Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed

by Geert Hofstede. It shows the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members, and how these
values relate to behavior, using a structure derived from factor analysis.

History:
In 1965 Hofstede founded the personnel research department of IBM Europe (which he managed until
1971). Between 1967 and 1973, he executed a large survey study regarding national values differences
across the worldwide subsidiaries of this multinational corporation he compared the answers of 117,000
IBM matched employees samples on the same attitude survey in different countries. He first focused his
research on the 40 largest countries, and then extended it to 50 countries and 3 regions, "at that time
probably the largest matched-sample cross-national database available anywhere."[3] The theory was one
of the first quantifiable theories that could be used to explain observed differences between cultures.
In order to confirm the early results from the IBM study and to extend them to a variety of populations,
six subsequent cross-national studies were successfully conducted between 1990 and 2002. Covering
between 14 and 28 countries each, the samples included commercial airline pilots, students, civil service
managers, 'up-market' consumers and 'elites'. The combined research established value scores on the
four dimensions for a total of 76 countries and regions.

SCORING TABLE
SR. NO. Dimensions Pakistan score Nepal score
1 POWER DISTANCE 55 65
2 INDIVIDUALISM 30
3 MASCULINITY 50 40
4 UNCERTAINTY 70 40
AVOIDANCE
5 LONG TERM 50 N/A
ORIENTATION
6 INDULGENCE N/A N/A
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Chart Title
80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
POWER INDIVIDUALISM MASCULINITY UNCERTAINITY LONG TERM INDULGENCE
DISTANCE AVOIDANCE ORIENTATION

NEPAL PAKISTAN

LINK; Hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/Pakistan/Nepal

WHAT ABOUT PAKISTAN?

If we explore Pakistani culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good overview of the
deep drivers of Pakistani culture relative to other world cultures.

1. POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude
of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which
the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that
power is distributed unequally.

With an intermediate score of 55, it is not possible to determine a preference for Pakistan in this
dimension.

2. INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains
among its members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In
Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In
Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.

Pakistan, with a very low score of 14, is considered a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a close long-
term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships.
Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount and overrides most other societal rules and regulations.
Society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their
group. In collectivist societies offence leads to shame and loss of face, employer/employee relationships
are perceived in moral terms (like a family link), hiring and promotion decisions take account of the
employee’s in-group, management is the management of groups.

3. MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition,
achievement, and success, with success being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that
starts in school and continues throughout organizational life.

A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others
and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out
from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the
best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

Pakistan scores 50 on this dimension, and as this is an exactly intermediate score it cannot be said if
Pakistan has a preference to Masculinity of femininity.

4. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the
future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings
with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to
which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created
beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the UAI score.

Pakistan scores 70 on this dimension and thus has a high preference for avoiding uncertainty. Countries
exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain rigid codes of belief and behavior and are intolerant of
unorthodox behavior and ideas. In these cultures, there is an emotional need for rules (even if the rules
never seem to work) time is money, people have an inner urge to be busy and work hard, precision and
punctuality are the norm, innovation may be resisted, security is an important element in individual
motivation.

5. LONG TERM ORIENTATION

This dimension describes how every society must maintain some links with its own past while dealing with
the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritize these two existential goals differently.
Normative societies. which score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honored
traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high,
on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern
education to prepare for the future.

With an intermediate score of 50, the culture of Pakistan cannot be said to indicate a preference.
6. INDULGENCE
One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which small children are
socialized. Without socialization we do not become “human”. This dimension is defined as the extent to
which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. Relatively weak
control is called “Indulgence” and relatively strong control is called “Restraint”. Cultures can, therefore,
be described as Indulgent or Restrained.
NOTED:
Pakistan, with an extremely low score of 0 on this dimension, can be said to be a very Restrained society.
Societies with a low score in this dimension tend to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast to Indulgent
societies, Restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control the gratification of
their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that their actions are Restrained by social
norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.

WHAT ABOUT NEPAL?

If we explore Nepal’s culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good overview of the deep
drivers of Nepal’s culture relative to other world cultures.

1. POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude
of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which
the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that
power is distributed unequally.

With a slightly high score of 65, Nepal is a relatively hierarchical society. This means that people accept a
hierarchical order in which everybody has a place, and which needs no further justification. Hierarchy in
an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates expect
to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat.

2. INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains
among its members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In
Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In
Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.

A low score of 30 in this dimension means that Nepal is considered a collectivistic society. This is evident
in a close, long-term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or extended
relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount and overrides most other societal rules and
regulations. Society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members
of their group. In collectivist societies: offence leads to shame and the loss of face, employer/employee
relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family link), hiring and promotion decisions take account
of the employee’s in-group and management is the management of groups.

3. MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition,
achievement, and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field – a value system that
starts in school and continues throughout organizational life.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others
and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out
from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the
best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

Nepal, with a score of 40, is thus considered a Feminine society. In Feminine countries the focus is on
“working in order to live”, managers strive for consensus, people value equality, solidarity, and quality in
their working lives. Conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation. Incentives such as free time
and flexibility are favored. The focus is on well-being and status is not shown or emphasized.

4. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
This dimension, Uncertainty Avoidance, has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the
future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings
anxiety with it, and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to
which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created
beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

Scoring only 40 in this dimension, Nepal has a medium low preference for avoiding uncertainty. This
means that both generalists and experts are needed. Aggression and emotions are not shown much in
these societies. This means that stress cannot be released in activity; it must be internalized. In these
societies rules are more flexible, superegos are weaker, and the world is pictured as basically benevolent.
People are relaxed and not averse to taking risks. Consequently, there is more acceptance for new ideas,
innovative products, and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to
technology, business practices, or food.

5. LONG TERM ORIENTATION

This dimension describes how every society must maintain some links with its own past while dealing with
the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritize these two existential goals differently.
Normative societies. which score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honored
traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high,
on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern
education to prepare for the future.
There is currently no score for Nepal in this dimension.

6. INDULGENCE
One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which small children are
socialized. Without socialization we do not become “human”. This dimension is defined as the extent to
which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. A tendency
toward a relatively weak control over their impulses is called “Indulgence”, whereas a relatively strong
control over their urges is called “Restraint”. Cultures can be described as Indulgent or Restrained.

There is currently no score for Nepal in this dimension