Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch author known for his work on cross-cultural communication and management. He identified seven dimensions of national culture differences: universalism vs particularism, individualism vs communitarianism, specific vs diffuse, achievement vs ascription, neutral vs affective, sequential vs synchronic, and internal vs external control. The document provides definitions and examples of each dimension, such as how individualism values personal responsibility over group responsibility. It also discusses how these dimensions appear differently in cultures like Turkey, China, and the US.

1. Sinem Küçükyılmaz
Gamze Saba
Berlin School of Economics and Law
Intercultural Communication
Cynthia Tilden-Machleidt

2.  Who is Fons Trompenaars ?
 What are the dimensions ?
 Dimensions with examples
 Dimensions in Turkey

3. •Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch author and consultant in the
field of cross-cultural communication.
•Trompenaars experienced cultural differences firsthand at
home, where he grew up speaking both French and Dutch.
Later at work with Shell in nine countries.
•is ranked in the Thinkers50 of the most influential
management thinkers alive

4. Individualism Specific Neutral Achievement Past Internal
Universalism
vs. vs.
vs. vs. vs. vs. vs.
Communitarian
Particularism Diffuse Affective Ascription Future External
ism

5. You are riding in a car driven by a close friend. He
hits a pedestrian. You know he was going at least
35 mph where the maximum allowed speed is 20
mph. There are no witnesses. His lawyer says that
if you testify under oath that he was only driving
20 mph it may save him from serious
consequences.
Fons Trompenaars

6. UNIVERSALISM PARTICULARISM
 Seek fairness by treating all  Seek fairness by treating all
like cases the same way cases on their special merits
 Focus more on rules than  Focus more on relationships
relationships than on rules
 Business loyalty is based on
 Business loyalty is based on personal relationship
general rules, standards  Written contracts are less
 Detail written legal contracts important; mutual trust in
are very important more important
 Signed contracts are  Signed contracts are not
irrevocable stipulations of always kept, particularly if the
commitments conditions of the
environment change

7. 100% South Korea
90% Venezuela
80% Russia
70% China
Mexico
60%
Japan
50%
France
40%
Denmark
30%
UK
20% Germany
10% USA
0% Canada

8. What is your observation about Coca Cola
commercial from Turkey ?

9. INDIVIDUALISM COMMUNITARISM
 More frequent use of “I”  More frequent use of “We”
 Decisions made on the spot by  Decisions referred back to
representatives organisation
 Quicker decision-making  Slow decision-making process
 Assume personal responsibility  Assume joint responsibility
 The individual is compensated  The group is compensated for
for high performance high performance
 Job turnover and mobility high  Job turnover and mobility low
 Vacations in pairs  Vacations in gruops of extend
family

10. NEUTRAL AFFECTIVE
 Do not reveal what they are  Reveal thoughts and feelings
thinking or feeling verbally and in face
 Cool and well–controlled  Heated, vital and animated
conduct is admired expressions are admired
 Statements are monotonic and  Statements are emotional and
lack an emotional ton dramatic
 The entire negotiation is  Negotiation is typically focused
typically focused on the object on the persons involved
 Behaviour during negotiations  Behaviour is warm, expressive
tends to be detached and cool

12. Diffuse (China) Specific (USA)
If an European manager gets invited by his Chinese partner at
home ?

13. SPECIFIC DIFFUSE
 Private and business  Private and business issues
agendas are kept separate interpenetrate
 Low communication context  High communication context
 Structure meetings with  Let the meeting flow
time slots  Study the history
 Study the objectives  Indirect, circuitous
 Direct to the point  Respect a person’s title, age,
 Do not use titles background, connections

15. ACHIEVEMENT ASCRIPTION
 Respect for superior in  Respect for superior in
hierarchy depends on his / hierarchy depends upon the
hers knowledge and skills employees commitment to
 Titles are used to reflect the
the organisation
 Titles are used to reflect the
competence of a person influence of a person or his /
 Decisions are challenged by her organisation
anybody on technical and  Decisions are only challenged
functional grounds by people with higher
 In negotiations technical authority
advisers and knowledgeable  In negotiations older and
people are used for hierarchically senior people
convincing are used for convincing

17. INTERNALISTIC EXTERNALISTIC
 Often dominating attitude  Often flexible attitude, willing
and tendency to to compromise and keep the
aggressiveness peace.
 Softness, persistence,
 Playing “tough” is legitimate
politeness
 Focus is on self, own group  Focus is on “other”, that is
and own organisation customer, partner, colleague
 Discomfort when  Comfort with waves, shifts
environment seems “out of and cycles
control” or changeable
 It is most important to
 It is most important to win
maintain the relationship
the objective

18. Past Present Future
China, Britain, Japan and the rest of the spanish-speaking The United States and,
most spanish-speaking Latin Latin American countries and increasingly, Brazil,
American countries many African countries. Germany
 talk about history,  the past as passed optimism about future
origin of family and the future as planning and
 Traditional values strategizing done
uncertain
 respect shown for enthusiastically
 Here and now
ancestors, older more abstract, more
 short-term benefits
people imaginative, more
 Conservative  immediate results. creative
management  Let the things flow the fresh to the old

19. SEQUENTIAL SYNCHRONIC
 time as a series of passing  ideas about the future and
events. memories of the past
 the completion of each shape present action.
stage.  interchangeable stepping-
 hate to be thrown off their stones
schedule or agenda  showing how they value
 rude to be few minutes people by giving them time
late  less insistent upon
punctuality

20. Individualism Specific Neutral Achievement Past Internal
Universalism
vs. vs.
vs. vs. vs. vs. vs.
Communitarian
Particularism Diffuse Affective Ascription Future External
ism

22.  Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (2005) ‘Riding the waves
of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in business’ (Nicholas
Brealey, UK)
 Trompenaars, F.and Woolliams, P. (2003) ‘Business across cultures’
(Capstone, UK)
 Woolliams, Peter; Trompenaars, Fons. "Business weltweit: der Weg
zum interkulturellen Management“
 Gutterman S. “Trompenaars’ and Hampden- Turner’s Seven
Dimensions of Culture”
 Dr. Boeree ,G. “Culture Personalities”, 2007
 Analyzing Cultural differences [Online]. Available:
http://www.europeansmeetchinese.com/#post55 Accessed 20
May 2012]

23. Questions ?