Culture is defined as a set of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and together form a life design. While values are about abstract concepts and beliefs that people believe in, norms are designed to be acceptable in a particular society. Values and norms are influenced by many factors such as religion, language, social structure, education and political systems. Values are harder to learn than norms because they are easy to observe. However, business managers must study values to understand the causes and motivations behind specific behaviors and cultural norms. In this article, we will look at the cultural model of Geert Hofstede.
1] Avoid uncertainty - This cultural dimension of Hofstede refers to the extent to which people feel comfortable in the face of vague or uncertain situations. People with low uncertainty to avoid society are more willing to take risks and appreciate the flexibility and informality of the workplace. In contrast, people who are highly uncertain in evading society tend to be risk-averse and tend to engage in rigid and formal decision-making processes in the workplace.
With a high degree of uncertainty evasion, security is a powerful driver of achievement or self-realization, and order and predictability are crucial. Rules are important and must be observed to avoid confusion. Communication is straightforward and clear to avoid confusion. In a highly uncertain avoidance country like Germany, this kind of directness is usually considered rude, but in fact, this is to ensure the clarity of the information observed by the rules to maintain order. There is no doubt that Germany is a global leader in precision engineering and manufacturing.
The low uncertainty of the United States to avoid culture and tolerance for risks and changes is often mentioned as the main source of technological leadership in the country. Conversely, people with cultural inclusiveness to avoid life risks and uncertainties tend to think that developing new technologies from scratch may be too risky. Therefore, high uncertainty evasion countries tend to represent technological development environments that are not conducive to low uncertainty avoidance.
a country with a high degree of uncertainty to avoid culture - Germany, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Austria, France, Japan, Brazil
Countries with low uncertainty to avoid culture - India, China, South Africa, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines
2] Power distance - The power distance is restored to the extent that people have the same power distribution. In a high-power distance culture, power is concentrated in the hands of relatively few people, while the underlying people are subject to decisions and instructions given by superiors. In contrast, in a small power distance culture, power is evenly distributed among members of society. It is worth noting that most members of society have adhered to and strengthened the special dominant view of the distance of power.
Managers with high power distances tend to believe that they provide detailed instructions to their subordinates with little room for interpretation. The subordinates allegedly respect the authority and superiority of the upper management. The characteristics of high power distance culture are - inequality between members of society, and lack of free communication across centralized control at different levels. These distinctive features of high-power distance culture often limit employee creativity and new ideas. In contrast, the characteristics of low-power distance culture, such as lack of hierarchical authority and less centralization, tend to promote employee interaction, horizontal communication, and less attention to rules.
a country with a high power distance culture - Arab countries, India, Mexico, Philippines, Malaysia
country Culture with low power distance - Austria, Germany, USA, Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland
3] Individualism and collectivism - Individualism means that people seek and protect their own interests in the common goals of society and their role in society. In an individualistic culture, people are accustomed to making decisions based on what the individual thinks is best. In an individualistic society, employees receive a large amount of personal freedom and autonomy. In a collectivist culture, people tend to belong to groups or groups and take care of each other in exchange for loyalty. Employees working in a collectivist culture cannot obtain sufficient independence necessary for the creative thinking of members of the organization, and thus cannot foster an environment that fosters an innovative spirit.
a country with a personal culture - United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, France, New Zealand
a country with a collective culture - Korea, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Venezuela, Thailand, Portugal
4] Masculinity and femininity - According to Hofstede, male culture is basically a performance-oriented society, and rewards and recognition for performance are the main motivational factors for achievement. In a male society, people should be competitive, ambitious, confident and adventurous in order to achieve their goals. These societies tend to give the greatest respect and admiration to successful achievers, who achieve their ambitions and demonstrate their willingness to take risks and take risks.
In contrast, in women's culture, people tend to emphasize the quality of life, not money, success and social status, which are easier to quantify. They are willing to reach out to vulnerable groups and share their wealth with them.
a country that follows masculine culture - Japan, Hungary, Venezuela, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, China
a country that follows the female culture - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Thailand, Finland
5] Confucian vitality [long-term orientation and short-term orientation] - This dimension describes how each society maintains a connection with its own past in dealing with current and future challenges. Society prioritizes these two existing goals in different ways. Long-term positioning includes the following elements - traditional adaptation to modern backgrounds, high savings rates from thrift, patience and perseverance, and attention to merit needs.
On the other hand, follow a short-term orientation of respecting tradition, reducing savings rates, quickly achieving results-oriented and focusing on the truth.
a country with a long-term positioning culture - China, India, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Thailand
a country with a short-term orientation culture - United States, Norway, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany
Since many big countries such as India, the United States and China have more than one culture, it may not be true to summarize the culture of a country. Despite these criticisms, Hofstede's research work is still a groundbreaking work, and many scholars continue to apply his models to cross-cultural research in a variety of disciplines, including international business and management.
Orignal From: Understanding Culture - Impact on Incentives and Talent Management
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