SOUTH AFRICAOn the southern point of the African continent, flanked on either side by the Atlantic

and Indian Oceans, you will find a uniquely distinctive country. South Africa is affectionately named the “Rainbow Nation”, and for good reason: with diversity in its

people, climates and geography it offers a wide variety of experiences.

GEERT HOFSTEDE & RICHARD R GESTELANDS

Model on

Submitted By –

Jastinder Pal Singh (15421163)

School of Management Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala

Facts and Stats

• Population: 55.909 million

• Land Area: 1.21 million km²

• Capital: Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town

• Ethnic Groups: African (80.7%), Coloured (8.8%), White (8.1%),Asian (2.5%)

• Languages: English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Afrikaans,Tswana, Zulu, Xhosa, Tsonga, Venda, Swazi

• Religion: Christian (86%), Traditional African (6%), Non-affiliated(5.2%), Muslim (1.9%), Hindu (0.9%).

• Key Industries: Manufacturing, Mining, Tourism

Source : www.brandsouthafrica.com

• Power Distance

The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions andorganizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributedunequally.

South Africa scores 49 on this dimension which means thatpeople to a larger extent accept a hierarchical order in whicheverybody has a place and which needs no further justification.Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherentinequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates expect tobe told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat.

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

Individualism

The degree of interdependence a society maintains among itsmembers.

South Africa, with a score of 65 is an Individualist society. Thismeans there is a high preference for a loosely-knit social frameworkin which individuals are expected to take care of themselves andtheir immediate families only. In Individualist societies offencecauses guilt and a loss of self-esteem, the employer/employeerelationship is a contract based on mutual advantage, hiring andpromotion decisions are supposed to be based on merit only,management is the management of individuals.

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

The fundamental issue here is what motivatespeople, wanting to be the best (Masculine) orliking what you do (Feminine).

South Africa scores 63 on this dimension and is thus a Masculinesociety. In Masculine countries people “live in order to work”,managers are expected to be decisive and assertive, the emphasis ison equity, competition and performance and conflicts are resolvedby fighting them out.

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

Uncertainty Avoidance

The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened byambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutionsthat try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

South Africa scores 49 on this dimension and thus has a low preference foravoiding uncertainty. Low UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude inwhich practice counts more than principles and deviance from the norm ismore easily tolerated. In societies exhibiting low UAI, people believe thereshould be no more rules than are necessary and if they are ambiguous or donot work they should be abandoned or changed. Schedules are flexible, hardwork is undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake, precision andpunctuality do not come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

Long Term OrientationHow every society has to maintain some links with its ownpast while dealing with the challenges of the present andfuture,

A low score of 34 on this dimension means that in SouthAfrica the culture is more normative than pragmatic.People in such societies have a strong concern withestablishing the absolute Truth; they are normative in theirthinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, arelatively small propensity to save for the future, and afocus on achieving quick results.

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

IndulgenceThe extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses

With a high score of 63 it is clear that South Africa has a culture ofIndulgence. People in societies classified by a high score in Indulgencegenerally exhibit a willingness to realise their impulses and desireswith regard to enjoying life and having fun. They possess a positiveattitude and have a tendency towards optimism. In addition, theyplace a higher degree of importance on leisure time, act as theyplease and spend money as they wish.

Deal-focused vs. Relationship-focused

• In deal-focused business cultures, people tend to value directness and going straight to business. Usually a person from a DF culture do not have time for a lot of small talk in a business meeting. It is not necessary to know the person or company on a personal level to get business done. DF people tend to value straightforward and direct language. Examples of DF cultures are USA, Norway, UK, Germany, and France (moderately deal-focused).

• In relationship-focused business cultures, people tend to value relationships before doing business. Not knowing the other part before doing business, makes a person from an RF cultures nervous. Therefore, it is common to spend some time getting to know each other before deciding on rather to do business or not. It is also common to do business with friends and family. RF people tend to value a more indirect approach while speaking to maintain harmony. They say what you want to hear, rather than the truth. Examples of RF cultures are Japan and China

• South Africans are relationship focused

RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

Hierarchical (formal) vs. Egalitarian (informal)

• Formal cultures tend to be organized in hierarchies reflecting major differencesin status and power. It is not common to interact or do business with someonefrom a different ranking than yourself, and it is very important to show respectto people higher up in the hierarchy. Dressing formal is a sign of showingrespect. Age, gender, rank, whether one is buying or selling, education andfamily background are the key determinants of status and power in mosthieratical societies. Examples of formal/hierarchical business cultures areChina, Japan, France, Germany, and England

• Informal cultures value egalitarian attitudes and smaller differences in statusand power. An open-door policy is common, and people tend not to be tooconcerned about other people?s status and titles while doing business, orsimply just interacting.Examples of informal/egalitarian business cultures areUSA and Norway.

• South Africans follows formal culture.

RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

Expressive Vs Reserved

Reserved people tend to be more soft-spoken, they feel at ease with silence during a conversation to not overlap someone that is talking. Appreciate silence during a conversation.

Expressed people are often loudly enough to be heard clearly and often raise their voice to emphasize important points. They tend to be uncomfortable with more than a few seconds of silence. Tend to overlap other speakers.

• South Africans are Expresive people.

RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

Time and scheduling :- Rigid (monochronic) - vs fluid (polychromic) time

• In monochronic cultures, punctuality is critical, schedules are set in concrete, agendasare fixed, and business meetings are rarely interrupted. Being late is considered rudeand disrespectful. It can seem like the further north you get, the more punctual andmonochronic the culture is. Examples of rigid-time (monochronic) cultures areGermany, Japan, Norway, England and USA

• People in polychromic cultures pays less emphasis on strict punctuality, are more likelyto miss deadlines and tend to value loose scheduling as well as business meetingswhere several meetings-within-meetings may be taking place simultaneously. A positiveeffect of this is that the meetings are more flexible and it is more room to be innovativeand creative. Examples of variably fluid-time (polychromic) cultures are France andChina.

Africans are monochronic• Schedule business appointments as far in advance as possible, preferably a month or

two before the intended visit. Always confirm the appointment by calling the daybefore.

• Formal meetings and appointments usually begin and end on time. However, you maybe kept waiting a few minutes by certain groups of South Africans who are morerelaxed in their time keeping. Whichever the case, you should always aim to arrivepromptly.

THANK YOU