TOPIC3-GQ1: Choose 5-7 countries and make a table to analyze the Levels of Hofstede's
cultural dimensions of their national culture.
Group 1
Countries Power Distance Individualism Uncertainty Masculinity
Avoidance
Germany Low High High High
Japan Medium Low High Low
VietNam High Low Low Low
Russia High Low High Low
France High High High Low
Singapore High Low Very Low Medium
China High Low High Low
Germany
- Power Distance
Germany, which is highly decentralized and backed by a big middle class, is unsurprisingly
among the lower power distance countries.
Co-determination rights are rather substantial and must be considered by management.
Control is hated, and leadership is challenged to demonstrate knowledge, which is most
accepted when it is founded on it.
- Individualism
German society is genuinely individualistic. Small families are more prevalent, with a focus on
the parent-child bond rather than aunts and uncles. There is a strong conviction in the self-
actualization goal. Personal preferences for individuals, as well as a sense of duty and obligation,
underpin loyalty. The contract between the employer and the employee defines this.
Communication is among the most direct in the world, with the principle of being "honest, even if
it hurts," allowing the counterpart a fair chance to learn from mistakes.
- Uncertainty Avoidance
Germany is one of the countries that choose uncertainty avoidance; the score is on the high end,
indicating a small preference for Uncertainty Avoidance. In keeping with Kant, Hegel, and
Fichte's intellectual pedigree, there is a strong preference for deductive rather than inductive
techniques, whether in thinking, presenting, or planning: the systematic overview must be
provided in order to advance. The legal system reflects this as well. Details are equally crucial in
creating confidence that a certain topic or activity has been thoroughly thought through. Together
with their low Power Distance, Germans seek to compensate for their increased uncertainty by
heavily depending on knowledge.
- Masculinity
Germany has a masculine culture, scoring 66 on the Hofstede scale.
Masculine characteristics include assertiveness, materialism/material success, self-
centeredness, power, strength, and individual successes.
RUSSIA
- Power Distance
A country in which authority holders are socially detached This is emphasized by the fact
that the world's largest country is tremendously centralized: two-thirds of all foreign
investments go to Moscow, where 80% of all financial potential is concentrated. The
significant disparity between the less and more powerful individuals makes status symbols
extremely important. In all aspects of company contacts, whether visits, negotiations, or
collaboration, behavior must reflect and represent the status roles; the approach should be
top-down and offer clear directives for every work.
- Individualism
When Russians arrange a night out with their friends, they will literally state "We with friends"
rather than "I and my friends."
This dimension's fundamental concern is the degree of interconnectedness that a society
maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people describe their self-image in
terms of "I" or "We." Individualist civilizations expect people to look after themselves and their
immediate family solely. People in Collectivist societies belong to 'in groups' that look after them
in exchange for allegiance. Relationships are critical in receiving information, being introduced,
and negotiating successfully. Before one may focus on duties and develop on a careful to the
receiver, rather implicit communication style, they must be personal, real, and trusting.
- Uncertainty Avoidance
95 points Russians are particularly concerned with unclear circumstances, and they have built
one of the world's most complicated bureaucracies.
Russians are particularly concerned with unclear circumstances, and they have built one of the
world's most complicated bureaucracies. Presentations are either not planned, like when
negotiations begin and the emphasis is on relationship development, or they are exceedingly
thorough and well prepared. Detail planning and briefing are also extremely prevalent. Russians
value context and background knowledge. When Russians deal with persons who are
considered outsiders, they look stiff and aloof. Simultaneously, formality is utilized as a display of
respect.
- Masculinity
Russia's comparatively low score of 36 may surprise you in terms of its fondness for status
symbols, but this is due to the country's high Power Distance.
On second examination, it is clear that Russians, both at work and when meeting a stranger,
understate their own achievements, contributions, or skills. They speak modestly about
themselves, and scientists, researchers, and physicians are sometimes required to live on a
relatively little income.
JAPAN
- Power Distance
Japanese people always recognize their place in the social hierarchy and behave as such. It
is less hierarchical than the majority of other Asian cultures, nevertheless. Due to their
painfully slow decision-making process in business, some foreigners perceive Japan as
being excessively hierarchical. All choices must be approved by each tier of the hierarchy
before being approved by the top management in Tokyo. In contrast to other hierarchical
societies, the exact example of their sluggish decision-making process demonstrates that
there is no single top person in Japanese society who can make major decisions.
- Individualism
Japanese society does not have an extended family system which forms a base of more
collectivistic societies such as China and Korea. Japan has been a paternalistic society and the
family name and assets were inherited from father to the eldest son. The younger siblings had to
leave home and make their own living with their core families. One seemingly paradoxical
example is that Japanese are famous for their loyalty to their companies, while Chinese seem to
job hop more easily. However, company loyalty is something, which people have chosen for
themselves, which is an Individualist thing to do. You could say that the Japanese in-group is
situational. While in more collectivistic culture, people are loyal to their inner group by birth, such
as their extended family and their local community. Japanese are experienced as collectivistic by
Western standards and experienced as Individualist by Asian standards. They are more private
and reserved than most other Asians.
- Masculinity
Japan is one of the most Masculine societies in the world. From a very young age at
kindergartens, children learn to compete on sports day for their groups. In corporate Japan, you
see that employees are most motivated when they are fighting in a winning team against their
competitors. What you also see as an expression of Masculinity in Japan is the drive for
excellence and perfection in their material production and in material services (hotels and
restaurants) and presentation (gift wrapping and food presentation) in every aspect of life.
Notorious Japanese workaholism is another expression of their Masculinity. It is still hard for
women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with their Masculine norm of hard and long
working hours.
- UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
At 92 Japan is one of the most uncertainty avoidance countries on earth. This is often
attributed to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened by natural disasters from
earthquakes, tsunamis (this is a Japanese word used internationally), typhoons to volcano
eruptions. Under these circumstances Japanese learned to prepare themselves for any
uncertain situation. This goes not only for the emergency plan and precautions for sudden
natural disasters but also for every other aspect of society. You could say that in Japan
anything you do is prescribed for maximum predictability. From cradle to grave, life is highly
ritualized and you have a lot of ceremonies. For example, there are opening and closing
ceremonies of every school year which are conducted almost exactly the same way
everywhere in Japan. At weddings, funerals and other important social events, what people
wear and how people should behave are prescribed in great detail in etiquette books. School
teachers and public servants are reluctant to do things without precedence. In corporate
Japan, a lot of time and effort is put into feasibility studies and all the risk factors must be
worked out before any project can start. Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures
before taking any decision. This high need for Uncertainty Avoidance is one of the reasons
why changes are so difficult to realize in Japan.
FRANCE
- Power Distance
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses
the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined
as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. With a score of 68, France
scores fairly high on Power Distance.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
VIETNAM
- Power Distance
Vietnam scores highly on this indicator (70d), which means everyone accepts a hierarchy
where everyone has their place and no further justification is needed. Hierarchy within an
organization is seen to reflect inherent inequalities, centralized management is pervasive,
subordinates are expected to be told what to do, and the ideal boss is a benevolent
dictatorship. The fact that employees challenge leadership is not universally supported.
- Individualism
Vietnam, with 20 points, is a collectivist society. This is reflected in a close long-term
commitment to a group of “members” – be it family, clan or broader relationships. Loyalty in
a collectivist culture is paramount and transcends most other rules and regulations in
society. Such a society fosters strong relationships where everyone is accountable to team
members. In collectivist societies, insults lead to shame and loss of face. The employer-
employee relationship is viewed in terms of ethics (like a family), recruitment and promotion
taking into account whether the employee belongs to their group or not. Management means
the management of groups.
- Masculinity
Vietnam scores 40 on this indicator and is therefore considered a Feminine society. In
Feminine countries the focus is on “working to live”, managers strive for consensus, people
value equality, solidarity and quality in their working lives. Conflict is resolved by compromise
and negotiation. Incentives such as holidays or flexible working hours are preferred. The
focus is on happiness, status is not flaunted. An effective manager is one who supports
others, and decision-making is achieved through the participation of many people.
- Uncertainty Avoidance
Vietnam hit 30 and therefore has little desire to avoid ambiguity. Societies with a low index
maintain a more relaxed attitude, where facts are considered more important than principles,
and deviations from the norm are more easily tolerated. In societies with this index low,
people believe that there should be no more rules than necessary and that if they are
unclear or not working they should be dropped or changed. Schedules are flexible, people
only work as hard as needed, and since being forced, accuracy and punctuality don't come
naturally, innovation is not considered a risk.
CHINA
- POWER DISTANCE
At 80 China sits in the higher rankings of PDI – i.e. a society that believes that
inequalities amongst people are acceptable. The subordinate-superior relationship
tends to be polarized and there is no defense against power abuse by superiors.
Individuals are influenced by formal authority and sanctions and are in general
optimistic about people’s capacity for leadership and initiative. People should not
have aspirations beyond their rank.
- INDIVIDUALISM
At a score of 20 China is a highly collectivist culture where people act in the interests of the
group and not necessarily of themselves. In-group considerations affect hiring and
promotions with closer in-groups (such as family) are getting preferential treatment.
Employee commitment to the organization (but not necessarily to the people in the
organization) is low. Whereas relationships with colleagues are cooperative for in-groups
they are cold or even hostile to out-groups. Personal relationships prevail over task and
company.
- UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
At 30 China has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance. Truth may be relative though
in the immediate social circles there is concern for Truth with a capital T and rules
(but not necessarily laws) abound. Nonetheless, adherence to laws and rules may be
flexible to suit the actual situation and pragmatism is a fact of life. The Chinese are
comfortable with ambiguity; the Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings that
can be difficult for Western people to follow. Chinese are adaptable and
entrepreneurial. At the time of writing the majority (70% -80%) of Chinese businesses
tend to be small to medium sized and family owned.
- MASCULINITY
At 66 China is a Masculine society –success oriented and driven. The need to ensure
success can be exemplified by the fact that many Chinese will sacrifice family and
leisure priorities to work. Service people (such as hairdressers) will provide services
until very late at night. Leisure time is not so important. The migrated farmer workers
will leave their families behind in faraway places in order to obtain better work and
pay in the cities. Another example is that Chinese students care very much about
their exam scores and ranking as this is the main criteria to achieve success or not.
SINGAPORE
- Power Distance
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses
the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined
as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
Singapore scores high on this dimension (score of 74). With a Confucian background (the
Chinese) they normally have a syncretic approach to religion, which is also the dominant
approach in Singapore.
- 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.
- Uncertainty Avoidance
The 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 with it anxiety 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.
Singapore scores 8 on this dimension and thus scores very low on this dimension. In
Singapore people abide to many rules not because they have need for structure but
because of high PDI. Singaporeans call their society a “Fine country. You’ll get a fine for
everything”.
- 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).
- Long term orientation
This dimension describes howevery 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.
