A critical component of our team’s research program involves testing the model for differences across cultures, gender, job levels, and other demographic breakdowns.
While we have found no meaningful differences by gender or race, we’ve identified a few cultural differences. Some behaviors in one culture may be viewed as more or less Assertive and/or Responsive than another; however, the same primary dimensions of behavior exist. This is why our team develops separate “norms” for each unique culture. A norm is simply a database of common behaviors that provides a convenient way to compare ourselves to others in a meaningful way. For instance, the range of Assertive behavior in some Asian cultures tends to be more restricted than in North America, therefore a person considered to be Expressive in Asian society might be perceived as more Amiable in North America. Because of these differences in degree of behavior, separate norms are developed for distinct cultures.
Our team examines differences by occupation and job level, and utilizes these analyses to develop profiles that are precisely targeted towards specific industries and groups, such as managers.