Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
The bit on cultural distance in the Rethinking the American Model article (April 08 issue of Associations Now) serves as a good excuse to point to Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions (nice summary at Wikipedia).
I often use the website's home vs. host country comparison tool to gain insight ahead of international "interactions" (ie, travel/conference abroad, foreign chapter stuff, etc). For example, the USA vs. China dimensions show the Chinese are way more long-term oriented, whereas Americans are significantly more individualistic, among other differences.
In addition to all the web resources, Hofstede has written several books on cultural comparison. All worth a look if your association crosses borders.
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Comments
Jason, thanks for your comments and the good reference web site materials. This is very helpful in a general sense, and should be required reading for all association leaders (volunteers and staff) who have global members and activities (or aspire to have). We're all on the same planet, but seldom on the same page. This helps explain why, and how to understand some of our important cultural distinctions. Thanks.
Posted by: Virgil Carter | April 29, 2008 10:47 AM