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Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

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16 views3 pages

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Uploaded by

Mohammad samir khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The following are the hofstede’s cultural dimension scores for Arab countries and Argentina.

Explain all the dimensions and give a comparative interpretation for the two in your own words for
all the dimensions.

Country PDI IDV MAS UAI LTO IND

Arab countries 80 38 53 68 23 34

Argentina 49 46 56 86 20 62

No absolute measures .Only comparative index.

PDI – Power Distance Index – Extent to which less powerful people expect and accept that Power is
distributed UNEQUALLY. It is the impression in the minds of the people at the bottom. They are the
focus. Power comes first, Good and Evil is secondary.

Low PDI - 0 High PDI – 100


Power is not distributed unequally, Power is distributed unequally, People in the
Even people in the lower rung are equally lower rung do not have a say. Decisions are
Represented. made at the top and the rest follow and obey
Higher innovations Lower innovations.
In equality is somewhere wrong and should In equality is accepted – Superiors are superior
be reduced – Superiors are a part of the beings
hierarchy and not superior beings
Independence is learnt by children Respect is one of the most important thing
children learn
Decentralization Centralization
Sub ordinates expect to be “consulted” Sub ordinates expect to be “told”

IDV – Individualism v/s Collectivism Index – Ties between Individuals are “Loose” – Individualism.
Ties between individuals are strong – Collectivism. “ I ” mentality. Individual is Important.
Collectivism, “ We ” mentality. Group is important.

Individualism - 100 Collectivism – 0


Power is not distributed unequally, Power is distributed unequally, People in the
Even people in the lower rung are equally lower rung do not have a say. Decisions are
Represented. made at the top and the rest follow and obey
Higher innovations Lower innovations.
Everyone is expected to look after himself, Everyone is a part of a group. He is expected to
father, mother, and near family look after the extended family also, village
society, tribes.
Universalism – Other people are classified as Exclusionist – classify others as “In” or “Out”
individuals. Competition is between group.
individuals.
Task comes first, relationship is afterwords Relationship comes first. Task is later
Everything should be specified. Extensive High context communication - Short
communication.
Confrontations need not be always harmful. Harmony should be maintained inside the “In”
At times they can be healthy. group, at all cost. Even superficial.
MAS – Masculinity v/s Femininity Index – Not the same as Males and Females. But more of
“Manlike” and “Womanlike” A men can be feminine. A woman can be called Masculine…

It matters whether the information is coming from men or women. Unlike other
dimensions/indexes.

Feminine Society - 0 Masculine Society - 100


Emotional roles are distinct – Role separation Emotional roles are distinct – Boy should be
is weaker Boy can also be tender and assertive and tough and focus on material
focussed on should be assertive and tough success and girl should be focussed on quality
and focus on material success of life.
People try to balance family and work Work takes a higher place
Both mother and father should deal with Father should deal with facts
facts and feelings Mother should deal with feelings
Jealous of high flyers Admire the strong
Sympathy for the weak Disdain for the weak
Focusses on human relations Focusses on GOD
Higher budget for aid to poor Lower budget for aid to poor
Salary and leisure …both are equally In Jobs – salary is more important than leisure
important – more vacations
Wealth is not a differentiator for both.

UAI – Uncertainty avoidance Index. – First applied in theory of the Firm. Extent to which Members
of a society feel threatened by ambiguous and uncertain situations. Not necessarily risk avoidance.

Uncertainty Avoidance – Low - 0 Uncertainty Avoidance – High - 100


Uncertainty Acceptance
Uncertainty is accepted, Normal, part of life. Uncertainty is threat. Must be fought.
Less stress and anxiety More stress,
Aggression must be controlled Aggression and emotions can be vented
What is different is curious. What is different is dangerous
Rules are minimal…at times can be broken… High need for rules …even if not followed
Less formalization… Formalization..
Technological innovations accepted fast Technological innovations accepted slowly..
People switch jobs …..easily. Stay in the same job as long as they can…
Tolerant towards people who look different. Afraid of people who look different

LTO – Long term v/s Short term orientation Index – Introduced in 1991 by Mr Hofstede.

Data for 93 countries.

Short Term Orientation - 0 Long Term orientation - 100

Fostering virtues related to past and present Pragmatic virtues related to FUTURE awards
National pride, respect for tradition, fulfilling Perseverance, savings and adapting to changing
social obligations, circumstances
Good and Evil are absolute….always the Feeling is …Good and Evil are relative.. they can
same… change overtime..
Fixed norms always apply…irrespective of the Which norms apply, depends on the situation…
situation.
Superior person – always the same.. Superior person … knows how to adapt to
situations
People seek positive information about People Humble about oneself.
themselves.
Traditions are sacrosanct Traditions can be changed
Contradictions are contradictions. They will Contradictions are to be integrated to
remain and not reconciled. something new.
We are proud of our own country We are open to learn from other countries

IND – Indulgence v/s Restraint Index.

The most recent dimension. Feelings of subjective happiness and “not happy”.

Indulgence - 100 Restraint - 0

Allow relatively free gratification of basic Suppresses gratification and regulated by strict
desires social norms.
People feel healthier and happy People feel less happy and healthier (although
they may be equally healthy)
What happens to them is their own doing What happens to them is not their own doing
Leisure ethics Work ethics
Optimist attitude Pessimist attitude
Extroverted personalities Introverted personalities
Having friends is more important Having friends is less important
More sports participation Less sports participation
Freedom of speech is important Maintaining harmony in society is more
important.
Higher crime rates. Less police forces Lower crime rates .Larger police forces

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