Simpatia, personal dignity, and classism
A large part of what keeps drawing people back to Latin America is the warmth of personal relationships. There is great emphasis on respecting human dignity. Latin Americans resent affronts to personal dignity, such as criticism, insults, or loss of face. The warmth of relationships also engenders a strong sense of connection.
People always take time to greet one another with a show of genuine pleasure, asking after their health and family. The intrinsic value of good relations runs high. One of the few exceptions to simpatia and personal dignity is an exhibition of rudeness on the part of people in positions of power.
The other face of simpatia in Latin America is a tendency to avoid open conflict and unpleasantness. Expatriates must therefore develop good relationships and speak privately with individual Latinos to determine what they really think. One can seldom assume that the public persona accurately reflects a person’s private reality.
Personalism
In Latin America, people seem to produce work for others primarily because of a personal relationship with them. You can rely on employees and colleagues to do a task because they have a sense of personal loyalty to you. The formal organizational structure or their job descriptions are not enough to guarantee compliance or service. Personalism, a desire for personalized, individualized attention, is a strong theme in Latin American culture.
Particularism
The common practice of making personal exceptions in Latin America can play havoc with bureaucratic rules in organizations, as well as Government-industry regulations. Close beneath the surface of every Latin American bureaucracy is an efficient, effective informal network that operates in a fashion Max Weber, with his equal treatment rules, would never approve. Here’s where the real power and influence are wielded and things get done.
Trust
According to the literature, as well as personal experiences, Latin American cultures generally have a fairly low level of trust in people who are not family or close friends. When you are in serious trouble, Latin Americans say that you can only trust your family, which they define as the extended family. The strong family unit is what earns Latin American cultures the collectivist label; families watch out for their members in return for loyalty. In many cases, the dynamic tension within families is this delicate balance between trust and control.
Humour and joy
Another cultural characteristic we miss when living outside Latin America is the sense of humour and fun that lies so close to the surface. Humour also plays a major role in the work setting. In addition to greasing the wheels of organizational life, humour has two other functions in Latin America. It is sometimes used to keep people in line.
Fatalism
The fatalistic nature of Latin American cultures is well documented. As we would expect, one generally finds more evidence in Latin America of external control (one’s fate lies in the hands of destiny) than internal control (people determine their own fate and are accountable for their own successes and failures).
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http://www.iceg.pucminas.br/espaco/revista/organizational%20implications%20of%20latin.pdf
http://www.as.miami.edu/clas/images/Latin%20America%20Map.jpg
QUESTION
What is Hofstede’s analysis view on Colombian culture ?.
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_colombia.shtml
Colombia's highest Hofstede Dimension is Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) at 80, indicating the society’s low level of tolerance for uncertainty. In an effort to minimize or reduce this level of uncertainty, strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations are adopted and implemented. The ultimate goal of this population is to control everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. As a result of this high Uncertainty Avoidance characteristic, the society does not readily accept change and is very risk adverse.
Colombia has a low Individualism (IDV) rank (13), as do most Latin countries (average 21). The score on this Dimension indicates the society is Collectivist as compared to Individualist. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member 'group', be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group.
The Power Distance (PDI) ranking of 67 indicates a level of inequality of power and wealth within the society.
Colombia has one of the higher masculinity rankings in Latin America (64). This indicates the country experiences a higher degree of gender differentiation of roles. The male dominates a significant portion of the society and power structure.
