Theory of Cultural Dimensions
Geert Hofstede was a Dutch management researcher who sought to understand the differences in culture across countries and to differentiate the different ways that business is done across different cultures. He developed the theory of cultural dimensions to determine the dimensions on which cultures vary.
His research showcases the impact that the prevailing societal culture has on the values of members in a particular society. It seeks to capture significant aspects of culture, rate them on a spectrum so that we are able to make meaningful comparisons between cultures.
Understanding the different dimensions of culture is important for both intercultural communication and international business. If we fail to appreciate the cultural nuances of those who grew up in different backgrounds, at best we lose the opportunity to understand the finer depths of what they mean and at worst we would offend them. For instance, if I did not understand that the Japanese bow as a form of greeting, I may perceive it as a form of undue adulation rather than courtesy.
Watch Pellegrino Riccardi weave in Hofstede’s theory with cross-cultural communication on TEDxBergen. In this Ted talk, he praises Singapore Airlines for better service because there is more hierarchy in Singapore society: “when they serve you, they serve you”.
An appreciation of the different cultural dimensions for various countries, cultures and peoples prepares us to work with a large variety of people from different countries and backgrounds. As we develop intercultural competency, we begin to see how our patterns of thinking are affected by our culture and to learn how to question our assumptions
However, this does not then mean we should pigeonhole every person under the same cultural generalisations. Traits that are generally true for a particular population need not and does not apply to every particular individual in the population.
6 Cultural Dimensions: Keys to Appreciating Cultural Differences
- Power Distance: High vs Low
This measures the degree to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Societies with high power distance indexes accept a hierarchy in which everybody has a place, whereas those with low power distance index would have flatter hierarchical structures and members strive to equalise the distribution of power.
Power distance issues have been blamed for Korean aviation crashes. South Korea has been typified as a culture with a very high power distance index, where juniors are obliged to be deferential to their seniors. Air crashes may be caused where junior officers refuse to speak up about potential errors and malfunctions in the cockpit until it is too late. Fortunately, this has since been corrected and employees at all levels of the hierarchy are encouraged to speak out if they notice anything wrong.
- Individualism vs Collectivism
Individualism refers to a preference for a loosely-knit social network where individuals only take care of themselves and their immediate families, whereas collectivism is a preference for a tightly-knit society where individuals expect their relatives or members in society to take care of them without any questions asked.
This dimension is important in decision-making processes, particularly those involving high-stakes conflict. Those with higher levels of individualism tend to be more rational, whereas those who are more collectivistic tend to be more dependent and less likely to betray the interests of their members. In conflict negotiations, it is therefore imperative to consider this particular cultural dimension in providing favourable conditions to achieve peace.
- Uncertainty Avoidance Index: High vs Low
This dimension expresses the degree to which members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty or ambiguity: how does a society deal with the fact that the future can never be known? Those with high uncertainty avoidance tend to avoid risks and to develop protocols and structures to mitigate their risks.
- Masculinity vs Femininity
This dimension revolves around the emotional role distribution between genders. While a masculine society is one where there are clearly distinct gender roles, a feminine society is one where there are overlaps in social gender roles. It is not a measurement of how male or female a particular society is.
Curiously, in feminine cultures, the preferred traits for boyfriends and husbands are the same. However, in masculine cultures, the preferred traits of boyfriends are one’s sense of humour, intelligence and personality while those of husbands are one’s understanding, wealth and health. The preference for particular traits follow from the gender roles expected from one’s partner.
- Long-term vs Short-term
A long-term orientation focuses on the future and delayed gratification to achieve long-term success, whereas a short-term orientation focuses on the near future and emphasises the present over the future.
- Indulgence vs Restraint
This dimension considers the extent and tendency for a society to fulfil its desires. It considers how societies can control their impulses or desires. More indulgent societies are given to hedonism and pleasure-seeking, whereas those that are more restrained tends towards suppression of gratification and the regulation through social norms.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- Read Hofstede’s Insights’ analysis of Singapore across the various cultural dimensions. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
- What are the benefits of developing intercultural competency, i.e., the skills, knowledge and attitude that enables one to interact successfully with people from other cultures? How can we develop this form of competency in Singaporean schools?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘adulation’: excessive or slavish admiration or flattery
- ‘hedonism’: the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life
Here are more related articles for further reading:
- Hofstede Insights: Hofstede’s analysis of Singapore on the 6 cultural dimensions
“Singapore, with a score of 20 is a collectivistic society. This means that the “We” is important, people belong to in-groups (families, clans or organisations) who look after each other in exchange for loyalty. Here we can also see the second key principle of the Confucian teaching: The family is the prototype of all social organizations. A person is not primarily an individual; rather, he or she is a member of a family. Children should learn to restrain themselves, to overcome their individuality so as to maintain the harmony in the family. Harmony is found when everybody saves face in the sense of dignity, self-respect, and prestige. Social relations should be conducted in such a way that everybody’s face is saved. Paying respect to someone is called giving face.
Communication is indirect and the harmony of the group has to be maintained, open conflicts are avoided. A “yes” doesn’t necessarily mean “yes”; politeness takes precedence over honest feedback. The relationship has a moral basis and this always has priority over task fulfilment. The face of others has to be respected and especially as a manager calmness and respectability is very important
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Singapore scores 8 on this dimension and thus scores very low on this (uncertainty avoidance) 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”.”
- Skyword ContentStandard Blog: Cultural dimensions theory applied to digital marketing in China
“Business professionals such as Bert Markgraf have applied Hofstede’s classification scheme in a marketing context, suggesting that since China, for example, reported a high Power Distance—where hierarchies are established by the society and inequality is endorsed by followers and leaders—then a successful marketing strategy could be to emphasize how products create benefits for the whole family or company.
In a western way of thinking, this approach might seem abnormal, but understanding the basic constructs of culture such as Power Distance is essential to successful business. As Hofstede once famously said, “Studying culture without experiencing culture shock is like practicing swimming without experiencing water.”
While looking to understand and apply the same framework to multicultural content marketing strategies, western companies often face examples of articles, blogs, and other sites that look like the Chinese version of Alibaba and wonder whether or not to change the design for their audience:
The appearance of Chinese sites may be explained by China’s high degree of Long Term Orientation or low degree of Individualism. Many have argued that Chinese sites have such appearances since Web designers add bright colors and animations to highlight or emphasize their typography. Others have defended that Chinese culture, education, and lifestyle require each individual to absorb a great amount of information, resulting in the need for QR codes to provide users with more details.“