obtained in other ways and from sources other than IBM research. Kudryavtsev E.M. Organization planning and enterprise management. M. BEK. 2010.

In addition to interviews and employee surveys, IRIC's research included quantitative data collected for these business units as a whole. Examples of such information (called “structured data”) are overall employee potential, budget structure, economic performance, and the age of key (core) managers.

There is a strong correlation between the indicators for the 1st aspect (process orientation or result orientation) and the ratio of labor and material costs in the estimate of current costs. Organizations with labor-intensive production (maintaining a constant number of employees) gravitate more towards the group of results-oriented organizations, and organizations with material-intensive production - to the group of process-oriented ones. In result-oriented organizations, there is less absenteeism, flatter structures (with a longer time interval between inspections), they are less specialized and formalized, and there is a tendency towards a decrease in the number of union employees.

The relationship of the 2nd aspect (orientation to work or employee) was established according to the type of implementation in the organizational unit of control from above. If a senior manager was evaluating employees on the basis of income and other financial characteristics of job performance, then it was about a work-oriented culture; if performance was measured by performance versus employees' planned budgets, then the culture was characterized as employee-oriented.

In aspect 3 (professional versus shop culture), organizational units with traditional technologies often fall into the shop culture category, while high technology units fall into the professional culture category. The strongest connection between this aspect and the size of the organization: the larger ones predominantly gravitate towards professional cultures. Freilinger K. Management of changes in the organization. M. Norma. 2011.

Aspect 4 (open or closed system) found the single strongest correlation with external information; there is a relationship between the percentage of women in the workforce and the openness of the communication climate. The proportion of women among managers and the presence of at least one woman among top managers also speaks to the openness of the organization. Openness is negatively associated with formalization, and positively - with a higher average work experience of employees.

Aspect 5 (culture with tight or weak control) has the strongest correlation with the top managers' self-report point on the time budget, in which they argued that their time is mostly spent reading and writing reports and notes within the organization; this indicated tighter control. Material-intensive organizations also have stricter cultures. In organizational units in which the number of employees has increased recently, control is weakened; if the number of employees decreases, then the control is perceived as stricter. Finally, absenteeism declines where control is perceived as less rigid. Undoubtedly, absenteeism is one of the ways to escape the pressure of a rigid control system.

For indicator 6 (pragmatic versus normative cultures), only one significant relationship with external data was found: the private organizations studied were more pragmatic, while public organizations (for example, police corps) were more normative.