Overview

This essay examines the role of Hofstede’s Value Dimensions in understanding cultural differences and how these differences influence communication and workplace dynamics, particularly within a multicultural setting like an international airline company. By comparing Dutch and Japanese cultural norms using Hofstede’s framework, and drawing insights from an interview with a colleague, the analysis highlights the importance of empathy, adaptability, and awareness in navigating intercultural challenges.

The interview provided a reflective perspective on how cultural differences manifest in the workplace and how individuals adapt to these differences. It emphasized key themes such as the value of staying calm and empathetic in misunderstandings, the need for composure in handling diverse perspectives, and the opportunities for personal and professional growth through mistakes.

Building on these insights, the essay integrates Hofstede’s cultural dimensions—Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity vs. Femininity, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs. Restraint—to analyze Dutch and Japanese cultures. The findings underscore the contrasting preferences for informality and structure, independence and harmony, and how these preferences shape expectations in professional settings like an international airline.

By combining theoretical frameworks and real-world experiences, this essay demonstrates how cultural understanding can foster a more inclusive and effective intercultural environment, ultimately enhancing organizational success and collaboration.

Hofstede Dimensions

The Hofstede cultural dimensions provide essential insights into Dutch and Japanese cultures, especially in settings like international flights. For flight attendants, understanding these differences is crucial to navigate social norms and delivering effective in air services. 

Dutch culture is characterized by individualism and low power distance, meaning passengers often prefer independent and non-hierarchical interactions. Social norms in the Netherlands discourage overly formal behavior, which may feel prohibitive to their value of open communication. Flight attendants should adopt a friendly, transparent approach, ensuring their interactions are direct and flexible while respecting passengers’ independence. 

Japanese culture, on the other hand, scores high in collectivism and uncertainty avoidance, with strong adherence to hierarchy and structure. These passengers are more likely to follow social norms that emphasize harmony and politeness. Behavior perceived as overly informal or spontaneous may seem inhibitive to their sense of order. Flight attendants should prioritize respectful and formal communication.

When serving passengers from both cultures, flight attendants must balance these contrasting expectations. By navigating between Dutch preferences for informal equality and Japanese norms favoring formality and restraint, they can create an inclusive, culturally sensitive environment that minimizes prohibitive misunderstandings and enhances passenger comfort

 

Dutch and American culture

Hofstede’s dimensions showcase the differences within the Dutch and American culture, specifically focusing on international flights. It is of highest importance that air services understand the differences of these cultures to offer the appropriate and acceptable services to every individual.

The Dutch culture, as previously mentioned is characterized by high individualism and a low distance in power. In terms of airlines, passengers favor non-hierarchical and independent exchanges with personnel. According to the social norms in the Netherlands, it could be prohibitive to illustrate extreme formalities within interactions. As airline, a friendly, transparent and direct approach would be most appropriate in the conversations with customers, this allows the exchange of information to be as unswerving as possible while still being respectful to passengers.

However, the American culture illustrates high achievement orientation and a short-term time orientation when observing the Hofstede dimensions. Looking at the airline aspect, passengers may often desire efficient and time-saving journeys as it is part of their personal and professional behavior. This aligns with Hofstede’s achievement orientation as passengers see the efficiency, low cost and shorter journeys as the overall achievement.

In addition, airline passengers are easily influenced to prioritize their own comfort and convenience. In short-term orientation, American passengers may value a quick solution, when for example waiting to enter the plane. Thus, American passengers are more likely to follow their social norms, that place an emphasizes on the achievement and outcome within a short-term timeframe.

So, by raising awareness for the different cultural aspects, airline employees set a balance in the expectations. Using the Dutch direct and informal approach, and the American norms and values. Airlines are able to foster a favoring regulation and control, a more culturally aware environment can be created that minimizes inhibitive and prohibitive restraint.

 

Outcome

The interview provided detailed insights into the experiences of flight attendants in a culturally diverse work environment. A typical day begins with a pre-flight briefing, where the crew discusses flight details, passenger needs, and any special considerations. During flights, responsibilities include ensuring passenger safety, providing meal service, and maintaining overall comfort. The variety of routes, from short European flights to long-haul journeys to Asia, introduces dynamic challenges influenced by cultural differences.

For example, passengers on flights to Japan often value quiet and order, requiring a subtle and respectful communication style. Flights to the US involve more conversational passengers, prompting a more engaging approach. On flights to India, many passengers travel in large family groups, necessitating communication that addresses multiple needs simultaneously. These examples emphasize the importance of adaptability in the role of a flight attendant.

Cultural barriers occasionally arise, both with passengers and colleagues. In one instance, a colleague from a culture that avoids confrontation hesitated to point out a mistake during a flight, resulting in delays. The situation was addressed after the flight through a private conversation, where open communication was encouraged as essential for improving teamwork and service quality.

Fairness in the workplace was also discussed. Clear policies and an anonymous feedback system are used to address potential issues. For example, a colleague reported that scheduling practices unintentionally favored certain crew members based on seniority. Management reviewed the process and adjusted it to balance seniority with performance and availability, ensuring a more equitable distribution of schedules.

Cultural miscommunication is another recurring challenge. One example involved an elderly passenger travelling with an adult child, where the child answered all questions on the parent’s behalf. This dynamic initially made it difficult to understand the elderly passenger’s specific needs. The flight attendant addressed the situation by using simple gestures, maintaining eye contact, and asking straightforward yes-or-no questions while also involving the child as a translator when necessary. This approach successfully ensured the elderly passenger’s needs were met while respecting the family dynamic.

Cultural differences also influence team dynamics. For instance, colleagues from Dutch backgrounds are more likely to challenge decisions made by supervisors, while colleagues from Asian backgrounds may hesitate to share ideas even when they have valuable input. Team-building exercises and training scenarios, such as situations where junior crew members take the lead, have been implemented to build confidence and promote mutual respect within the team.

Toward the end of the interview, a dilemma was shared: balancing empathy with professionalism when managing culturally sensitive situations. This challenge involves navigating passengers’ diverse expectations while maintaining consistent service standards, particularly in high-pressure scenarios.

Possible solutions

The dilemma of balancing empathy with professionalism has been addressed through organizational initiatives and personal development efforts. Cultural awareness and communication training sessions have provided practical strategies for handling complex and sensitive interactions. Role-playing exercises during training, for example, allowed flight attendants to practice remaining composed and effectively addressing misunderstandings.

Organizational efforts to create an inclusive and supportive environment have also contributed to resolving this challenge. Team-building activities and open feedback mechanisms encourage crew members to share ideas and learn from one another. For instance, training sessions where junior crew members are required to take the lead have helped build confidence and improve communication across cultural lines.

By combining structured training with a commitment to adaptability and empathy, flight attendants can manage diverse expectations effectively. This approach ensures consistent service delivery while fostering a positive and respectful atmosphere for passengers and colleagues

Authors

• • Luna Thie
    Block 2, Semester 1

• • Puck van Ruissen
    Block 2, Semester 1

• • Amira Salih
    Block 2, Semester 1

• • Darya Tsetserukova
    Block 2, Semester 1

References

• • Country Comparison – Culture in the WorkplaceTM. (n.d.-b). Culture in the Workplace^TM. https://cultureinworkplace.com/country-comparison-dashboard/?ode-country-selected=NL,JP