India vs.

Thailand
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Table of Contents
Similarities and Differences using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions:.........................................3

Power Distance: (Similar)............................................................................................................3

Individualism: (Different)............................................................................................................3

Masculinity: (Different)...............................................................................................................4

Long term Orientation: (Different)..............................................................................................4

Avoidance of Uncertainty: (Different).........................................................................................4

Indulgence: (Different)................................................................................................................5

Intercultural Issues:......................................................................................................................5

Perception Influence:...................................................................................................................5

Communicational intercultural barriers:......................................................................................5

Non-Verbal Communication:.......................................................................................................6

Language barriers:........................................................................................................................6

Business Communication:............................................................................................................7

References........................................................................................................................................8
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Similarities and Differences using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions:

Power Distance: (Similar)

The score of India in this dimension is 77 which indicate that hierarchy is appreciated and there
is the existence of a structure which is top-down both in organizations and in society. There is
centralization of the real power in the country and the team is believed to be counted by the
manager for obedience. The employees wish to be explained about what they are expected to do
and what their function or job role is. The communication process is also top down and has a
directive style a negative feedback is never allowed to move up in the ladder[ CITATION Hof20 \l
1033 ].

The score of Thailand in this dimension is 64 a bit lesser than the other Asian countries.
However, this also indicates at the appreciation of inequality in the country a protocol and
command is followed in a strict chain. There is a reserved privilege for each of the rank and the
employees obey their leader by showing respect and loyalty to seek justice and protection from
the superior authority. Thus they maintain a formal relation with the manager and the flow of
information is hierarchical in nature and is controlled well.

Individualism: (Different)
The score of India in this dimension is 48 and indicates at a society which has both the traits of
collectivism and individualism. Collectivism indicates at the eagerness of forming a part of the
larger part of the society where the individuals are expected to act in the way the society has
been framed from ages. The individualism on the other hand In the society is a result of the most
dominating religion Hinduism in the country that believe in the life cycle of rebirth after death
and hence people are dependent on themselves and the way they lead their life that will
determine the result on their rebirth.

The score of Thailand in this dimension is 20 and that indicates at the collectiveness of the
society in this country. Therefore, people in this country have a close interconnected relationship
with family, extended family, neighbors and by large with the entire society. Thus committing an
offence against the larger group in Thailand results in a face loss of that particular
person[ CITATION Hof201 \l 1033 ].
 4

Masculinity: (Different)
The score of India in this dimension is 56 which represent the masculinity of the country. Thus
the main trait of the country is in the visibility of power and success. However, people are also
spiritual in this country and hence follow several philosophies of religion. This restricts the
people from showing off their masculinity which would otherwise only have been focused on
achievements, material gains and success.

The score of Thailand is this dimension is 34 thus indicating at a feminine society. The ranking
of Thailand among the Asian Countries on basis of masculinity is the lowest and hence has a
society that believes in less completion and assertion. Thus there is also the reinforcement of
traditional roles of females and males within the country’s overall population.

Long term Orientation: (Different)

The score of India in this dimension is 51 and hence the preference of the country cannot be
much identified. The idea of “Karma” is prevalent in this country and the religion Hinduism is
regarded more as a philosophy than of a religion. It has a high tolerance of religion. Thus there is
also the existence of pragmatism in the country and hence the country is also tolerant towards the
lack or absence of punctuality and believes on the path of fate than a path that can actually be
determined by oneself.

The score of Thailand in this dimension is 32 indicating at a normative culture. Therefore, people
are keener to establish the actual truth than on going with what have done through ages based on
history. There is a keen showcase of respect towards tradition, a little less interest to save for
future and an intense interest to achieve quicker results[ CITATION Xia18 \l 1033 ].

Avoidance of Uncertainty: (Different)

The score of India in this dimension is 40 and thus the preference to avoid uncertainty is medium
low. India can accept imperfection and the culture has in it to understand that everything not has
to be exactly the same in a planned way. Tolerance to accept the unexpected is high in this
country and is also regarded often as a relief from the monotonous life. People like to go through
the daily routine and roles that have been established in the past without putting forward any
questions. In India people believe that the word impossible signifies “I’m possible” as long as
people have the ability of adjustment.
 5

The score of Thailand in this dimension is 64 which show a slight interest towards avoiding the
uncertainty. There a lot of laws, rules, regulations and policies to that have been implemented
and adopted to avoid the rate of uncertainty. The population is inclined in keeping everything
under control so that uncertainty can be avoided and if possible then completely eliminated. This
scenario makes it difficult to accept change and face risks.

Indulgence: (Different)
The core of India in this dimension is 26 and a low score in this dimension indicates at the trait
of restraint in the country. People in this country are both pessimistic and cynics. People also do
not look forward to a particular time for leisure and try to keep the desires under control. The
perception is to stay restrained by the norms of the society[ CITATION Mat13 \l 1033 ].

Since the score of Thailand in this dimension is 45 and hence intermediary the preference for
Thailand in this dimension is difficult to judge.

Intercultural Issues:

Perception Influence:
The influence of culture on people is revolving around real events, objects and perception of
people. The education system in Thailand is very perfect as it has “constitutional monarchy”.
Buddhism on the other hand helps people have belief on royal culture and freedom. Attention is
also paid on respect and courtesy. In case of communication across cultures people of Thailand
shows high patience and tolerance.

The influence of Indian culture on the people of the country helps in understanding of the leader
of the international system and helps in international interaction. This also has brought ht e
intention of India to be a great power. The strategic culture of the country brings the thought on
how it is against imperialism, multi Polaris sentiments and non-interventionist among the elites
of the country.

Communicational intercultural barriers:

Aspects of collectivism and lesser power in Thailand will help people to be more motivated
towards business as people will work to achieve the goals collectively. The “value incentive
schemes” for individuals in the country would decrease the productivity in Thailand rather than
 6

increasing it. This is because people over there have been conditioned psychologically to provide
resistance to open competition[ CITATION Dav20 \l 1033 ].

The presence of several cultures in the country creates barriers in communication as the language
of each of states varies from one another. Thus there is a barrier in the growth of the businesses
within the country as ach of the state will stick to its own cultural belief. Moreover, being
dominated by the Hindu religion in the country there is lack of punctuality on the people and
people are focused in building communication and relationship by being more emotional than
practical. The same goes for developing relationships and communication in business.

Non-Verbal Communication:
The significance of non verbal communication in Thailand is more than the actual mode of
verbal communication. Thai people love to pass off with a smile even in grave situations. This
might have a negative impact on the business of the country when managed globally because
people belonging to other culture would not be able to have a grasp on their culture. Moreover,
people of Thailand are not much familiar to say a “no” and hence they make people understand
through postures, gestures or body language.

Non-verbal communication in India is about knowing the right things to do and the wrong things
to be avoided strictly while establishing communication. For example, it is not appropriate to
look directly into the eyes of the person while communicating. However, this is not indicating
lack of confidence among the people; it is just what the culture has taught them. Indians are also
very dissatisfied when someone is talking rudely. The gestures or hand interpretations in the
country are also very different from the western cultures.

Language barriers:
The barriers of language in Thailand are very significant as most of them do not know how to
speak properly in English. Most of them do not know how to speak in English while others are
confused and nervous of what they are speaking. Therefore, whenever they are talking to an
outsider or a foreigner it becomes tough to understand their gesture and what they actually mean
to say. It might also seem rude when they speak in English. Thai people are very friendly and
helpful in nature but they often lack knowledge on how to throw words when they are speaking
in English. For example, often when one enters a store in Thailand the person would be asked
 7

“What do you want?” instead of “What would you like?” or “What help do you need?” This
might seem rude but the actual intention is to help the person who is visiting the store[ CITATION
Tha20 \l 1033 ].

The barriers of language on the other hand in India are a bit different. The barriers lie in the
natives of the country themselves. This is because there is a huge diversification of culture
among the people of this country and every state has its own language. Thus it often becomes
difficult to understand what a Tamil person has to say to someone who is Marathi or a Punjabi
person has to say to someone who belongs to Bengal. Therefore, when one person migrates from
one state to another it becomes difficult for them to grab the native language at the very first go.
Therefore, people from one state when communicating with person of another state opt to choose
either Hindi or English. However, the accent of English also varies from one state another and
hence a notable difference is observed in the pronunciation of people while they speak English.

Business Communication:
In Thailand while communication of business the first and foremost importance is given to
presence of both the parties. Moreover, both of the parties have to reach a point of agreement.
Again as per Buddhism, public speaking has to be very polite in nature. It is important to have
modesty and lack of intrusion and embarrassment to get into dealings of business. Lastly, since
the development of business relationship in Thailand is slow one again has to deal with patience.
The patience of dealings have helped the people of Thailand to grow relationships of longer term
as they know establishing a stronger partnership can take months or years[ CITATION San20 \l 1033
].

Indian people use every type of communication when it comes to business. There are more than
19 languages prevalent in the country. Therefore, it is always better to opt for Hindi or English in
business communication as these two languages are known to almost every Indian. Indians also
prefer face-to-face conversations to telephonic or written conversations to avoid
miscommunication and misunderstanding. Formality is a part of the Indian culture when it comes
to business communication.
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References
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19, 2020, from https://davidcliveprice.com/: https://davidcliveprice.com/doing-business-in-
thailand/

Hofstede Insights. (2020). WHAT ABOUT INDIA? Retrieved February 19, 2020, from
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/india/

Hofstede Insights. (2020). WHAT ABOUT THAILAND? Retrieved February 19, 2020, from
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/thailand/

Machlachlan, M. (2013, November 1). INDULGENCE VS. RESTRAINT – THE 6TH

DIMENSION. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://www.communicaid.com/:
https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/indulgence-vs-restraint-6th-
dimension/

Ren, X., Zhang, H., & Jiang, F. (2018, September 24). Indulgence and Long Term Orientation
Influence Prosocial Behavior at National Level. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from
https://www.frontiersin.org/: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01798/full

Santander. (2020, February). THAILAND: BUSINESS PRACTICES. Retrieved February 19,

2020, from https://santandertrade.com/: https://santandertrade.com/en/portal/establish-
overseas/thailand/business-practices

Thailand Breeze. (2020). Thai Language Barriers. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from
http://www.thailandbreeze.com/: http://www.thailandbreeze.com/thai-language-barriers-and-
misunderstandings.html