This document provides an overview of key concepts coaches should understand about different cultures based on Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions model. It discusses the dimensions of individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, short-term vs long-term orientation, and indulgence vs restraint. Throughout the document, the presenter poses questions to encourage reflection on how these dimensions may influence behaviors and perspectives in different cultural contexts. The goal is to provide coaches with insights into cultural tendencies rather than definitive truths, in order to better understand clients from diverse backgrounds.

1. Leo Schmitt
International Coaching Federation
INTERNATIONAL
CULTURES:
WHAT EVERY COACH
SHOULD KNOW

2. Overview
• Where culture fits into the conversation
• How preconceptions color our understanding
• Discussion on what culture is
• Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
• Individual and Collectivist Cultures
• Power Distance
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Quality of Life vs. Quantity of Life
• Short-term vs. Long-term Orientation
• Indulgence vs. Restraint

3. Questions
• Because there are a lot of ideas to cover in a short time period, we
will not have time to cover each question as it comes up.
• I will ask you to ponder some questions throughout the
presentation. At each point, I will take one comment and give some
feedback.
• I encourage you to write down any questions. At the end, I will be
happy to stay and go into more details on any area that you find of
particular interest.

4. Exercise
• Take a piece of paper. Roll it into a ball. Try to throw it into the
waste-paper basket. Winners will get it into the basket.
• Was this a fair exercise?
• What influenced the unfairness?
• How did you feel about this?
• Who was more likely to feel it was unfair? Or at least to complain
about it?

5. Culture (Disclaimer!)
• Culture is an extraordinarily complex phenomenon. There are
multiple views of what culture is and should be. This presentation
aims to give insights for practical coaching applications. It is not
definitive and discusses tendencies rather than indisputable truths.
• Culture affects many aspects of our lives and colors our perceptions
of how the world works, how it should work, and what our role in it
is and should be. All of this means that people come with varying
needs and desires, especially in an increasingly globalized world.

6. Universals
• We are all the same

7. Questions?
• What would you expect to be invariable from New York to the
jungles of the Amazon to the Himalayan Mountains?

8. Individuals
•We are all different!
•What is a real American?
•WASP? Cowboy? Gun-loving?
•Steak-eating? Loves
Baseball/Football/Basketball?
•Loves Democracy/Freedom?
•Loves Mom and Apple pie?

9. Question s
• What would make someone who holds a US passport NOT
American?
• Can you be more or less American?
• Is there a “real” America? If so, what characterizes it?

10. Their Preconceptions
•Foreigners will often create their understanding of
Americans based on their experience of Americans
(generally via media). They are naturally less
developed than experiences in person developed
over a lifetime.

11. Our Preconceptions
•In the same vein, our preconceptions are often
built up over the partial experiences we have
of other nations.
•What are your understandings of France,
Mexico, or Italy? How about North Korea, Iran,
or Turkmenistan?

12. Exercise
• Take a piece of paper. Write the name of someone or something
that means a lot to you. This could be God, Jesus, your mother’s
name, USA, or any other name that you value.
• How would you feel if I asked you to put that on the floor and
stamp on it? Do you think all humans feel that way? Would an
Amazonian tribesman have a problem with this?
• We can value things that have no value to another human being.
And they can value things that have no value for us.

13. What is Culture?
•“An integrated system of learned behavior
patterns”
•What varies from one community to another?
•Food Art Music
•Religion Ceremonies History
•Dance Names Languages
•Expectations?
•Interpersonal relations?
•Personal worldviews?

14. Othering
•We recognize difference among our
‘group’
•It is much easier to dismiss such
differences among other groups.
•This leads to ‘stereotyping’ or ‘othering’.

15. Questions
• What are some differences you associate with another nationality?
• What percentage of those people would you expect have those
traits?

16. Hofstede
• Disclaimer:
• This way of looking at culture is one way. It can be a useful
springboard for discussion.
• However, there are multiple interpretations to culture and this is
not definitive.
• Much of the original culture allocation research was done 40 years
ago and cultures have changed.

17. Hofstede’s View
Individual and Collectivist Cultures
•Individualist (E.g. US, Western Europe)
•Personal achievement above the cost to the group
•Highly competitive
•Independence is valued; relying on others is shameful
•Collectivist (E.g. Asia, Africa)
•Encouraged to do what is best for the group
•Working with others is the norm
•Rules support the group over the individual

18. Questions
• How willing are you to make personal sacrifices for the group? What
is that group? Family, neighborhood, city, country, humanity?
• Is there a difference between grand gestures (e.g. dying to save
your child’s life?) and repeated small gestures (giving up on your
own dreams to help a sick relative).

19. Power Distance
•The extent to which unequal power is accepted
•High Power distance (China)
•Accept that uneven power distribution is a fact of life
•Expect authority to be obeyed
•Subordinates are expected to follow orders
•Low Power distance (US)
•Feel more comfortable challenging power
•Consulting with and even contradicting superiors is
acceptable

20. Questions
• Were all the bosses you have known open to being challenged or at
least willing to listen to your ideas (at least in some circumstances)?
• Would you expect a CEO to listen to a janitor’s views on how the
company could run better? How far does the power distance need
to be?

21. Uncertainty Avoidance
• How comfortable are you with uncertainty?
• High Uncertainty Avoidance (Russia, Korea, Mexico)
• Tend to follow rules and to like structure
• Tend to be stressed and/or emotional
• Teachers should have all the answers
• Tend to be careful and considerate
• Low Uncertainty Avoidance (US, UK, India, China)
• Tend to require few rules
• Tend to have informal interaction with others
• Tend to be calmer and/or more entrepreneurial
• Tend to engage in more risky behavior

22. Questions
• Are there certain rules that MUST be followed? Which rules are
those? What do they tell us about our cultural priorities?

23. Quality of Life vs. Quantity of Life
•Also called ‘Masculine’ and ‘Feminine’
•Quality of Life (Nordic countries)
•Relationships matter
•People are important
•Solve conflict through negotiation
•Quantity of Life (Japan)
•Focused on achievement in life
•Money and things are important
•Solve conflict through force

24. Questions
• Coaching aims to help people find their own goals. What are some
goals that you have encountered? How would you describe people
who favor quality of life over quantity of life, and vice versa?

25. Short-term vs. Long-term Orientation
•Do you worry about today or ten years from now?
•Long-term Orientation (East Asia)
•Tend to save more
•Tend to persevere more
•More likely to adapt traditions to changing contexts
•Short-term Orientation (Africa, US)
•Tend to respect traditions
•Focus on achieving quick results
•Leisure time is important

26. Questions
• What advantages do you see in a short-term orientation? How could
you help people with a short-term orientation prepare for longer
term goals?

27. Indulgence vs. Restraint
•The extent to which impulses and desires
are acted upon.
•Indulgent (Americas, Western Europe)
•Life is to be enjoyed
•Restrained (Asia, Middle East)
•Impulses should be regulated through
societal norms

28. Questions
• What are some advantages to a restrained lifestyle? How can you
help advise people who have trouble shifting from a restrained
lifestyle to an indulgent one, or vice versa?

29. Thank you
• Questions?
• Leo Schmitt
• tschmitt@gc.cuny.edu