Transcript Hofstede`s Cultural Dimensions - University of Texas at El Paso

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
• Individualism-collectivism
• Masculinity-femininity
• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
(cont’d)
• Work-related value dimensions
• Most influential effort to group by cultural
values
• Surveyed over 116,000 employees in
more than 70 countries
• Created maps of pairs of dimensions
Individualism-Collectivism
• Self-perception as individual or part of a
group
• Most widely studied
• Most complex
• Dimensions different across cultures
– i.e., Asian vs Latin American collectivism
Individualism-Collectivism
(cont’d)
Individualism
Collectivism
• High value on
autonomy
• High value on group
– Family, clan,
organization
• Individual
achievement
• Loyalty
• Privacy
• Devotion
• Conformity
Masculinity-Femininity
Describes Importance of
Achievement versus
Relationships
• Success
• Equality of genders
• Assertive acquisition
of money/power
• Caring for
disadvantaged
• achievement
• harmony
Power Distance
Acceptance of differences in
power
High-Power Distance
Low-Power Distance
• Accept position
• Avoid concentration of
authority
• Follow authority
• Concentrated &
centralized authority
• Hierarchical
• Decentralized
• Fewer layers of
management
Uncertainty Avoidance
Reaction to ambiguous events
Low Uncertainty
Avoidance
High Uncertainty
Avoidance
• Embrace
unpredictable
• Threatened by
ambiguity
• Less adherence to
rules, procedures, or
hierarchies
• Need stable &
predictable workplace
• Risk taking desirable
• Reliance on rules
Cultural Maps
• Individualism-Collectivism & Power
Distance
• Uncertainty Avoidance & MasculinityFemininity
• Uncertainty Avoidance & Power Distance
Individualism-Collectivism &
Power Distance
• Large power distance and collectivism
– Asia and Latin America
• Small power distance and individualism
– Northern Europe and Anglo countries
Culture
Map for
Power
Distance
and
Individualis
m
Uncertainty Avoidance &
Masculinity-Femininity
• Achievement oriented-weak uncertainty
avoidance & masculine values
• Security Motivation-high uncertainty avoidance &
masculinity
• Social Motivation-feminine values & high
uncertainty avoidance
Culture
Map for
Uncertainty
Avoidance
and
MasculinityFemininity
Uncertainty Avoidance & Power
Distance
• Family-large power distance & weak uncertainty
avoidance
• Pyramid of People-large power distance &
strong uncertainty avoidance
• Well-Oiled Machine-small power distance &
strong uncertainty avoidance
• Village Market-small power distance & low
uncertainty avoidance
Culture
Map for
Power
Distance
and
Uncertaint
y
Orientatio
n
Limitation of Hofstede’s
Dimensions
• Missing countries
– Estimates values
• Ignores differences within clusters
Trompenaars’s Alternative
Dimensions
• Focus on values and relationships
• Survey of
– 15,000 managers
– Over 10-year period
– From 28 countries
• Bipolar cultural dimensions
Trompenaars’s Alternative
Dimensions (cont’d)
• Outer-directed—Inner-directed
• Universalism—Particularism
• Neutral—Emotional
• Specific—Diffuse
• Achievement—Ascription
• Individualism—Communitarianism