Many different cultural models have been developed over the years — all with the goal of more effectively explaining and understanding cultural differences between groups of people. The three most well-known models are those of Edward Hall, Geert Hofstede, and Fons Trompenaars.

• Edward Hall, an American anthropologist, is most known for his research on the cultural perceptions of space or proxemics — the study of the human use of space within the context of culture (e.g., how close or far way people stand or sit from one another). While serving in Europe and the Philippines during World War II, Hall observed that the way different cultures define and organize space can lead to serious failures of communication in cross-cultural settings. His book, Beyond Culture, published in 1977, talked about the “unconscious culture” that shapes our thoughts and feelings. His concepts of high-context and low-context cultures describe the amount of information either implicit (high-context) or explicit (low-context) in the culture.

• Geert Hofstede‘s landmark book Culture’s Consequences, originally published in 1981 and completely updated in 2001, analyzed cultural differences across 50 countries, synthesizng these differences into five major dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, and long-term versus short-term orientation.

• Fons Trompenaars‘ best-selling book Riding the Waves of Culture published in 1998 took a similar approach to Hofstede, evaluating how different cultures respond to different management approaches. He synthesizes cultural differences into seven dimensions: universalism versus particularism, individualism versus collectivism, neutral versus affective, specific versus diffuse, achievement versus ascription, sequential versus synchronic, and internal versus external control.

It doesn’t really matter which cultural model you ascribe to, but it is important to understand the differing dimensions of culture in order to appreciate how they play out in the workplace. Failure to understand the influence that culture has on business can lead to miscommunications, misunderstandings, costly marketing blunders, lawsuits, and a general undermining of corporate goals.

Clearly an important role for HR is in helping the business to understand the various aspects of culture and how they affect day-to-day business and the productivity and effectiveness of our interactions. Focusing on the different dimensions of culture can help to target training and development opportunities in areas where they are more likely needed. For example, an American project manager, assigned to manage a global project with team members in Japan, needs to learn about indirect styles of communication, the importance status and hierarchy in group dynamics, and the role of the group in day-to-day interactions. The German sales executive working on a big deal with a large French financial institution must understand the importance of building relationships and coalitions and getting everyone on board “before the big meeting” if he hopes to close the deal sometime in this century. Being aware that these differences exist, and then targeting specific training and coaching activities can ensure that individuals working across cultures will have greater success in reaching their goals.

In subsequent posts, I’ll talk more about the specific skills that individuals need to be successful in a global context, as well as individual business processes that need to be localized for global success.