Reflections on “low vs. high individualism”

Reflecting on the results of the research on different cultures conducted by Geert Hofstede, I noticed that, on the dimension “individualism”, Asian cultures rank, in general, lower than, for example, the U.S. culture and cultures of many European countries.

Studying the guiding principles on the first page of the Toyota Code of Conduct, I noted not least principle # 5 of the 7 principles:

“Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management.”

Is this combination of individual creativity and cooperation/teamwork one of the keys to success for a globally working company? Thinking about the culture of the company, you work for, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts and experiences about what the right balance between individualism, in general, and cooperation/teamwork is?

Please feel free to also communicate any examples you may have. You could, for example, write about compensation, i.e. to what degree the sharing of knowledge - for example on blogs and/or other internet communities - leads to a higher salary, and/or how many times the highest salary paid by the company is larger than the lowest salary paid by the company.