Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

Hofstede dimensions

Cultural Dimensions

Intro

There are many cultural aspects which influence people’s behavior. Aspects like religion, customs, language, values, attitudes, among others. There are some schemes that help us to better understand different cultures and to classify them. One of the best-known schemes is Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Framework.

Intro

There is a theory called the Hofstede Theory, which was created by Geer Hofstede analyzing 70 countries and comparing them according to their culture. This study was carried out in 1973, for a computer systems company, which was looking for a way to internationalize. To make this comparison, Hofstede (2001) divided the countries into five different variables and to be able to analyze them.

Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

Geert Hofstede’s was working at IBM company, when he gathered data about attitudes and values from more than a hundred thousand employees. With this data, he compared the cultural aspects of 40 countries. Psychologist Dr. Geert Hofstede published his cultural dimensions model at the end of the 1970s, based on a decade of research.

Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

These dimensions help us to group the diverse cultures and to easily identify the general characteristics of each segment.Also, the dimensions reveal, in very general terms, the cultural differences.

Cultural aspects

It is essential to understand that the model presented by Hofstede is a starting point for the interested administrators in differences among cultures and their meaning for administrative practices (Hill, 2015).

1. Power Distance Index (PDI)

Hofstede defined Power Distance as “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally”. What does this mean in everyday life situations? For example, in a family, a culture with a higher Power Distance will regard hierarchy and the importance and respect attributed to older members as the norm. This can be translated to other types of organizations, like schools, companies, and even government.

1. Power Distance Index (PDI)

This refers to the degree of inequality that exists – and is accepted – between people with and without power.

• A high PDI score indicates that a society accepts an unequal, hierarchical distribution of power, and that people understand "their place" in the system.
• A low PDI score means that power is shared and is widely dispersed, and that society members do not accept situations where power is distributed unequally.

2. Individualism Versus Collectivism (IDV)

This dimension explores the importance of groups, and belonging to said groups within a culture. While in Individualist cultures the spotlight is on the individual, and the relationship with others is not paramount, a Collectivist culture will favor strong ties to others. The easiest way to illustrate this is through family: think about the idea of family in your culture, and whether it includes siblings, uncles, cousins, grandparents, or maybe even distant relatives.

2. Individualism Versus Collectivism (IDV)

This refers to the strength of the ties that people have to others within their community.

• A high IDV score indicates weak interpersonal connection among those who are not part of a core "family." Here, people take less responsibility for others' actions and outcomes.
• In a collectivist society, however, people are supposed to be loyal to the group to which they belong, and, in exchange, the group will defend their interests. The group itself is normally larger, and people take responsibility for one another's well-being.

3. Masculinity Versus Femininity (MAS)

Hofstede used the concepts of Masculinity and Femininity to catalogue a society according to the most predominant values found, both in men and women. Masculine cultures show a more assertive approach to life, are more competitive, and show a higher appreciation for material rewards. On the opposite pole, Feminine cultures favor caring values, quality of life and cooperation.

3. Masculinity Versus Femininity (MAS)

This refers to the distribution of roles between men and women.

• In masculine societies, the roles of men and women overlap less, and men are expected to behave assertively. Demonstrating your success, and being strong and fast, are seen as positive characteristics.
• In feminine societies, however, there is a great deal of overlap between male and female roles, and modesty is perceived as a virtue. Greater importance is placed on good relationships with your direct supervisors, or working with people who cooperate well with one another.

4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)

This dimension deals with how much structure and rules are preferred by a culture, in opposition to ambiguity. In cultures with high Uncertainty Avoidance we will find a strong construct of rules. This does not necessarily mean formal laws, but it can be expressed on the way people expect things to be. It usually means there is an expectation of how a person should act, even from small things like saying hello. And when people behave in a way that departs from the cultural norm, it is usually not well received.

4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)

This dimension describes how well people can cope with anxiety.

• In societies that score highly for Uncertainty Avoidance, people attempt to make life as predictable and controllable as possible. If they find that they can't control their own lives, they may be tempted to stop trying. These people may refer to "mañana," or put their fate "in the hands of God"
• People in low UAI-scoring countries are more relaxed, open or inclusive.

5. Long-Term Versus Short-Term Orientation (LTO)

In Long Term Cultures we may find values such as perseverance, adaptation, thrift and effort, as well as a realization that the most important events in life reside in the future. On the other hand, cultures with Short Term Orientation show a strong respect for tradition, an increased social spending and consumption, and a belief that the most important moments in life happened in the past, or are happening now.

5. Long-Term Versus Short-Term Orientation (LTO)

It refers to the time horizon people in a society display.

• Countries with a long-term orientation tend to be pragmatic, modest, and more thrifty.
• In short-term oriented countries, people tend to place more emphasis on principles, consistency and truth, and are typically religious and nationalistic.

6. Indulgence Versus Restraint (IVR)

The last dimension of Hofstede’s model, Indulgence vs Restrain, focuses on measuring the way cultures deal with gratification. A high score on Indulgence refers to a society that places a high importance on things like freedom of speech, leisure, and an overall desire to enjoy life and have fun. On the contrary, a high Restrain score describes cultures where the path towards gratification is full of strict social norms, and thus freedom of speech and leisure are less important, while order in society is paramount.

6. Indulgence Versus Restraint (IVR)

Countries with a high IVR score allow or encourage relatively free gratification of people's own drives and emotions, such as enjoying life and having fun. In a society with a low IVR score, there is more emphasis on suppressing gratification and more regulation of people's conduct and behavior, and there are stricter social norms.

Hofstede cultural dimensions

Individualism or collectivism

As its name implies, how much they are accustomed to working in a team or individually, as well as how much sense of belonging do they have to a company or country.

Power distance

Refers to how many divisions or subdivisions there are in an organization or how accustomed we are to receiving direct orders from a boss. We can easily realize this by looking at the organization charts of the companies in the destination country. The larger the vertical organization chart, the greater the power distance.

Hofstede cultural dimensions

Masculinity vs. Femininity

Short-term and long-term orientation

This variable analyzes the way in which men and women interact. That is, if women have an important role or participate in important decisions of the company or the country.

STO societies encourage people to spend and look for inmmediate profits. LTO societies encourage people to save and invest.

Uncertainty avoidance

UAIndex explains how the members feel when dealing with unknown situations. A strong UAI, people tend to avoid taking risks and unexpected situations. A weak UAI, people tend to be tolerant with what they can't control.

Reflecting on the dimensions of culture

We have read six different lenses through which we can look at values and behaviors within a culture to help us understand and compare with others, including our own.Think about the dimensions and write down an example of one culture’s behaviours or values for each of them. You may use your own culture to exemplify one of the dimensions!Remember there are no right or wrongs when assessing the dimensions. Try to find examples that are not just old stereotypes!

Closure

Knowledge on this topic can help you make clearer decisions, using the cultural differences and ways of behavior of the people in the destination country. A country can encompass very different societies. Culture also affects social class systems, where it is also seen prestige, social relationships, power, the way we consume, what we direct the income towards, what we are "married" to in terms of obligation and duty, among others.

Closure

It is important to consider that the measuring of these dimensions in no way seeks to determine whether one culture or the other is right or wrong in a given attitude or behavior. The purpose of the analysis is to understand how culture guides the values and actions of individuals within a group, and thus to lead us towards a more holistic understanding of the world around us.

Producto

Germany for beginners | Part 1: Understanding cultural differences

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hciUr8UMtJw

Producto

Hofstede - Cultural Dimensions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHdqPqWle04

Thank you!

This is the end of today's class.

victordlgp@tecmilenio.mx

Additional references

• https://www.reservations.com/blog/resources/power-distance-index/#infographic
• https://www.mindtools.com/a1ecvyx/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions
• https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/
• https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/
• To learn more about individualism and collectivism, check out the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hciUr8UMtJw
• Hofstede - Cultural Dimensionshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHdqPqWle04
• https://chameleon-coaching.com/en/cultural-dimensions-part-ii/
• https://www.muditaconsultancy.com/en/resource-center/visuals/introductions-to-cultural-dimensions
• https://www.muditaconsultancy.com/en/resource-center/visuals/introductions-to-cultural-dimensions/masculinity-femininity-tough-tender
• https://www.muditaconsultancy.com/en/resource-center/visuals/introductions-to-cultural-dimensions/individualism-collectivism#