- Fons Trompenaars
Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch author in the field of
cross-cultural communication . His books include: "Riding the Waves of Culture", "Seven Cultures of Capitalism", "Building Cross-Cultural Competence" and "21 Leaders for the 21st Century".Trompenaars studied Economics at the Free University of Amsterdam and later earned a Ph.D. from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a dissertation on differences in conceptions of organizational structure in various cultures. He experienced cultural differences firsthand at home, where he grew up speaking both French and Dutch, and then later at work with Shell in nine countries.
Trompenaars and
Charles Hampden-Turner have developed a model ofculture with seven dimensions. There are five orientations covering the ways in which human beeings deal with each other.:
1. Universalism vs. particularism ("What is more important, rules or relationships?")
2. Individualism vs. collectivism ("Do we function in a group or as individuals?")
3. Neutral vs. emotional ("Do we display our emotions?")
4. Specific vs. diffuse ("Is responsibility specifically assigned or diffusely accepted?")
5. Achievement vs. ascription ("Do we have to prove ourselves to receive status or is it given to us?")
In addition there is a different way in which societies look at time.
6. Sequential vs. synchronic ("Do we do things one at a time or several things at once?")
The last important difference is the attitide of the culture to the environment.
7. Internal vs. external control ("Do we control our environment or are we controlled by it?")ee also
*
Geert Hofstede
*Edward T. Hall [http://www.thtconsulting.com Trompenaars Hampden-Turner Consulting]
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