INDIVIDUALISM

The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society
maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or
“We”. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family
only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.

France, with a score of 71, is shown to be an individualist society. Parents make their children
emotionally independent with regard to groups in which they belong. This means that one is only
supposed to take care of oneself and one’s family.

The French combination of a high score on Power Distance and a high score on Individualism is rather
unique. We only find the same combination in Belgium and, to some degree, in Spain and northern Italy.

This combination is not only unique, but it also creates a contradiction, so to speak. Only so to speak,
because scores in the model don’t influence anything. They just give a structured reflection of reality.
This combination manifests itself in France in the following ways:

It is claimed that one reason why the French are less obese than people in other EU-countries is that
parents still have more sway over children than in other EU-countries. Whether this is true or not is not
known by us. All the same, what is true is that the family has still more emotional glue than in other
Individualist cultures. This is a reflection of the high score on Power Distance with its stronger respect
for the elderly. Subordinates normally pay formal respect and show deference to their boss, but behind
his/her back they may do the opposite of what they promised to do, as they may think that they know
better, yet are not able to express so. Another reflection of high Power Distance contrary to formal
obedience is the total rejection of those in power as there is no way to change by evolution but only by
strikes, revolts and revolution. Employers and trade unions don’t really talk together as they look at
each other as almost belonging to a separate species. The need to make a strong distinction between
work and private life is even stronger in France than in the US, despite the fact that the US scores higher
on Individualism. This is a reflection of the fact that employees more quickly feel put under pressure
than in the US because of their emotional dependence on what the boss says and does. In cultures
which score high on Power Distance and Collectivism, the “normal” combination, such dependence is
welcomed. At least, if the power holders act as benevolent fathers. The French prefer to be dependent
on the central government, an impersonal power centre which cannot so easily invade their private life.
What is human, but more pronounced in France, is the need for strong leadership in times of crisis. In
spite of that, when the crisis is resolved the president should make space for much weaker leadership.
Many French have the need to become a “patron”, whether as mayor of a small village or as the
chairman of the bridge club. Customer service is poor in the eyes of all those Anglo-Saxons who believe
that the customer is king. Not so in France. The French are self-motivated to be the best in their trade.
They, therefore, expect respect for what they do, after which they are very much willing to serve you
well.

MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition,
achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that
starts in school and continues throughout organisational life.

A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for
others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and
standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people,
wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

With a score of 43, France has a somewhat Feminine culture. At face value this may be indicated by its
famous welfare system (securité sociale), the 35-hour working week, five weeks of holidays per year and
its focus on the quality of life. French culture in terms of the model has, however, another unique
characteristic. The upper class scores Feminine while the working class scores Masculine. This
characteristic has not been found in any other country. This difference may be reflected by the
following:

Top managers earn on average less than one would expect given the high score on Power Distance.
Married couples of high society could go public with a lover without negative consequences, at least
certainly in the past. The scandal in the US about Clinton and Lewinsky has never been understood in
France. In addition, “crime passionel”, i.e. crimes of passion, have always been sentenced very leniently
in comparison to other murder trials.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

This dimension, Uncertainty Avoidance, has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the
future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity
brings anxiety with it, and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The
extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and
have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty
Avoidance.

At 86, French culture scores high on Uncertainty Avoidance. This is clearly evident in the following:

The French don’t like surprises. Structure and planning are required. Before meetings and negotiations
they like to receive all necessary information. As a consequence, the French are good in developing
complex technologies and systems in a stable environment, such as in the case of nuclear power plants,
rapid trains and the aviation industry. There is also a need for emotional safety valves as a high score on
Uncertainty Avoidance and the combination of high Power Distance and high Individualism strengthen
each other, so to speak. The French, for example, are very talkative and “engueuler”, giving someone
the sharp edge of one’s tongue happens often. There is a strong need for laws, rules and regulations to
structure life. This, however, doesn’t mean that most Frenchmen will try to follow all these rules, the
same as in other Latin countries. Given the high score on Power Distance, which means that power
holders have privileges, power holders don’t necessarily feel obliged to follow all those rules which are
meant to control the people in the street. At the same time, commonners try to relate to power holders
so that they can also claim the exception to the rule.

LONG TERM ORIENTATION

This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing
with the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise these two existential goals
differently. Normative societies. which score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain
time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture
which scores high, on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and
efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future.

France scores high (63) in this dimension, making it pragmatic. In societies with a pragmatic orientation,
people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to
adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, and
perseverance in achieving results.

INDULGENCE

One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which small children are
socialised. Without socialisation we do not become “human”. This dimension is defined as the extent to
which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. A tendency
toward a relatively weak control over their impulses is called “Indulgence”, whereas a relatively strong
control over their urges is called “Restraint”. Cultures can be described as Indulgent or Restrained.

France scores somewhat in the middle (48) where it concerns Indulgence versus Restraint. This, in
combination with a high score on Uncertainty Avoidance, implies that the French are less relaxed and
enjoy life less often than is commonly assumed. Indeed, France scores not all that high on the happiness
indices.