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 • High value on group
autonomy – Family, clan,
organization
• Individual
achievement • Loyalty
• Privacy • Devotion
• Conformity
 Masculinity-Femininity
Describes Importance of
Achievement versus
Relationships
• Success • Equality of genders
• Assertive acquisition • Caring for
of money/power disadvantaged
• achievement • harmony
 Power Distance
Acceptance of differences in
power
High-Power Distance Low-Power Distance
• Accept position • Avoid concentration of
authority
• Follow authority
• Decentralized
• Concentrated &
centralized authority • Fewer layers of
management
• Hierarchical
 Uncertainty Avoidance
Reaction to ambiguous events
Low Uncertainty High Uncertainty
Avoidance Avoidance
• Embrace • Threatened by
unpredictable ambiguity
• Less adherence to • Need stable &
rules, procedures, or predictable workplace
hierarchies
• Reliance on rules
• Risk taking desirable
 Cultural Maps
• Individualism-Collectivism & Power
Distance
• Uncertainty Avoidance & Masculinity-
Femininity
• 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
Masculinity-
Femininity
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