Trompenaars’ and Hampden-Turner’s

point of view on culture

Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner came up with the idea in their book
"Riding the Waves of Culture," released in 1997.
The model was developed by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner following a decade
of research into the preferences and values of individuals from all over the world. Over
46,000 managers in 40 countries received questionnaires as part of this study.
They discovered that the differences between persons from different cultures aren't
merely random; they can be predicted. Each culture has its own values and beliefs, as
well as diverse preferences in regard to a wide range of things.
According to Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, a person's preference in one of the
following seven aspects separatesthem from persons from other cultures.
▶ 1) Internal vs. external control
▶ 2) Synchronous time against sequential time
▶ 3) Achievement against the attribution
▶ 4) Non-emotional against emotionally charged
▶ 5) Specific against diffusive
▶ 6) Individualism against communitarianism
▶ 7) Universalism against particularism
It is possible to avoid miscommunication and build a stronger working connection with
people from diverse cultural backgrounds by using the Trompenaars Seven
Dimensions. This is especially helpful if you work with people from all over the world
or manage a diverse team.
People from various cultural origins don't inevitably make better or worse decisions,
as the model illustrates.
It's not clear how to assess preferences on each dimension of the model, though.
Because of this, it is betterto use it as basic guidance when interacting with people
from other cultures

Internal vs. external control

Internal/external separates civilizations based on the degree to which people feel they
can exercise control over their surroundings rather than believing that their
environment dominates them.
Fundamentally, the question is: "Do we try to control our environment, or do we try to
work with it?"
Mechanistic thinking is prevalent in an internally oriented culture, which believes that
nature can be controlled by those who are willing to put in the effort and have the
necessary knowledge.

Synchronous against sequential time orientation

Sequential/synchronic classifies civilizations on the basis of whether individuals prefer
to focus on one task at a time or concentrate on many tasks at once. Accomplish we
do things one at a time or a number of things simultaneously ?
Strictly following plans and timetables is preferred by members of sequential societies.
However, individuals of synchronic societies view time as fluid and ethereal, allowing
them to carry out several tasks at once while ignoring timetables and agendas and
focusing on the most important tasks at hand.

Achievement against attribution

As with Hofstede, the power distance dimension, achievement/award separates
cultures on the basis of how they share power and status. The fundamental question
is: "Do we have to earn our position, or does it just magically appear?"
Accomplishment-oriented societies have a number of characteristics, such as the use
of titles only when they are relevant to the competence brought to the task; respect for
superiors in the hierarchy is based on previous achievements and demonstrated
competence; and companies where the most senior managers are diverse in age, race,
and gender but all have achieved their positions through hard work and dedication.

Specific against diffusive

How people engage colleagues in single or numerous aspects of their lives defines
distinct/diffuse civilizations. "How far do we become involved?" is the fundamental
question.
People in more narrowly focused cultures are more likely to keep their personal and
professional life distinct and to have a different kind of power inside each of their social
circles. According to this, a member of a specific-oriented society is more likely than
others to first study all aspects of their own lives independently before bringing them
together, and so it is not unexpected that relationships between members are
specified.
Non-emotional against emotionally charged
Affective/non-affective cultures are differentiated by how they consider the expression
of their members' emotions. "Do we show our emotions?" is the underlying question.
The characteristics of a neutral society include the avoidance of overt expression of
one's thoughts and feelings, the occasional accidental display of tension in the face
and posture, the occasional eruption of hidden emotions, the display of calm and self-
control over one's feelings, the absence of physical contact, gesturing or strong facial
expressions, and monotone oral delivery of written materials.

Individualism against communitarianism

A society's level of individualism or collectivism (communitarianism) is determined by
how much emphasis is placed on the interests of the individual or the collective. Is it
better for us to work as a team or individually ?

Universalism against particularism

Rules and laws are more important than personal interactions in universalist and
particularise cultures.
"Which is more important, rules or relationships?" is the underlying question.

Trompenaars’ and Hampden-Turner’s point of view

on culture.
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner established Trompenaars' model of
national culture differences as a foundation for cross-cultural communication in general
business and management. There were 8,841 managers and employees from 43
countries that participated in this extensive poll.
As opposed to Hofstede, whose primary objective was evaluating work values,
Trompenaars sought to learn more about how workers behaved both at work and in
their spare time. Hofstede, on the other hand, discusses how people's values influence
their behavior.
Researchers Charles Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars have developed a
theory called Dilemma
Theory based on their study to help us overcome these obstacles and learn from our
differences. Problems arise when people are forced to choose between two
possibilities that seem equally appealing but are in fact mutually incompatible.
Trompenaars Universalism Vs Particularism
Universalism is the concept that ideas and practices may be applied everywhere
without alteration, whereas particularism is the notion that conditions govern how ideas
and practices should be implemented. How essential are rules versus connections in
your life ?
Cultures with a strong sense of universalism adhere to a strict set of formal laws to
govern their behavior. Business meetings are characterized by reasonable,
professional argumentation and a "get down to business" mentality. High universality
was discovered in nations like the United States (Canada), Britain (UK), Australia
(Australia), Germany (Germany), and Sweden (Trompenaars).
Cultures characterized by extreme particularism view reality as more subjective and
emphasize the importance of interpersonal interactions. During meetings in a specific
context, it is crucial to get to know the individuals you are doing business with. Personal
ramblings at business meetings shouldn't be dismissed as trivial or irrelevant by
someone from a universalist society. Venezuela, Indonesia, China, South Korea, and
the former Soviet Union are examples of countries with a high degree of particularism.

Trompenaars Vs Hofstede
As opposed to Hofstede, whose primary objective was evaluating work values,
Trompenaars sought to learn more about how workers behaved both at work and in
their spare time. Because it informs us what people are thinking and seeing,
Trompennars' model is focus-oriented. A framework for their behavior may be
observed in aspects like specific-diffuse, internal-external orientation,
universalism/particularism, and individualism/collectivism, achievement-appointment,
neutral-affective. Hofstede, on the other hand, discusses how people's values
influence their behavior.
Trompenaars' achievement-ascription and Hofstede's power distance have certain
parallels. When it comes to valuing something, some people are more concerned with
whether or not it's considered "high class" or "low class." Hofstede later introduced a
new dimension of long-term vs short-term orientation, which is similar to Trompenaars
sequential-synchronic time since both exhibit attitudes toward time.