Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION- UNDERSTANDING CULTURE: YOURS AND OTHERS

Objectives
 Compare and contrast the different types of culture

 Describe cultural distances

 Discuss the sources of cultural differences

 Recognize cross-cultural behavior

 Identify dimensions of cultural variability in the workplace

LESSON 1- CULTURE AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

What is Culture?
One component of investigating culture involves processes of globalization and cross-cultural elements
as a global cultural homogenization. This refers to blending different cultural practices into one blended uniform
of cultural practices. Cultural homogenization usually disregards local cultural perspectives. From a cultural point
of view, globalization is the process of increasing homogeneity of individual lifestyles within the organization. It
comprises different views and greater opportunities for the company and the employees. Globalization combines
people into a single world society.

In essence, the modern tourism and hospitality environment is experiencing an increasing

internationalization and globalization. The huge development of the hospitality industry over the past decade
has been extensively influenced by advanced technology, communication systems and transportation. People
travel more around the world, and their countries are integrated into global markets. This leads their exposure
to culturally different societies, social interactions, and cultural exchanges. The fact is that travelling and tourism
is growing into a multicultural environment which obtains both similarities and differences in worker behavior
across cultural borders. Tourism and hospitality organizations will work in a very complex multicultural tourism
environment and they must understand the perception of culture and the role of national culture, and how
impact both employee as well as tourist behavior.

Culture is a complicated definition due to several different factors, such as knowledge, belief, art, morals,
law, custom, and all other kinds of skills or routines people may have. Culture is the way people function and
communicate with each other all the time. It literally means that culture plays a crucial role in 8 people’s attitudes
and it defines people’s actions. When humans are considered as an engine to establish and reform society,
culture becomes a basic measure to assess activities as well as understanding people.

Culture as a word has many different meanings. Initially, culture originates from Latin word cultura,
which means to cultivate. It refers to human activity and symbolic structure designs that emphasize the
importance and value of the actions. The concept of culture is really complex to describe due to its name referring
to extremely broad and multidimensional phenomenon. It is constantly changing and easily lost because it only
exists in our minds. Culture is not tangible, however, culture can be expressed through tangible items such as
food, architecture, clothing, art or expressed elements such as an organization’s vision, but there are other
unarticulated elements as well. Ultimately, it is the full range of learned human behavior patterns.

Page 1 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
 The purpose of culture is to explain how to live, talk, think and do things. It gives guidelines for one’s life
to behave in a socially accepted way and value diverse things. It clarifies what is correct, honest, true and
important. It also sets up rules and regulations to society in order to obtain stability and peace. Culture is the
main force that brings people together, creates uniqueness of the cultural group as well as communicates with
one another. Cultures are perceived to embrace group work, sharing and teamwork. However, culture and
society is not the same thing. People perceive that their society is distinct from other societies in terms of shared
traditions and expectations. Culture is created and submitted to others in a society.

Types of Cultures

There are different types of cultures within the society. Various culture levels and types are associated with each
other. The broadest culture level is universal culture whereas individual culture represents the most unique
category.

UNIVERSAL
CIVILIZATION

NATIONALITY
INDUSTRY

ORGANIZATIONAL

INDIVID
UAL

Figure 1.1 Levels of Culture

 Universal Culture- Basically, everybody belongs to this category. All nationalities and humans with their
diverse beliefs, ideas, morals and values are part it. For example, all people have special forms of speech
for special occasions.
 Civilization culture- it is the broadest level of cultural identity that people obtain. This category involves
ethnicity and religion.
 National culture- a narrower culture. Generally, culture refers to national culture, which can be called
country culture. National culture can be determined by a country of residence, country of birth, or
citizenship. People’s behavior and perceptions are shaped by several other cultures, such as ethnicity,
family, friends, global environment, occupation, race, religion, and value systems.
 Industry Culture Finally, minor culture components within the society are industry,
 Organizational Culture organizational and individual culture. Those three levels are more
 Individual Culture unique. They have the most diversity and differences due to the
stimulus of other categories. Fundamentally, individual culture is the
most shaped by the influence of other levels of cultures, which impact
personal beliefs, thoughts and values.

Elements of Culture
The culture of any specific society consists of several elements, or parts. Followings are some elements of
culture.
 Social Organization

Page 2 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
 In most cultures, society divides people by social organization. Mostly there is a ruler who is more
powerful than other persons. Social organization is an important element of culture that shows how the
society treats the relationships between different members of that culture.
 Customs
Customs are traditions, values, and social standards of a society and establish practices. These help a
society indicate the rules of behavior which enforce ideas of right and wrong. These can be traditions,
rules, written laws, etc.
 Rituals
Rituals are processes or set s of actions that are repeated in specific conditions and with specific
meaning. They may be used in such as when someone is promoted or retires. They may be associated
with company events or special day.
 Religion
Religion is another important element of culture, which describes a society’s morals and beliefs about
humanity’s spirituality and reason for existing.
 Language
Language is a symbolic system through which people communicate and through which culture is
written, acted and transmitted. Language is always evolving as societies create new ideas. Rules of
speaking and writing vary in every language even within cultures.
 Norms
There are different norms, standards and expectations in cultures for behaving. Norms are divided into
two types.
 Formal norms also called mores and laws considered most important in any society.
 Informal norms also called folkways and customs, considered less important.
 Symbols
Some symbols are type of nonverbal communication, while others are material objects. Every culture
has many symbols, of things that stand for somethings or show reactions and emotions.
The world is filled with symbols, like sports uniform, school uniform, company logo, gold ring and traffic
signs are symbols.

Characteristics of Culture
Culture has its own characteristics, here are some:
 Learnt- Culture is learnt from their elders because it’s not biological. Culture is not the thing you study or
inherit but it is just the process you pass from it. Instead, you learn culture subconsciously without
paying any attention. Children learn culture by watching their parents and family. They copy behaviors
and adopt different roles and values. We learn our culture not only from our parents but also from
families, institutions, media and other people.
 Shared- Culture is something that is shared because we share our culture with other members of our
group. Culture is always transferred by sharing. Culture is shared in many ways like social communication,
group discussions, public speaking, TV, internet. Although culture is share but it doesn’t mean culture is
homogeneous.
 Social- Culture is social; it is not the one person phenomena. It is the product of society and raise and
grows through social interaction. Culture can be thoughts of social influence and it must be social without
it there is no concept of culture.
 Continuous- Culture is a continuous process and adapts changes in the environment. Culture is growing
whole with the achievements of the past and present and provide the future achievements of mankind.
Culture is the result of past and present experiences.
 Integrated- Culture is also integrated because its various parts are interconnected. All components of
culture are connected to one another and to gain an extensive Understanding of culture, we must learn
about all these different components.

Page 3 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
 Layers of Culture
Almost everyone belongs to a number of different categories and groups of people at the same time. People
unavoidably carry layers corresponding to different levels of culture. There are likely three layers of culture that
are associated with learned behavior patterns and perceptions.

Cultural Traditions

Sub- Cultures

Cultural Universal

 Firstly, the most common layer consists of cultural traditions that distinguish a person’s specific society.
Culturally shared traditions are like myths, ceremonies, legends and rituals verbally or nonverbally. For
instance, shared language is very a visible traditional cultural attribute. It is learned from parents and
other family members who have it. As a result, cultural traditions are passed from generation to
generation.
 Secondly, each culture consists of several subcultures which are non-national cultures that share values
and mental programming. Diverse societies in which people originate from many parts of the world often
maintain a great deal of the original cultural traditions of their national culture. Consequently, individuals
frequently are part of a particular subculture in their new society. They share cultural traits that set them
apart from the rest of their new society. A subculture can be distinguished based on its members’ race,
nationality, tribe, religion, geographic region, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, age, 11 gender, occupation,
politics, sexual orientation, or a combination of these factors. For example, in the United States
subcultures consist of different ethnic groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-
Americans, which are the three major ethnic groups. All these subcultures share a common identity, food
tradition, language, and other cultural traits that come from their common ancestor background and
experience. The cultural differences between members of a subculture and national culture decline and
eventually disappear. Accordingly, the subculture tends to lose gradually their ancestry roots.
 Thirdly, cultural universals are the last level of culture. These mean learned behavior patterns that are
collectively shared by everybody. It does not matter where these people live because everyone has these
cultural universal traits. Using age and gender to classify people are great examples of the universal
attributes. Even though there are universal manners of executing things, different cultures and
subcultures have developed norms, rules and specific ways of expressing them. Some subcultures, for
instance, likewise deaf subcultures, use sign language instead of verbal language.

Cultural Distance

Cultural distance indicates a gap between different national cultures. Cultural distance can be notified within
organization, particularly within hospitality industry. Hospitality organizations, likewise international and
multinational tourism companies, likely hold several different cultures within the property. There can be diverse
cultures between employees or between employees and customers. Organizations should decrease the cultural
distance, especially between their employees. The cultural distance affects interactions between employees
from two different cultures. The greater the distance gap is, the more conflicts appear and this lowers the
rewards experienced from working together.

Cultural distance is a vital component of international tourism and multinational companies. In essence, it
measures the extent to which national cultures differentiate and are related to the compared culture. Therefore,
organizations and managers are advised to measure the cultural distance within the property.

Page 4 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
 LESSON 2- CULTURAL VARIABILITY

In the hospitality industry diverse cultures infuse on a daily basis. There are several contrasts between
employees or between a customer and an employee in the hospitality organization. Cultural diversity
management is necessary in order to understand the variability of cultures that initially appear inside the
organization. It is important to recognize cross-cultural behavior if the company wants to have a competitive
edge in the hospitality industry.

Cultural variability involves both recognizing differences and accepting them. Acceptance is a respect of
culture and appreciation of differences in culture, such as values, norms, styles, behavior. The three layers of
culture should be valued and respected in a correct manner.

Sources of Cultural Differences

Cultural variability identifies major dimensions along which national cultures differ from each other.
There are multiple cultural differences among numerous nations. Cultural differences can appear in verbal or
nonverbal communication, social interaction, personality, gender, class or education. They impact human
behavior and how employees execute tasks.

Cultural difference also comprises systematic differences, for example, in beliefs, philosophy and values
of social regulation. Within an organization there might be a great deal of systematic differences across cultures.
Like Asian cultures are more collectivistic whereas Western cultures tend to be more individualistic. It is really
important for managers to take these cultural differences into consideration due to their different
characteristics, for example in terms of collectivistic or individualistic goals. Managers who understand cross-
cultural behavior are an asset for any company in order to bring the best out of employees and be a coherent,
consistent, and successful organization.

As two people from two different cultures interact within the organization and attempt to find an
understanding to their cross-cultural approaches, these cross-cultural partners bridge the cultures into a so
called third culture.

The third culture includes methods of finding compromises between distinct cultural practices. Cross-
cultural partners find ways to create organizational practices and management techniques that assists everybody
within the organization. In order to establish synthesized third cultures, systematic differences must be
understood, reconciled and transcended since it is a new system with infused cultural characteristics. The third
culture is vital for businesses that look for international partnerships. Therefore, hospitality organizations and
managers should construct effective third culture practices.

Cultural values and dimensions

Cultural values are principles and norms that a group of people considers as good, right, or worthwhile.
Values characterize the center of any type of culture and comprise psychological, spiritual, and moral
phenomena. In essence, values are standards of socially desirable behavior. They differ from other cultures and
explain cultural differences. Changes in values impact people’s thoughts, beliefs and actions which may arouse
conflicts and disagreements. Therefore, cultural values have an important role in regulating customs and
etiquettes that occur in the workplace.

Cultural differences and values can be measured as well. The measurements give guidelines for the
company to recognize cultural differences and take action if needed. The cultural difference measurements help
the organization to acknowledge future requirements in terms of the culture of the organization, employees,
and customers. One of the most common cultural dimension measurements to distinguish cultures is created by
Hofstede.

Page 5 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
Hofstede’s Four Dimensions of Cultural Variability
Hofstede conducted well-known studies of how values in a workplace are influenced by culture. It shows
both national and organizational culture value impacts. He indicated that the values that differentiated countries
can be divided by the following:
 Power distance
 Individualism vs. collectivism
 Masculinity vs. femininity
 Uncertainty avoidance

1) Power Distance- is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions
expect that power is distributed unequally. It refers to dissimilarities which are expected and accepted
within a culture. For instance, Asian cultures have a reasonably large power distance. Thus, in Asian
cultures the lower social status will have to respect and admire higher social status people.
2) Individualism vs. collectivism- Individualism is the degree to which individuals are expected to look after
themselves whereas collectivist culture involves cohesive strong in groups which will look after each
other with automatic loyalty, just like Asian cultures are more collectivistic than Western cultures.
3) Masculinity vs. femininity- Masculinity denotes the distribution of gender roles. In the business world,
this dimension is a basic issue for societies. The assertive and competitive pole is typical of the masculine
and the modest and caring pole is considered feminine. For example, Middle Eastern countries are on
the masculine side whereas Scandinavian countries take place in the feminine side.
4) Uncertainty avoidance- consists of the tolerance of the society for ambiguity and uncertainty (Hofstede
2001, 145). It explains how accepting people are toward others who have dissimilar opinions to what
they are used to. Uncertainty tolerant cultures attempt to have as few rules as possible. Controversially,
uncertainty avoiding cultures desire to minimize the possibility of surprising and uncomfortable
situations through strict laws and safety factors.

Page 6 of 6
THC 9- MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONAL