Individualism & Collectivism Michael Gallagher. Victoria Gathogo. Paige Gmyrek. Briana Goode. Lori He. Cedrick Houston. Cross-Cultural Management Project

Overview ●Individualism vs. Collectivism ●Hofstede Ratings ●Demonstration of Behavior ○Family Life ○Housing and Clothing ○Social Customs ○Religion ○Education ○Business

Me or We? How would you describe the United States: more individualistic or more collectivist? France? IndividualismDegree to which individuals are integrated into groups. Collectivism

Individualism “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members” Individualistic Traits ●People taking care of themselves (including immediate family only) ●Self-orientation ●Identity based on individual ●Guilt culture ●Making decisions based on individual needs ●“I” mentality ●Emphasis on individual initiative and achievement ●Everyone has a right to a private life

Collectivism “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members” Collectivist Traits ●Expect absolute loyalty to group ●Group orientation ●Decisions based on what is best for the group. ●Identity based on social system ●Shame culture ●Dependence on organization and institutions ●“We” mentality

Hofstede Ratings * partially based on an educated guess derived from data similar to countries

Family Life ●Both France (71) and the United States (91) are individualistic countries. Kenya (25), on the other hand, is a collectivist country. ●French Perspective vs. U.S. Perspective ○Host family Guilliaume and Catherine point of view ○Personal Experience

Housing, Clothing, & Food ●Elderly family members live with family ●More collectivist in dress ●Meals are eaten with the family ●Food is an expression of culture

Social Customs FranceUnited StatesKenya Dinner: “We-ather” Dinner: “Grab & Go” Dinner: “Until the End of Time” Fashion: Black or Neutral Fashion: Freedom Fashion: Traditional Personal & Business Separate Personal & Business Mixture Personal & Business Blend

Religion & Common Beliefs FranceUnited StatesKenya SecularismMix of Spiritualism and Secularism Spiritual Separation of Church and State Ideally State and Religion are Separate Separation of State and Religion Focus on Liberty and Tolerance Mixture of People and Practice Tolerance High Tolerance for Others

Education FranceUnited StatesKenya Cooperation “Group Work” Competitive “Individual Work” Cooperation “Group Work” Less ExpensiveMore Expensive Not Risk Takers “Stay in Comfort Zone” Risk Takers “Not Afraid to Try and Fail” Semi Risk Takers

Business France Work Life Balance United States Emphasis on Work Kenya Work Life Balance Strict Labor Laws Relaxed Labor Laws Lackadaisical in regards to time Punctuality is the key Lackadaisical in regards to time

Conclusion ●United States shows the most individualistic tendencies ●France shows a mixture of both Individualism and Collectivism ●Kenya is the most Collectivist of the three countries

Any Questions?

Sources education-training-off-centre/detail/targeting-quality-education-in-kenya-in-the- face-of-universalizing-access.html