CULTURAL

DIMENSIONS

Culture is learned.
Individuals within all cultures are different
based on preferences, values, experiences, etc.
 CULTURAL DIMENSIONS BY
DR GEERT HOFSTEDE

• He identified four dimensions that could distinguish one

culture from another.
• Later, he added fifth and sixth dimensions, in cooperation
with Drs Michael H. Bond and Michael Minkov.
• Hofstede, Bond and Minkov scored each country on a scale of
0 to 100 for each dimension.
• Studies based on 100K individuals from 40 countries
• Measured the culture of different people on a global level.
and useful in understanding inter-cultural differences e.g.
multi-cultural organisations, customer services, marketing,
institutions with diverse students, etc.
 CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS C AN
BE DIVIDED INTO:

1. Power Distance
2. Individualism
3. Masculinity
4. Uncertainty Avoidance
5. Long Term Orientation
6. Indulgence

https://www.hofstede-
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 • Deals with the fact that individuals in
societies are not equal.
• The extent to which the less powerful
members of institutions and organisations
within a country expect and accept that
POWER power is distributed unequally.
DISTANCE • Power is centralised
(PDI) • Managers rely on their bosses AND on rules
• Employees expect to be told what to do.
• Communication is indirect
• Information flow is selective
 P OW E R
D I S TA N C E
INDEX
 • Relates to whether people’s self-image
is defined in terms of “I” or “We”
• The degree of interdependence a
society maintains among its members.
INDIVIDUALISM • People are suppose to look after
(INV) themselves and their direct family only.
• Vs. Collectivist
• People belong to “in-groups” that
take care of them in exchange for
loyalty.
I NDI V I DUALI SM
I NDE X
 MASCULINITY (MAS)

• Society driven by competition, achievement and success

• Usually starts at childhood and continues through life
• Leaders are expected to be decisive and assertive
• Focus on fairness, competition and performance
• Any conflict is to be resolved by “fighting” them out
Vs. Feminine (lower scores)
• Society driven by values of caring for others and quality of life.
• This is seen as a sign of success
 MASCULINITY VS FEMININE

• Masculinity • Feminine
• Pertains to cultures in which social gender • Describes cultures in which social gender
roles are clearly distinct roles overlap
• High Scores • Low Scores
• “Wanting to be the best” • “Liking what you do”
MASCULINITY
INDEX
 • High scores represent a
need by society to
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE generally avoid
(UAI) uncertainty and to
develop means to deal
with uncertainty.
• Create rigid codes of
• Relates to how society deal uncertainty in the conduct and an
future. intolerance to
unorthodox behaviours
• The unknown brings stress….and society learns to and ideas
deal with this stress differently.
• Rules are created to deal
• It is the extent to which the members of a culture with these uncertainty
feels threatened by ambiguous or unknown • Identifiable aspects
situations. include inner urge to be
busy, work hard, enforce
• Society have created beliefs and institutions that try precision and punctuality.
to avoid these unknown situation.
• Innovation is resisted
U N C E RTA I N T Y
AVO I DA N C E
INDEX
 • Societies need to
maintain some links
with its own past while
dealing with the
challenges of the
LONG TERM
O R I E N TAT I O N present and future.
• Past vs Present
Future challenges are
dealt with different
strategies
Based on what is
considered to be • Low scores would indicate
the usual or (normative) societies that prefer to
correct way of maintain traditions and norms and
doing something will view and change with suspicion

Dealing with things

• High scores may indicate
sensibly and realistically (pragmatic) societies that may
in a way that is based on encourage thrift and efforts in
practical rather than modern education as a way to
theoretical prepare for the future
considerations.
 LONG TERM
O R I E N TAT I O N
INDEX
Pragmatic Versus Normative (PRA)
 • Related to our
upbringing (or how we
are raised)
INDULGENCE
(IND) • Weak Control -
Indulgence
• Strong Control -
Restraint
 IVR
INDULGENCE
VERSUS
RESTRAINT
INDEX
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