Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

culture

What are Hofstede's five Cultural Dimensions?

Read the About . . . section on the right side of this page. Then review the

definitions of each Hofstede Dimension listed below. Following that, you can

select the country or countries you're interested in from the list in the left

margin of this page.

On each country page you will find the unique Hofstede graphs depicting the

Dimension scores and other demographics for that country and culture - plus

an explanation of how they uniquely apply to that country.

* Description for each of Hofstede's Dimensions listed below

Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful

members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect

that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus

less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level

of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power

and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and

anybody with some international experience will be aware that 'all societies are

unequal, but some are more unequal than others'.

Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the

degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. On the individualist

side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone

is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the

collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are

integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles,

aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for

unquestioning loyalty. The word 'collectivism' in this sense has no political

culture

meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by

this dimension is an extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the

world.

Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of

roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society

to which a range of solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a)

women's values differ less among societies than men's values; (b) men's

values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive

and competitive and maximally different from women's values on the one side,

to modest and caring and similar to women's values on the other. The

assertive pole has been called 'masculine' and the modest, caring pole

'feminine'. The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring

values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat assertive

and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a

gap between men's values and women's values.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for

uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It

indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either

uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured

situations are novel, unknown, surprising, different from usual. Uncertainty

avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws

and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and

religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and

we have it'. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional,

and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty

accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are

used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and

religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side.

People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not

expected by their environment to express emotions.

Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation: this fifth dimension

was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a

questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars It can be said to deal with Virtue

regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift

and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect

for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting one's 'face'. Both the

positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the

teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived

around 500 B.C.; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a

Confucian heritage.

culture

Websites directly related to Geert Hofstede

Geert Hofstede's personal Website

Itim - An international consulting organization utilizing Prof. Hofstede's

concepts.

Itimfocus - An international consulting organization in the field of culture &

change management that uses scans and tools based on scientific research

undertaken by Professor Hofstede.

Gert Jan Hofstede's personal Website

Geert Hofstede is a trademark of Geert Hofstede BV, Velp, the Netherlands

What are the practical applications for Geert Hofstede's research on cultural

differences?

Geert Hofstede

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