A group project where we described and analyze based the American (USA). using various cultural dimensions and factors such as: 1.Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions 2. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions 3. Edward T. Hall’s cultural factors

1. Intercultural
Competencies
The culture of the U.S.A

2. Table of Contents
1. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
2. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
3. Edward T. Hall’s cultural factors
4. Intercultural training unit
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3. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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4. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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Power Distance
• American premise of "liberty and justice for all"
• Hierarchy established for convenience, superiors always
accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams
for their expertise
• Consultative or participative management style
• Sharing information between different levels of leadership and
power
• Informal, direct and participative communication

5. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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Individualism vs. Collectivism
• look after themselves and immediate families only
• quality life = success, achievement, self-expression, self-respect
• emphasize pleasure, fun & personal enjoyment
• right to own opinion, expected to contribute and reflect them
• be self-reliant and display initiative
• hiring, promotion and decisions are based on merit or evidence of
what one has done or can do

6. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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• Society will be driven by competition, achievement and success
• “strive to be the best they can be” and “the winner takes all”
• American display and talk freely about successes/achievements in life
• “can-do” mentality („from dishwasher to millionaire“)
• Americans “live to work”
• Men = assertive, tough and focused on materialsuccess
Masculinity vs. Feminity

7. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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UncertaintyAvoidance
• acceptance for new ideas/ innovative products
• Willingness try something new / different
• tolerant of ideas or opinions from anyone and allow the freedom of
expression
• less emotionally expressive than higher-scoring cultures
• Risk taking
• 9/11 caused monitoring

8. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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Long-term Orientation
• most Americans very practical (“can-do” mentallity)
• “good” and “evil”
• values short-term concepts more than long term ones
• strive for quick results within the work place
• oriented toward present and past
• emphasizes personal steadiness

9. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
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Indulgence
• Work hard play hard
• War against drugs
• Prudish society

10. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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Universalism vs. Particularism
• High importance on rules and
laws
• Standardizing of things
• Rules come before relationships
• Behavior is based on the
situation and who is involved
• Flexibility
Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions

12. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Personal freedom and
achievement
• Own decision-making
• Taking care of yourself
• Groups are more important
• Groups provide help and safety
• The group always comes first

13. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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• Separation of work and
personal life
• Relationships don't have much
of an impact on work objectives
• People can work together
without having a good
relationship
• Overlapping of work and
personal life
• Good relationships are vital to
meeting business objectives
• People spend time outside work
hours with colleagues and
clients
Specific vs. Diffuse

14. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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• Control of emotions
• Reason influence action
• Hiding of thinking and feelings
• Express of emotions
• It’s welcome to show emotions
Neutral vs. Emotional

15. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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• You are what you do, and
worthiness is based on that
• Value of performance no matter
who you are
• Worthiness is based on who you
are
• Power, title and positions matter
in these cultures
Achievement vs. Ascription

16. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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• Events happen in an order
• High value on punctuality and
planning
• ”Time is money”
• Past, Present and Future are
interwoven periods
• Working on several projects at
once and view plans as flexible
Sequential vs. Synchroncial Time

17. Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions
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• Control of nature or the
environment to achieve goals
• Includes working in teams and
organizations
• Nature or the environment
controls people
• Working with the environment to
achieve goals
Inner vs. Outer directed

18. Context (Low)
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Cohesion and separationof groups
They are very welcoming people to
outsiders, they make them feel comfortable
and part of their group easily.
They are open to change
Flexibility of Time
They can be seen as punctual
to most of the meetings,
however depends on the event.
Level of Commitment
Not very committed to
relationships but on the
contrary o work.
Overtness of Messages
Direct Messages, they go
straight to the point on what
they need.
Non-Verbal Communication
They are very formal, straight in
communication on his ideals
Expression of Reaction
They react easily when a
situation is happening. They do
not keep anything for
themselves.

19. Time (Monochronic)
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Intercultural Competences,Eder Gonzalez,Juliane Leicht,David Hubertz
Actions
In business they try to do one
thing at a time,
Focus
They are not easily distracted,,
due to they focus on what their
doing.
Attention to Time
If they have a due date they
focus on achieving it before.
Priority
Work is first, they are well
organized on their priorities.
They are very task oriented
Timeliness
They focus on stick their work
plans in specific dates and
times.
Respect for property
They are really respectful
when borrowing or lending to
others.

20. Space (High-Territoriality)
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Intercultural Competences,Eder Gonzalez,Juliane Leicht,David Hubertz
Personal Space
Uncomfortable with huge family
traditions.
Tend to require more personal space than
in other cultures.
Business
If they have a bigger office
they reflect power
Material Things
They search for luxury,
power and hierarchy.
Home
The bigger the house the
better
Political
They are considered the
most powerful country.
Recognition
They look for greater
recognition.

21. Edward T. Hall’s cultural factors
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Americans
IceBergModel
Visible
Knowledge
Eager
Rules of Conduct
Values
Easy to see
Race, Skin Color, Customs, Dressing
Style
Can-Do
Focus on finding solutions quickly, they
are very creative and committed.
Pro Active
Very Pro-Active People, always try to
help the rest. Ambitious people
Business / Family & Friends
They follow rules and they respect them.
Friendly
They are very sociable people.

22. Intercultural training unit
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Self Reflection
ü Americans, are obliged to take part of military
ü Americans see the equity of gender when talking about role of a person
Self Awareness
ü Americans are still learning about their own culture due to the variety of ethnics groups.
ü They perceived the worldview as ”They are the captains of their own soul
Social Relationships
ü Friendship start with meeting, they are willing to open to their social groups.
ü Ranks are very respected in America, therefore , hierarchy is important. superiors always
accessible
ü American preferred social interaction through informal meetings (sports bars,
restaurants)

23. Thank You For Your Attention!!! J
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