The Italy Culture, Research Paper Example

Culture is defined as the total of belief, rules, techniques, institutions and artifacts that characterize a particular human population. Culture also defined as a collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group from others. According to Hofstede, and McCrae, (February 01, 2012) the definition of culture varies according to the unit of analysis, the focus of interest, and disciplinal approach. However, there is significant Conesus that the key element of Culture includes language, religion values, custom and norm of the given type of groups.  Having an understanding of culture is very important in different business context.  For instance, international business, need to understand that local employee may need a different organizational structure or to sell to foreign customer firm need culturally sensitive adaptations to products, services, marketing and advertising.  The model of culture consists of six dimensions that include individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, long-term orientation, and indulgence.  This paper explores the Italian culture through the six-dimension lens model. In addition, the paper compares the Italian culture with that of United States.

The first dimension is called the Individualism. The dimension addresses the issue of the degree of interdependence that a society maintains among its members.  In individualistic societies, members are responsible for themselves. Conversely, in a collectivist society members are born in groups where they will remain for the rest of their lives. Italians are family oriented, as they take responsibility of their immediate family members before anybody else. While both USA and Italy are considered to be individualistic countries,  Italy is considered to be more collectivistic country.  The more collectivist nature of Italy is seen in many ways.  For instance, in Italy, it is common to see mature children living with their parents. Also, the majority of Italian business are owned and managed by families. Furthermore, Italians prefers to do business with familiar people (Hofstede, 2008).

The second dimension- power distance deals with measuring the level that people with or without power accepts and expects that power is not shared equally. Italy is ranked high on the Hofstede power distance index than the USA. However, the country falls on the middle index overall. Examples of High power distance in Italy include; Personal titles are significant and should be treated with respect.  Also, formality is very important in Italy and subordinate are rarely allowed to call their superiors by their first name.

The third is called dimension of uncertainty and avoidance. The dimension deals with how members of society feel when confronted with unknown situations. The greatest cultural difference between the Italian and Americans is on this dimension. Italians avoid uncertainty more strongly more than Americans do. They prefer doing any business with a person they already know. Besides the majority of Italian prefer to know something about an individual before they can communicate with them.

The fourth dimension of masculinity classifies societies as either masculine or feminine.  A masculine culture recognizes performance, competition, equity, and assertiveness as important. Such cultures have Cleary defined gender roles.  E.g. men are considered to be tough, assertive and while women are nurturing and tender. On the other side, in societies with a feminine culture, gender roles overlaps. A society with feminine culture believes that compassion, equality, and solidarity, are more crucial.  Moreover, feminine society values people and resolves conflicts through compromise and negotiation. Italy is among the countries that rank high on the masculinity index.  The country is ranked slightly higher than the US on the masculinity index.  Italian men treat women with gallantry and value machismo, and household are dominated by women.  Also, Italians place a great importance on the material possessions and is it important to look good in the tally. Furthermore, the country is considered to be a paternalistic country where the father takes an authoritative role in the society.

Lastly, the long-term orientation dimension describes how society maintains some links with its past while dealing with present and future challenges.  Different societies prioritize these two goals differently.  A society with a culture that scores low on this dimension prefers to maintain time-honored traditions and norms while viewing society change with suspicions. On the other hand cultures that score high on this dimension take more pragmatic approach. That is they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way of preparing for the future. Italy culture is a pragmatic one, as it scores high on this dimension. For pragmatic societies, such as Italy people believe that truth depends on the situation, context, and time. Such society shows an ability to adapt easily to change in condition, and they tend to save and invest more, thriftiness and perseverance to achieve set goals. Italy and USA score much the same on this dimension.

It is conclusive that while Italy and United States of America cultures vary in Hofstede dimensions such as uncertainty avoidance, individualism, power distance, masculinity and, the two cultures are similar in dimensions such as long-term orientation. Understanding how different cultures vary is crucial in business context especially one involving cross-cultural management.

References

Hofstede, G. H. (2008). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Hofstede, G., & McCrae, R. R. (February 01, 2012). Personality and Culture Revisited: Linking Traits and Dimensions of Culture. Cross-cultural Research, 38, 1, 52-88.