Chunk 1 of 3 · ~45 min
Three attempts — and what each one was actually trying to do.
Scores from theculturefactor.com, retrieved May 2026 · scale 0–100.
Rank ordering within each cluster, from House et al., Culture, Leadership and Organizations (2004). 5 of 10 clusters shown.
Tight cultures enforce social norms strongly; deviance is sanctioned quickly. (e.g., Japan, Singapore, Pakistan)
Loose cultures tolerate a wider band of behaviour. (e.g., Netherlands, Brazil, New Zealand)
China scores relatively tight — but the data is from before 2015. Is that changing in younger urban cohorts?
Chunk 2 of 3 · ~45 min
Can the scores tell you what's happening in the room?
One paragraph describing a workplace miscommunication or HR failure in a specific country. Every group gets a different one.
Hofstede scores for the country in the scenario, side-by-side with China. Six dimensions, scale 0–100.
Your task
Use the Hofstede scores to predict what's happening in the scenario — and what the scores can't explain.
What to do
Share
What did the scores get right? What did they miss?
How we'll do it
Chunk 3 of 3 · ~45 min
And why culture is only half the story.
Treating a group average as if it applied to every individual in the group.
Saying "Chinese employees are collectivist" because the country score is 43 — when an individual in front of you might well be at 80.
Scenario
A Chinese tech company expanding to São Paulo hires a consultant who tells them: "Adapt to high power distance and collectivism — Brazilians will respond like Chinese employees do." What's wrong with this advice?
What to do
Share
One problem with the consultant's advice — your sharpest one.
Randomly assigned, 5–6 per group. List will be online by end of day.
Each group has a multinational HR scenario. Case details will be online by end of day.
A 1-paragraph problem statement, due before Session 5.
Next session
If performance means different things in different places — what happens when you sit down to tell someone how they're doing?