Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

I am going to start several related threads that are based on Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions. Here, I am just going to use Wikepedia to provide a brief summary of Hofstede's theory. For those who are interested, you can check out your country's own score in the five cultural dimensions (power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term vs. short-term orientation) on other threads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstede

Geert Hofstede is an influential Dutch expert on the interactions between national cultures and organizational cultures, author of several books including Culture's Consequences (2nd, fully revised edition, 2001) and Software of the Mind.

Hofstede demonstrated that there are national and regional cultural groupings that affect the behaviour of organisations.

He has identified five dimensions of culture in his study of national influences:

• power distance - The degree to which the less powerful members of society expects there to be differences in the levels of power. A high score suggests that there is an expectation that some individuals wield larger amounts of power than others. Countries with high power distance rating are often characterised by a high rate of political violence. A low score reflects the view that all people should have equal rights. Latin American and Arab nations are ranked the highest in this category; Scandinavian and Germanic speaking countries the least.
• individualism vs. collectivism - individualism is contrasted with collectivism, and refers to the extent to which people are expected to stand up for themselves, or alternatively act predominantly as a member of the group or organisation. Latin American cultures rank the lowest in this category, while U.S.A. is the most individualistic culture.
• masculinity vs. femininity - refers to the value placed on traditionally male or female values. Masculine cultures value competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth and material possessions, whereas femenine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life. Japan is considered by Hofstede to be the most "masculine" culture, Sweden the most "feminine." The U.S. and U.K. are moderately masculine.
• uncertainty avoidance - reflects the extent to which a society attempts to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. Cultures that scored high in uncertainty avoidance prefer rules and structured circumstances, and tend to remain longer with their present employer. Mediterranean cultures and Japan rank the highest in this category.
• long vs short term orientation - describes a society's "time horizon," or the importance attached to the future versus the past and present. In long term oriented societies, thrift and perseverence are valued more; in short term oriented societies, respect for tradition and reciprocation of gifts and favors are valued more. Eastern nations tend to score especially high here, with Western nations scoring low and the less developed nations very low; China scored highest and Pakistan lowest.