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Case study
You work in HR for a media firm in Barcelona that has many international staff. Recently, several anonymous complaints have been made, by both the Spanish and UK, about the working style of the other. You have been asked by your superiors to compile a brief report on the problem in order to better understand the situation.
Choose four of the complaints from below, and for each one, identify if the complaint was made by the British or Spanish staff and analyse what could be the underlying cause of the issue, citing the cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede and/or Trompenaars (scores below) and what it tells us about the working styles of the different cultures.
Hofstede Trompenaars
PDI UAI MASC Universalism vs
Particularism Neutral vs emotion Achievement vs ascription Specific vs diffuse Individualism vs communitarianism
Spain 57 86 42 35 28 30 18 33
UK 35 35 66 72 66 71 60 84
Source: Hofstede insights, 2023; Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, 2023
• “The managers seem to have just come out of college. They might have all the qualifications, but how can we trust their judgement when they have no experience?
• “Since we have been working together the focus on success and targets has become overwhelming. Of course, we want to succeed but not with all this pressure and not at the expense of a nice working environment.”
• “They are very unpredictable and at times it seems inappropriate – they can be shouting and screaming at you one day and then act like your best friend the next day.”
• “I feel pressured sometimes to take part in activities outside of work. This is my job, not my life- they pay me, I work hard, but that’s where it ends.”
• “A lot of the time we don’t receive directions or rules on what we need to do. They say it gives them more freedom and creativity but it seems like chaos!”
• “There is always pressure to make decisions on the spot without letting me consult with the rest of the team.”
• “The staff clearly have no respect for their bosses – they question everything, even in front of others. Why can’t they simply follow an order from their superior?”
• “I’ve been co-managing a team with one of their managers and it’s impossible to instill discipline. Every time I want to reprimand someone,
I’m told I have to go easy or let it go, usually because of some personal reason or connection. It’s making me look bad.”
