Blackwell Reference Online

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Collectivist culture is a term used to designate the cultural trait of giving primacy to the goals and welfare of groups in the view of the world related to relationships with other humans (Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, 1961; Hofstede, 1991). In some descriptions of culture, the term communitarianist is used to label the same priority (Trompenaars and Hampden‐Turner, 1998). In collectivist societies, people are integrated into cohesive groups which expect their loyalty and which, in turn, will take care of them throughout life. This is contrasted with the cultural trait of individualism.The implications of collectivism for international managers are significant. For example, in communication, a collectivist culture is likely to be high context, with many layers of shared meanings related to the context (historical, social norms, roles, situational, and relational), and to value indirect, subtle, and highly nuanced communication (Thomas and Osland, 2004). In collectivist cultures, direct, explicit communication may be understood as rude, brash, and insulting. As an example of the relevance to management, since the organization of work and the reward systems are best aligned with cultural values, in collectivist cultures team work and team or group rewards would be appropriate; individual performance rewards such as piece work or bonuses tied to individual productivity would be inappropriate ... log in or subscribe to read full text