Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory was created in 1980 by Dutch management researcher, Geert Hofstede. The aim of the study was to determine the dimensions in which cultures vary. Hofstede identified six categories that define culture: Power Distance Index; Collectivism vs. Individualism; Uncertainty Avoidance Index; Femininity vs. Masculinity
The original theory proposed four dimensions along which cultural values could be analyzed: individualism-collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; power distance (strength of social hierarchy) and masculinity-femininity (task orientation versus person-orientation).
The cultural value dimensions identified by Hofstede are useful ways to think about culture and to study cultural psychology; however, Hofstede’s theory has also been seriously questioned. Most of the criticism has been directed at the methodology of the study beginning with the original instrument.
Finally, like other value dimensions, gender dimensions can vary greatly within any culture. You can think about the value dimension of gender in the ways displayed in Figure 2.7 "Gender Dimensions". A cultural value dimension emphasizing that cultures are either oriented toward uncertainty or toward creating certainty and stability.
It helps to make that experience less ambiguous and threatening. Cultural value dimensions provide clarity and a starting place for cultural awareness.
Five elements—identity, power, gender, uncertainy, and time—that provide a perspective of culture. help you to understand culture and to be able ...
Hofstede defined power#N#A cultural value dimension that refers to the strict rules that establish the types of relationships individuals have with one another.#N#distance dimensions as maintaining strict rules that establish the types of relationships individuals have with one another. Power represents the level of inequality and equality, as well as the level of hierarchy and upward mobility, within a cultural group. In regard to leadership, power dimension can also represent a culture’s tendencies toward authority, on one end, and one’s orientation toward laissez-faire leadership, on the other. Hofstede found that low-power-distance cultures emphasized equality and minimized power and status. The following is an example of this:
describes the value dimension of gender#N#A cultural value dimension that represents two paradigms of thinking and practice about the world in relation to the traditional values associated with gender roles.# N#as representing two paradigms of thinking and practice about the world in relation to traditional values associated with gender roles. Gender refers to the culture’s tendencies or orientation toward enforcing or reinforcing masculine and feminine roles in work. Masculine cultures tend to emphasize ambition, control, competition, assertiveness, and achievement, whereas feminine cultures emphasize nurture, care, sharing, quality of life, and relationships. Sometimes these values are expressed as the “quantity of life” and the “quality of life.”
The dimension of time#N#A cultural value dimension that speaks to how communities are oriented to space and time, including their tendencies toward traditions and the past, and their orientation toward the future and the present .#N#speaks to how communities are oriented toward space and time, including their tendencies toward traditions and the past, and their orientation toward the future and the present. In many cultural systems, holding on to traditions is important in current day-to-day operations and relationships. Some societies will refer to traditions to preserve and maintain cultural norms, that is, to protect what currently exists.
This orientation, he argued, can have a large affect on managing organizations and people. For example, in many Latino cultures, the concept of family, la familia , is critical to their cultural history and social systems. La familia is the most important social unit and includes extended family members.
Low-context cultures are societies that are explicit and direct in their communication. They generally are more comfortable relying on themselves, as individuals, and working out solutions to problems. Like high-context cultures, relationships are important to low-context societies; the difference is in the longevity of the relationships. Generally, low-context societies have many relationships that are less intimate and close than those of high-context cultures.
Summary Cultures and organisations The Dimensions of Culture Geert Hofstede defines culture as follows: "Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another". By this definition he emphasizes that culture is not a property of the individuals, but of groups. It is a collection of more or less shared characteristics possessed by people who have been conditioned by similar socialization practices, educational procedures, and life experiences...
relationship between culture and consumption is exponential. Thus, culture ’s influence on consumption and marketing had drawn increasing attention in recent years. Hofstede’s framework is the most widely used national cultural framework in psychology, sociology, marketing and management studies. His dimensions were all constructed in such a way that they addressed basic problems that all societies have to deal with. Thus, these dimensions of national culture were constructed at the national level namely:...
Australian culture has become the product of a distinct blend of established traditions and new influences. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the country’s original inhabitants, created the foundation for the land’s cultural traditions over 40,000 years ago. In addition, the rest of Australia’s people are migrants or descendants of migrants from various other countries who transported their own customs, beliefs, and value systems to the land. As a result, Australia’s culture has significantly...
Material and nonmaterial aspects of culture can vary subtly from region to region. As people travel, moving from different regions to entirely different parts of the world, certain material and nonmaterial aspects of culture become dramatically unfamiliar. As we interact with cultures other than our own, we become more aware of our own culture, which might otherwise be invisible to us, and to the differences and commonalities between our culture and others.
Individualist and Collectivism refers to the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. Individualistic societies stress personal achievement and individual rights, focus on personal needs and those of immediate family. In individualistic societies, people choose their own affiliations and groups and move between different groups. On the other hand, collectivistic societies put more emphasis on the importance of relationships and loyalty. Individuals in collectivist societies belong to fewer groups and they are defined more by their membership in particular groups. Communication is more direct in individualistic societies but more indirect in collectivistic societies.
Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) addresses a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. Another, more simplified, way to think about UA is how threatening change is to a culture. People in cultures with high UA tend to be more emotional, try to minimize the unknown and unusual circumstances and proceed with carefully planned steps and rules, laws and regulations. Low UA cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more tolerant of change. Students from countries with low uncertainty avoidance don’t mind it when a teacher says, “I don’t know.”
The aim of the study was to determine the dimensions in which cultures vary. Hofstede identified six categories that define culture: Power Distance Index. Collectivism vs. Individualism.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory, developed by Geert Hofstede, is a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries and to discern the ways that business is done across different cultures. In other words, the framework is used to distinguish between different national cultures, the dimensions of culture, ...
The uncertainty avoidance index considers the extent to which uncertainty and ambiguity are tolerated. This dimension considers how unknown situations and unexpected events are dealt with.
Individualism indicates that there is a greater importance placed on attaining personal goals. A person’s self-image in this category is defined as “I.”. Collectivism indicates that there is a greater importance placed on the goals and well-being of the group. A person’s self-image in this category is defined as “We”.
femininity dimension is also referred to as “tough vs. tender,” and considers the preference of society for achievement, attitude towards sexuality equality, behavior, etc.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede. lt describes 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.
In this dimension, masculinity is defined as “a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success.” Its counterpart represents “a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life.”
A lower degree of this index (short-term) indicates that traditions are honored and kept, while steadfastness is valued.
Independent research in Hong Kong led Hofstede to add a fifth dimension, long-term orientation, to cover aspects of values not discussed in the original paradigm.
A higher degree of the Index indicates that hierarchy is clearly established and executed in society, without doubt, or reason. A lower degree of the Index signifies that people question authority and attempt to distribute power.
Individualistic societies have loose ties that often only relates an individual to his/her immediate family. They emphasize the “I” versus the “we.”. Its counterpart, collectivism, describes a society in which tightly- integrated relationships tie extended families and others into in-groups.
The Uncertainty Avoidance Index is defined as “a society’s tolerance for ambiguity,” in which people embrace or avert an event of something unexpected, unknown, or away from the status quo.