NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES AND NAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Hofstedes cultural dimensions in Australia

Assignment for Introduction to Sociology

Name :- P.D.I.S.Liyanage Index No :- FS/ 2010/ 013

Hofstedes cultural dimensions in Australia

Culture

The concept of culture is one of the most widely used notions in sociology. It refers to the whole ways of life of the members of a society. It includes what they dress, their marriage customs and family life, art, and patterns of work, religious ceremonies, leisure pursuits, and so forth. It also includes the material goods they produce: bows and arrows, plows, factories and machines, computers, books, buildings, airplanes, etc. (Calhoun, et al, 1994; Hensiln and Nelson, 1995). To measure the cultural differences, Dimensions of culture is a widely accepted tool in the modern world. This was introduced by Geert Hofstede. There are four major dimensions and fifth dimension was added later after conducting an additional international study developed with Chinese employees and managers. The dimensions are;

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Power Distance - PDI Individualism - IDV Masculinity - MAS Uncertainty Avoidance - UAI Long-Term Orientation LTO

The dimensions of culture are applied and can be applied into any country or any society. The objective of this report is to give a brief summary about how these five dimensions are applied in Australia.

Fig. Dimensions of culture in Australia

Source: http://geert-hofstede.com/australia.html

Power Distance (PDI) This shows the degree to which how a society handles inequalities among people. Here less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power has to be distributed unequally. People who have a high level of power accept a hierarchical order. Societies with low power accept the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. Australia scores low on this dimension (36). Within Australian organizations, hierarchy is established for convenience, superiors are always accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct and participative. There is a preference for consultation and subordinates will quite readily approach and contradict their bosses. The parties will openly work towards resolving any dispute by stating their own points of view. If they cannot come to a satisfactory conclusion, they may choose to involve a mediator. Leaders actually encourage independent thought and contributions to problem solving and expect (within reason) to be challenged.

Individualism IDV This dimension expresses that individuals are expecting to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. The opposite of this is Collectivism which represents a framework in a society consider the members of a specific group looking after each of them. In this dimension, a societys dimension is reflecting whether peoples self-image is defined as I or We. According to the Australian index, with a score of 90 on this dimension, is a highly individualistic culture. Employees are expecting to be self-reliant and display initiative. Promote individual goals, initiative and achievement. Individual rights are seen as being the most important. Rules attempt to ensure self-importance and individualism. Independence is valued; there is much less of a drive to help other citizens or communities than in collectivism. Relying or being dependent on others is frequently seen as shameful.

Masculinity MAS This dimension focuses on how extent to which a society stress achievement or nurture. Masculinity is seen to be the trait which emphasizes ambition, acquisition of wealth, and differentiated gender roles. Femininity is seen to be the traits which stress caring and nurturing behaviors, sexuality equality, environmental awareness, and more fluid gender roles. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). Australia scores 61 on this dimension and is considered a masculine society. Behavior in school, work, and play are based on the shared values that people should strive to be the best they can be and that the winner takes all. Australians are proud of their successes and achievements in life, and it offers a basis for hiring and promotion decisions in the workplace. Conflicts are resolved at the individual level and the goal is to win.

Uncertainty Avoidance UAI This cultural dimension measures a country or cultures preference for strict laws and regulations over ambiguity and risk, how cultures adapt to changes and cope with uncertainty. Emphasis is on extent to which a culture feels threatened or is anxious about ambiguity. It is not risk avoidance but rather, how one deal with ambiguity.

Australia has taken 51 on this dimension and is a fairly pragmatic culture in terms of uncertainty avoidance. Both generalists and experts are needed. There is focus on planning, and they can be altered at short notice and improvisations made. No much concern about emotions in Australia; people are willing to live freely and avoid taking risks. However, there is a larger room for new ideas, innovative products and a willingness to try something new or different. It could be about technology, business practices, or foodstuffs.

Long-Term Orientation LTO This refers to how much society values long-standing as opposed to short term traditions and values. This is the fifth dimension that Hofstede added in the 1990s after finding that Asian countries with a strong link to Confucian philosophy acted differently from western cultures. It is dealing with societys search for virtue. Societies with a short-term orientation have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth. They are normative in their thinking. Expect to live by the same standards and rules you create. Also, they are respectful of others and do not hesitate to introduce necessary changes. In societies with a long-term orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. Do not display extravagance or act frivolously. Reward perseverance, loyalty, and commitment. Australia has taken 31 on this dimension and is a short-term oriented culture. This implies that it is focused on traditions and fulfilling social obligations. It can be said that Australian businesses measure their performance on a short-term basis, with profit and loss statements being issued on a quarterly basis. Because of this, individuals are running behind quick results within the work place. . Reference Zerihun Doda, 2005. Introduction to Sociology. Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative Calhoun, Craig, et al. 1994. Sociology. 6th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html http://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/bsad560/HofstedeUncertainityAvoidance. html http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-culturaldimensions/uncertainty-avoidance-index/ http://www.via-web.de/masculinity-versus-femininity/