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1. Introduction....................................................................................................................2
2. Individualism vs. Collectivism........................................................................................2
3. Individualism in Different Cultures.................................................................................3
3.1 Europe........................................................................................................................5
3.2 Turkey.......................................................................................................................6
4. Individualism and Business.............................................................................................6
5. Conclusion......................................................................................................................6
6. References.......................................................................................................................7
2
1. INTRODUCTION
Hofstede defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes
the members of one category of people from another”.1 According to Dahl, one of the key
components of a culture that distinguishes it from other cultures is social grouping and
relationships. It forms the basis of national character and basic personality. The interaction
between groups can vary from culture to culture; on the other hand, both the individual and the
group depend on and interact with each other. However, “depending on the cultural environment,
the emphasis may be more on the individual or on the group the individual belongs to.”2
The purpose of this essay is to understand the influence of culture on the national
character and business approach by comparing three Europian countries, Netherlands, Sweden
and Germany with Turkey in terms of their individualist characteristics.
2. INDIVIDUALISM VS COLLECTIVISM
Individualism is a concept that values the freedom of individual and self-concept over
institutional and organizational groups. On the other hand, collectivism refers to how much and
how well the individuals are integrated into these groups. Therefore, it is observed that the ties
between the individuals that belong to an individualist society is rather loose while collectivist
societys favor strong relationships between the members of society, family and cohesive groups.
Individualistic societies encourages its members to look after himself or herself and his or her
immediate family; however, collectivism is usually related to extended families, which offer
protection and ask unquestioning loyality in return.3
Of all the definitions of individualism, Triandis (1995) and his colleagues came up with
four basic attributes, which seem to correspond with Hofstede’s and McCrae’s definition of
individualism. In his article, Realo acknowledges Triandis, whose proposal of the four basic
attributes of individualism are:4
i. Loose link between the individuals and self-definition in individual terms
ii. Motivation by individual preferences, needs, rights and contacts
iii. Emphasis on rational analyses of advantages and disadvantages to associating
with others
1 Hofstede, Geert.
2 Dahl, Stephen
3 Hofstede, Geert and McCrae Robert R.
4 Realo, Anu et al.
3
iv. Importance of personal goals over in-group goals and emotional detachment from
groups
By analysis of previous psychological literature on individualism, Realo and his
colleagues put forward the three main points of individualism:
i. Autonomy is the capacity of independent thinking, judgement and survival.
Autonomous people is mostly independent of any institution and groups, and their
priority is their own goals, decisions and choices.
ii. Mature self-responsibility means that the individual is fully responsible of his or
her actions and he or she accepts their consequences. It also refers to selfconfidence.
iii. Uniqueness is the awareness of one’s self and his or her differences from the
others.
All in all, individualism is the degree of the individual’s integration into the society. It
refers to where the individuals stand in the society and their interaction with the others. In
collectivist societies, group’s goals and decisions are important while individualist people take
the initiative and responsibility of their own lives.
3. INDIVIDUALISM IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
Hofstede used IBM, a multinational corporation, database for his study of national culture.
The employee attitude surveys were held between 1967 and 1973 in 71 countries. “These surveys
had explicitly tried to tap the employees’ basic values along with their situational attitudes.”
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