Cultural Analysis Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck
Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck were two early pioneers in theories about culture. They identified five, and later a sixth, orientations that they claimed culture groups tended towards.
The importance of their work lies in the influence that it has had on the development of theories by later researchers.
The Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck Model
Orientations Range of variations
What is the nature of people? Good
Evil
A mix of good and evil
What is the person’s relationship to
nature? Dominant
In harmony
Subjugation
What is the person’s relationship to
other people? Linial (hierarchical)
Collateral (collectivist)
Individualist
What is the modality of human activity? Doing
Being
Containing
What is the temporal focus of human
activity? Future
Present
Past
What is the conception of space? Private
Public
Mixed
The Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck model is not often applied to current management theories about intercultural communication and relations. However, an understanding of the concepts of their model can be useful for understanding the concepts of later theories, Hofstede and Trompenaars for instance.
If you would like to go into the Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck model in greater depth try the International Association of Cross-cultural Psychology website.
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