Cross-Culture Differences and

Similarities Between

UNITED KINGDOM
&
CHINA
Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions
Comparison Between china & UK
 High vs. Low Power Distance

 It is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of

institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that
power is distributed unequally.

 At a score of 20 China is a highly collectivist culture where people act

in the interests of the group and not necessarily of themselves. 

 At 35 Britain sits in the lower rankings of PDI – i.e. a society that

believes that inequalities amongst people should be minimized.
 Individualism vs. Collectivism 
 The degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has
to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”.

 At a score of 20 China is a highly collectivist culture where people act in the

interests of the group and not necessarily of themselves.

 At a score of 89 the UK is amongst the highest of the Individualist scores,

beaten only by some of the commonwealth countries it spawned i.e. Australia
and the USA. The British are a highly Individualist and private people.
 Masculinity vs. Femininity
 The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best
(Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

 At 66 China is a Masculine society –success oriented and driven. The need to ensure
success can be exemplified by the fact that many Chinese will sacrifice family and
leisure priorities to work.

 At 66, Britain is a Masculine society – highly success oriented and driven. A key
point of confusion for the foreigner lies in the apparent contradiction between the
British culture of modesty and understatement which is at odds with the underlying
success driven value system in the culture.
 Weak vs. Strong uncertainty avoidance
 The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or
unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is
reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

 At 30 China has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance. The Chinese are comfortable

with ambiguity; the Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings that can be
difficult for Western people to follow. Chinese are adaptable and entrepreneurial.

 At 35 the UK has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance which means that as a nation
they are quite happy to wake up not knowing what the day brings and they are happy
to ‘make it up as they go along’ changing plans as new information comes to light.
 Long vs. Short term Orientation
 This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with
its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and
societies prioritise these two existential goals differently.

 China scores 87 in this dimension, which means that it is a very pragmatic

culture. In societies with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that truth
depends very much on situation, context and time.

 With an intermediate score of 51 in this dimension, a dominant preference in

British culture cannot be determined.
 Indulgence vs. Restraint or Aggressiveness

 This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their
desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised.
 China is a Restrained society as can be seen in its low score of 24 in this
dimension. Societies with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to
cynicism and pessimism.

 A high score of 69 indicates that the British culture is one that is classified as
Indulgent. They possess a positive attitude and have a tendency towards
optimism. In addition, they place a higher degree of importance on leisure
time, act as they please and spend money as they wish.
CORPORATE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN
UK AND CHINA
 CORPORATE CULTURAL DIFFERENCE

When it comes to individualism Hofstede (1991)

found that when ranking countries in order of a
score for individualism
China-individualism score of 20.
UK having one of the world’s highest at 89.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

Chinese project managers will primarily associate

their work identity with the company.
UK managers will primarily associate their work
identity with themselves.
Chinese project managers place more importance on
relationships whereas in the UK more emphasis is
placed on independence and control.
 Power Distance
Corporate Cultural Difference

The power distance is typically much greater in

China than in UK.
The British negotiators must pay careful attention to
the organizational hierarchy of their Chinese
partners, and appreciate that their Chinese
counterparts will be very sensitive to hierarchical
issues. 
 Negotiations
Corporate Cultural Difference

Chinese prefer slower negotiations.

UK, believe that time is money. Thus,UK, prefer
quick negotiations.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

In China friendship plays an important role in the

success of business negotiations.
The Chinese do not like being taken by surprise.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

British prefer very detailed contracts.

Chinese prefer a more general agreement as the
foundation of the contract lies in the relationship
between the parties.
 High/Low context culture
Corporate Cultural Difference

Chinese are open and flexible with cultural

process.
On the other hand in the UK time is highly
organised and the product is more important than
the process.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

The Chinese prefer a more structural form and

hierarchy.
In sharp contrast the UK are generally known to
speak out their mind.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

Chinese, are more open with their feelings. In contrast

the UK has a highly neutral style.
For example, smiling is a common means of
communication when people meet. However it can
express different meanings.
Direct eye contact should be avoided, as the Chinese
do not look people straight in the eyes as this tends to
make them feel uncomfortable.
 Corporate Cultural Difference

In China, the creation of interpersonal relations

takes priority over a commercial transaction.
The negotiation process is generally more complex
because it encompasses unconscious forces of the
different cultural norms that may undermine
effective communication
 Conclusion
Corporate Cultural Difference

BETWEEN
UK AND CHINA
Corporate Culture Similarities
UK
&
CHINA
 Corporate Culture
Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a
company's employees and management interact.
Corporate culture is rooted in an organization's goals, strategies, structure,
and approaches to labor, customers, investors, and the greater
community.
As such, it is an essential component in any business's ultimate success or
failure.
Corporate culture is also influenced by national cultures and traditions,
economic trends, international trade, company size, and products.
Corporate cultures, whether shaped intentionally or grown organically,
reach to the core of a company’s ideology and practice, and affect every
aspect of a business.
 Similarities

The inequality of society exist in both the countries.

The salary for different jobs are unequal is an uneven
allocation of income across the population. Some
people are very wealthy while others are very poor.
These inequalities happens from the actions of labor
markets and the unequal distribution of wealth-
property.
Both tends to focus on practical solutions rather than
trying to solve problems using abstract principles.
 Continued…
The dress code in UK and China business culture is
usually conservative. For men, this means a dark suit
and for women, either a dark suit or a high neckline
dress.
Punctuality is very important in both the countries.
Appointments are a must for business.
It is highly recommended to keep work and private life
strictly separated.
 Conclusion
In conclusion, Chinese society and British society have some of
similarities because of the globalization.
However, the long-term cultural heritage make the both society
different.
It is also important not to allow cultural stereotype to determine
the relationships with the potential business partners.
It is important for both UK and Chinese organization to pay
attention to Cultural differences in order to adopt practices and
foster successful collaboration. 
HR Activities

UK AND CHINA
 Recruitment and Selection in UK
 Interviews, CVs, application forms and references are the most
common, but there are also other techniques such as psychometric tests
and assessment centers

 Telephone interviews

 They use a structured interview format to help avoid biasness

 Continued…
 UK follows Equality act 2010.

 It will be discriminatory to reject a job applicant for employment

because of sex, gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy, race,
religion, sexual orientation, disability (unless rejection for employment
because of a reason arising from disability can be justified), age (unless
justified).

 Employers keep accurate records of the selection process, including test

results and decisions, as evidence for possible future employment
tribunal claims.
 Recruitment and Selection in China

 Internal recruitment is encouraged in many organizations

in terms of its cost effectiveness.
 Employers spend less time and money on studying which
selection method or technique to use
 Use the “probation period” to evaluate whether it will be a
good decision to hire the more likely person in long term
 Continued…
 they think they can afford for wrong selections because labor forces are
very cheap in China.
 Because it is legal for employers not pay any benefits during the
probation period, and the labor law prescribes the probation period
cannot exceed three months
 In china 81% of organizations are using traditional unstructured
interviews for external selection. And only 6% of these surveyed
organizations used assessment centers.
 Working Hours

UK China

 Maximum 8 hours day, 40  Maximum 8 hours day, 40

hours a week hours a week
 At least 20 minutes break  Usually work between
if work more than 6 hours 08:00 and 18:00 each day
 Saturday and Sunday off  Saturday and Sunday off
 Over Time Payments

UK China

 Employers are not bound to Overtime on work days –entitled to

pay workers for overtime receive 150 per cent of the normal
 Because in employee contract wage rate
Overtime on rest days –entitled to
they normally mention that
receive compensatory leave or 200
they’ll be having overtime.
per cent of the normal rate of pay
 If work on weekends then wage
Overtime on statutory holidays –
will be fixed as daily employees are entitled to receive
300 per cent of normal rates of pay
 Termination

UK China
 employer must give notice to employee  China uses a contract employment
before termination system
 You can be dismissed immediately –  Its difficult to terminate an employee
e.g. for violence that is still under contract
 Right to ask for a written statement  Only be terminated if he cannot work
from your employer giving the reasons because of injury, incompetence, a
why you’ve been dismissed major change in circumstances or by
 Written statement if you’re dismissed mutual agreement.
while you are on Statutory Maternity  Thirty days' notice is required
Leave.  Eligible for severance pay upon
termination of employment contract.
 Country preference for an Expatriate

Corporate rules and regulations

Freedom
Discrimination
Living Standard
Language
Religion In China
 Religion before Mao
  Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity,
they're the most prominent religions in China.
 (Confucianism is a collection of stories, teachings and
morals from Confucius put together to from religion.)
 Chinese philosophy for 2500 years had been dominated
by confusions.
 Religion was deeply rooted in China.
 They believed it was their duty to look after the spirits of
their ancestors and the dead.
 CHINA COMMUNIST PARTY

Officially atheist
Bans all religious practices
Anti Islam Uighar Muslims persecution.
Anti Christianity.
Anti Buddhism.
 Mao’s public view on Religion
 Mao thought Christianity was incompatible with
Marxism.
 He didn’t like the idea of other religions having a
leader that wasn’t him.
 “Religion is Poison”-Mao to the Dalai Lama
  "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the
heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless
conditions. It is the opium of the people". –Karl Marx
 Islam:
o Mosques were seized and converted into arenas for struggle
sessions
o However, there was opposition. In the battle of Gansu over
1000 people were killed and armed rebellions were common
o This led Mao to grant Xinjiang the status of autonomous
state in Oct 1955
o However, Mao realised that Muslim leaders represented a
challenge to his rule as they had links with Muslim
communities in the USSR and Pakistan
o Therefore, they were sent for ‘thought reform’
 Mao needed to destroy old culture, including
religion, so that he could create his own.
 However he could not achieve this fully as religion
was strongly held in the people and they were not
too willing to let it go.
 The youth however were willing to for the regime
as they were told to not be religious their whole
lives.
Multi-Cultural UK
For over 2000 years people have arrived in Britain,
contributing their own cultural influence. Much of
our religious diversity is the result of the British
Empire (at its height, the British Empire governed
over one quarter of the world’s population) After
the British Empire collapsed, people from the
Commonwealth migrated to Britain, and countries
such as the Caribbean and India were invited to
help strengthen our workforce.
 Religion in the UK today
2001 census report 2011 census report
Religion Number % Religion Number %
Christianity 40,633,031 65.1 Christianity 36,093,374 58.8
Islam 1,589,183 0.8 Islam 2,782,803 4.5
Hinduism 557,985 0.1 Hinduism 833,012 1.4
Sikhism 335,930 0.1 Sikhism 432,213 0.7
Judaism 266,375 0.1 Judaism 269,233 0.4
Buddhism 151,283 0.1 Buddhism 260,538 0.4

Other religion 177,694 0.5 Other religion 255,726 0.4

Total non-Christian Total non-Christian

3,078,450 1.9 4,833,525 7.9
religion religion
No religion 16,038,345 26.1
No religion 9,103,727 27.6
Religion not stated 4,288,719 5.5 Religion not stated 4,406,071 7.2

No religion and
13,392,446 33.0 No religion and 20,444,416 33.3
Religion not stated
Religion not stated
Total population 57,103,927 100.0
Total population 61,371,315 100.0
 Thank You
Any Questions ?