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)

IndividualismHigh value on

autonomyIndividual

achievementPrivacy

CollectivismHigh value on group

Family, clan, organization

LoyaltyDevotionConformity

Masculinity-FemininityDescribes Importance of

Achievement versus Relationships

Success

Assertive acquisition of money/power

achievement

Equality of genders

Caring for disadvantaged

harmony

Power Distance

Acceptance of differences in power

High-Power Distance

Accept position

Follow authority

Concentrated & centralized authority

Hierarchical

Low-Power Distance

Avoid concentration of authority

Decentralized

Fewer layers of management

Uncertainty Avoidance

Reaction to ambiguous events

Low UncertaintyAvoidanceEmbrace

unpredictableLess adherence to

rules, procedures, or hierarchies

Risk taking desirable

High UncertaintyAvoidanceThreatened by

ambiguityNeed stable &

predictable workplace

Reliance on rules

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 Uncertainty Orientation

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