1 How have Americans’ belief in individualism impacted the workplace? How might it be different highly collective countries and cultures?
2 How might an American’s belief in individualism cause misunderstandings when interacting with someone from collective culture?
Countries and cultures have difference beliefs about the importance of the individual versus the collective society. At an early age, U.S. Americans are taught to value independence and self-responsibility. Believing each person is unique and autonomous, U.S. Americans believe they have the right to express their opinions, make their own decisions, and own property and possessions. U.S. Americans may have difficulty understanding countries and cultures that emphasize collectivism which puts the welfare of everyone before the individual. Examples of countries that are highly collective include Columbia, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
