Results of a Collectivism Individualism Test and Steps for Personal Development

Collectivism and Individualism; Assessment and Action Plan

Test Results

The development of skills and personal ability to adapt towards collectivist and individualist societies can be a key element in developing an internationalized outlook (Brewster, Sparrow, Vernon, & Houldsworth, 2011). The assessment provided by Johnson, (2015, p.402) gives a score for both individualism and collectivism with the definitions based on the work of Hofstede, (2003). Each score was out of 50, my scores were 30 for individual, and 47 for collectivism. This indicates a greater alignment with collectivism, the approach there is a greater priority given to the needs of the group or community (Johnson, 2015). However, it does highlight a comparative weakness in terms of individualistic behavior, as there are occasions where individualism may be required in the business world.

Reflection

The questions making up the assessment were interesting, and while some could be answered immediately, others required some consideration, realizing there was the potential for them to be skewed by personal perspective. For example, while in higher education, it is tempting answer that high schools to responses such as "being successful in demonstrating individual competency," and "being recognized my individual work." These may be true with reference to my university work, and considered in the boarder perspective, there were far less important than more "preserving the welfare of others" and "living in a stable society." It was quite surprising to realise I had such a high level of collectivism in my society. This also caused me to reflect, help me to identify there were many occasions in the past when I'd helped others, including with their schoolwork, thank you to my own detriment as I also needed the time for my own work.

This gives me an insight into the strengths and weaknesses. Strengths include the ability to display empathy and consider the needs of wider society. This can be a significant benefit, especially the modern commercial environment where issues such as ethical awareness and corporate social responsibility are increasingly important. However, this can also be a weakness, as considering the product it may not always be suitable when specific, or individual, stakeholder groups need to be prioritized. Likewise, the lower level of individualism may be weakness, especially in the context of a competitive commercial environment, where individuals may need to promote their own skills and abilities in order to gain rewards and promotion. Ironically, those who gain rewards information within organizations may be best to prioritize broad societal needs, individualistic and collective approaches are both needed. Additionally, there may also be times when individualistic approach is better, as groups of society's main always desire and action that is needed. Individualism may help to support the need for difficult decision-making, was a greater preponderance towards collectivism may also result in a delegating or avoiding difficult decision-making.

Based on this assessment, in order to improve personal performance as an agent for ethical change, it is essential to pursue strategies to improve individualistic performance, which will provide a great foundation for acting as a.

Action Plan