Trompenaars’ Theory of Culture

 

How does your cultural background impact your views on universalism vs. particularism in business relationships?

It is important for companies to recognize cultural differences and to decide their position on the spectrum between universalism and particularism when engaging in external and internal business relationships, respectively. It is advisable to take a mixed approach and to balance the differences between these philosophies, particularly when managing expectations, decisions, and behavior that have contact points with multiple cultures, which is often the case when conducting global business. Organizations can help themselves by avoiding generalization when achieving universality across their organization and incorporating particularistic behavior when dealing with external partners in different markets and with their employees across their various local unions. Businesses can act in a more culturally sensitive way by investing in methods that improve their intercultural competency. It is also advised to build teams that consist of members from different cultures and to undertake pre-decision analysis, which will offer information from a range of cultural viewpoints. Focusing on these external and internal factors will mitigate the risks associated with ignoring cultural contexts when forming business relationships. Organizations should develop relational training programs for managers that allow them to assess situations and develop the interpersonal skills necessary to use this approach on contact points with other organizations. Overall, companies should increase awareness and promote a deeper understanding of the necessity for taking cultural differences into account when formulating business relationships. To create the capacity to take a more mixed philosophy to external and internal business relationships, organizations should include a component of this learning in their programs of induction and ongoing training that is designed for the culturally diverse workforce that exists within the operations of many multinational companies. Teaching such views also depends on the leadership and others within the organization in leadership positions reflecting a willingness to change and develop strategies that reflect and are adaptive to their relationship and do not solely favor those of the dominant culture.