course material

1. PSB510 Organisational Culture
Answer
Introduction
People's views, as well as values, are referred to as culture. Culture refers to the communal
conditioning of the mind that distinguishes one community of individuals from the other
(Erthal & Marques, 2018). The essay will focus on different cultures adopted by the
organisations and will address how should the organisations adapt in light of the cultures in
which they operate with the help of the Hofstede model and Trompenaars and Hampden-
Turner's Model.
Corporate culture is an important factor in attaining organisational goals as well as
objectives, as well as boosting the profitability and efficiency of organisations and managing
change. Business organisations are getting more international, and the function of cultures
and their relevance is growing in importance every day (Hald, Gillespie & Reader, 2021).
Despite culture could not being defined in specific terms, it does encompass values,
concepts, beliefs, behaviours, as well as expectations, among other things. As a result, it is
critical to comprehend the cultural differences that exist, as well as how various cultures
are adapted to the organisations (Obeidat, et al., 2018).
Hofstede's cultural multidimensional framework is a model that employs multiple
characteristics to identify the differences between cultures and countries as well as how
organisations should adapt to the cultures in which they operate. It was developed by Geert
Hofstede (Beugelsdijk & Welzel, 2018). Power, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and
collectivism in Australia are among the dimensions which will be studied for this essay.
When comparing the cultural characteristics of Australia to those of any other country, it is
clear that there exist significant disparities in the two nations' organisational cultures,
owing to their geographical separation. Many elements, including such priorities, cultural
aspects, and many others, contribute to the disparities in the two nations' cultures. It could
have a beneficial influence on the organisation and its activities, but it is also possible that it
will have a detrimental effect (Zhou & Kwon, 2020).
To begin with, in Hofstede's cultural framework, power distance is among the

2. characteristics that the author provides. It ultimately influences the nation's power
structure (Erthal & Marques, 2018). If the dimension of power distance in the nation or
culture stated is substantial, it is thought to be rule-following and loyal to those in positions
of power, as well as a tolerance of power disparity within that nation. On the other side,
when the power gap in a nation or culture is moderate, the power allocation is relatively
unequal, therefore people are less willing to support an inequitable power distribution
(Mwangi & Waithaka, 2018).
The power distance index particularly in Australia with an index of 36, is fairly low when
contrasted to the global standard of 55. This reflects increased fairness in all aspects of
society, including the government, organisations, and even among families. This mindset
encourages cooperation among people at all levels of power, resulting in a more secure
cultural context (Jain & Jain, 2018). Wo, in light of the power distance dimension given by
Hofstede, it can be stated that organisations operating in countries wherein there is low
power distance will have flat organisational cultures because of decentralised decision
structures as well as less concertation of authority. On the other hand, organisations
operating in the countries where there is higher power distance will hall tall-pyramid-like
organisational culture because of centralised structures of decisions and more
concentration of authorities (Purwanto, 2018).
The second dimension of Hofstede’s cultural dimension, that is Individualism and
collectivism wherein individualism refers to giving oneself or a person a higher emphasis on
a nation's culture. It is known to be a social structure in which people are only responsible
for themselves including the individuals of their immediate families. The term "I" is most
closely linked with this social system. Collectivism, on the other hand, is a social framework
in which people can anticipate unwavering allegiance from their relatives and close friends.
There is a close-knit family structure in place, and these members are supposed to look
after them. "We" is the phrase most usually linked with collectivism (Sacca & Campbell
Fernandini, 2021).
This dimension helps the organisation adapt to the culture in which they operate in such a
manner that Individualism in the workplace can be evaluated from the perspective of the
job goals that individuals value in such environments. Individualism is defined by the
importance positioned on possessing a job that allows enough time for the individual as
well as relatives life, intellectually stimulating work that gives the employee a feeling of
individual achievement, as well as liberty, all of which are related to the employee's
autonomy from the company for whom he or she operates and the ability to satisfy his or
her objectives (Moffatt, 2018). Organizational individualism is associated with valuing a
workplace atmosphere in which the worker in question can display and apply his or her
abilities, each of which is concerned with what the company contributes to the person
instead of the other way around. Moreover, a variety of institutional or
organisational beliefs are linked to the dimension of individualism (Loh, Thorsteinsson &
Loi, 2021).

3. Uncertainty avoidance is the third dimension. This dimension is intended to indicate how
uncomfortable ambiguity, as well as uncertainty, make you feel. This level is represented
from the perspective of culture. This refers to how a community or a nation deals with the
reality that they cannot anticipate or foresee destiny. A country with a higher level of
uncertainty avoidance is thought to be more inflexible in its beliefs and less adaptable to
corporate culture. Innovative concepts and/or unconventional behaviour might be
unwelcome in these nations. It will also influence the entry of innovative business
organisations in the marketplace of cultures with a strong uncertainty avoidance score,
which indicates a country's reluctance to any unexpected development (Zheng, 2020). This
dimension helps the organisations to adapt to the culture in which they operate in such a
manner that, corporations utilise artefacts (such as technologies), norms, including rituals
to deal with ambiguity about the future. The avoidance of uncertainty component somehow
does not refer to efforts to minimize danger, but instead to how an institution responds to
and strives to regulate unique, unexpected, or unforeseen future occurrences. According to
Hofstede, all institutions (and individuals) should indeed safeguard themselves against
ambiguity to a certain large extend, but they should also acknowledge that the destiny is
primarily unquantifiable: uncertainty avoidance relates to the process by which an
institution tips the scales the two and selects to protect itself from ambiguity over being
inclined to answer back fluidly to occurrences as they emerge (Toki, 2018).
In comparison to the Hofstede’s model, there exists another model of Trompenaars Cultural
Dimensions. This model includes seven dimensions of culture. These are Universalism
versus Particularism, Individualism versus Communitarianism, Neutral versus Emotional,
Specific versus Diffuse, Achievement versus Ascription, Sequential versus Synchronous
time, and Internal direction versus External direction. These dimensions can help the
organisations in adapting to the culture by understanding their values.
To begin with, the first-dimension states that Ideas could be implemented any place in
universalist culture, subsequently there is normally a portrayal which can be used to
characterise the contrast among adequate and wrong. While, individuals of a particularistic
culture imagine that conditions impact how ideas can be placed into the real world. With
regards to taking on moral choices, relational associations and responsibilities are critical
(Dominique, 2020).
The second-dimension states that, Independence believes individuals to be people, while
communitarianism believes individuals to be residents of a system. As indicated by Fons
Trompenaars, nonconformist culture is related with Western ideas, but communitarian
culture is related with non-Western countries (Mousa, Massoud & Ayoubi, 2020).
The third-dimension states that Emotions are regulated in a neutral society, while they are
conveyed freely as well as impulsively in an emotional culture. So, when individuals
representing a neutral culture conduct trade with individuals representing an enthusiastic

4. culture, other individual 's demeanour might beat them down. Readiness just as thought of
somebody's way of life will assist with trying not to humiliate circumstances (O'Brien,
2020).
The fourth-dimension states that People within a specific culture possess a wide open space
that they may effectively use with others. They moreover have a little private region that
they use with dear companions and colleagues. Along these lines, Individuals in a diffused
culture will accordingly protect their private zone to acquire fast openness to the public
domain. Convention is profoundly esteemed by individuals from an assorted social
foundation (Dominique, 2020).
Fifth dimension of the mode states that an individual 's value within an accomplishment
situated culture is estimated by their accomplishments and how effectively they complete
their obligations. In a general public where status is allocated, the individual's status is
controlled by what their identity is. Along these lines, According to Fons Trompenaars, it is
ordinarily a mix, with culture figuring out which attributes from the Achievement or
Ascription societies are focused on (Mousa, Massoud & Ayoubi, 2020).
The sixth dimension put emphasis on Sequential versus synchronous time. Time could be
assessed and appreciated in an assortment of ways. Many years, seasons, months, days, just
as hours are utilized to quantify the past, ebb and flow, and planned. This real time
estimation is important for a succession of occasions. "Time is cash," just as the ceaseless
race over the clock, are typical statements in this culture. Hence, it helps the organisations
in adapting to the cultures by understanding that synchronisation time is much more
conceptual and emphasises the ability to work on multiple tasks at the same time. It is
unconcerned about time boundaries, but it is cognizant of the individual body's own
rhythms (O'Brien, 2020).
Last, but not the least, the seventh dimension emphasises on Inside bearing versus external
heading. It expresses that The accentuation in inside coordinated versus external
coordinated societies lies upon ways people communicate with their environmental
elements. Is the surroundings a danger (external) or is it more logical to evolve with societal
elements (internal). People 's perceptions of their surroundings varies between culture to
culture (Dominique, 2020).
Conclusion
From the above essay, it can be concluded that organisations need to look after various
dimensions to successfully adapt to the cultures in which they operate. Corporate culture is
an important factor in attaining organisational goals as well as objectives. It was observed
that in Australia, the power distance dimension is fairly minimal. A short power distance
implies that power in the nation of Australia is disseminated equitably rather than being
packed in a couple of hands. This mindset promotes cooperative interactions among people

5. of different authority levels, resulting in a much more sustainable cultural context. With a
family-centred culture and a stable society, uncertainty avoidance is also comparatively low.
It could also be shown that Australians dislike ambiguity, that they seek consistency for
their individuals, that they seek agreement, that they adhere to a lot of rules, plus they are
more stressed and anxious than other people. Moreover, there would be greater
understanding as well as compassion for different cultures, their conventions, traditions,
and rituals as a result of understanding the 7 cultural dimensions given by Trompenaars
and Hampden-Turner's Model. This would make doing business with one another simpler,
and this will result in improved agreements that secure long-term cooperation.
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