Hoefstede’s Model

BY ADEEBA KHAN

Understanding Workplace Values Around the World

 Hoefstede’s Model

• We know that we are living in a global age.

• Technology has brought everyone much closer

together. This means that people of different cultures
find themselves working together and communicating
more and more.

• This is exciting, but it can also be frustrating and

fraught with uncertainty. How do you relate to
someone of another culture? What do you say, or not
say, to start a conversation right? Are there cultural
taboos that you need to be aware of?
 Hoefstede’s Model
• Fortunately, psychologist Dr Geert Hofstede asked
himself this question in the 1970s. What emerged
after a decade of research and thousands of
interviews is a model of cultural dimensions that has
become an internationally recognized standard.

• With access to people working for the same

organization in over 40 countries of the world,
Hofstede collected cultural data and analyzed his
findings. He initially identified four distinct cultural
dimensions that served to distinguish one culture
from another. Later he added a fifth dimension, and
that is how the model stands today.
 Hoefstede’s Model
1. Power/Distance (PD)
This refers to the degree of inequality that exists – and is
accepted – among people with and without power. A high
PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal
distribution of power, and that people understand "their
place" in the system. Low PD means that power is shared
and well dispersed. It also means that society members
view themselves as equals.
Application: According to Hofstede's model, in a high PD
country such as Malaysia (104), you would probably send
reports only to top management and have closed-door
meetings where only select powerful leaders were in
attendance.
 Hoefstede’s Model
PD Characteristics Tips

•Centralized companies.
•Acknowledge a leader's power.
•Strong hierarchies.
High PD •Be aware that you may need to
•Large gaps in compensation,
go to the top for answers
authority, and respect.

•Flatter organizations. •Use teamwork.

Low PD •Supervisors and employees are •Involve as many people as
considered almost as equals. possible in decision making.
 Hoefstede’s Model
2. Individualism (IDV)
This refers to the strength of the ties people have to others within
the community. A high IDV score indicates loose connections. In
countries with a high IDV score there is a lack of interpersonal
connection, and little sharing of responsibility beyond family and
perhaps a few close friends. A society with a low IDV score would
have strong group cohesion, and there would be a large amount of
loyalty and respect for members of the group. The group itself is also
larger and people take more responsibility for each other's well
being.
Application: Hofstede's analysis suggests that in the Central
American countries of Panama and Guatemala where the IDV scores
are very low (11 and 6, respectively), a marketing campaign that
emphasized benefits to the community or that tied into a popular
political movement would likely be understood and well received.
 Hoefstede’s Model
IDV Characteristics Tips

•High valuation on people's time and •Acknowledge accomplishments.

their need for freedom. •Don't ask for too much personal
High IDV •An enjoyment of challenges, and an information.
expectation of rewards for hard work. •Encourage debate and expression of
•Respect for privacy. own ideas.

•Emphasis on building skills and •Show respect for age and wisdom.
becoming masters of something. •Suppress feelings and emotions to
Low IDV •Work for intrinsic rewards. work in harmony.
•Harmony more important than •Respect traditions and introduce
honesty. change slowly.
 Hoefstede’s Model
3. Masculinity (MAS)
This refers to how much a society sticks with, and values, traditional
male and female roles. High MAS scores are found in countries where
men are expected to be "tough," to be the provider, and to be
assertive. If women work outside the home, they tend to have
separate professions from men. Low MAS scores do not reverse the
gender roles. In a low MAS society, the roles are simply blurred. You
see women and men working together equally across many
professions. Men are allowed to be sensitive, and women can work
hard for professional success.
Application: Japan is highly masculine with a score of 95, whereas
Sweden has the lowest measured value (5). According to Hofstede's
analysis, if you were to open an office in Japan, you might have
greater success if you appointed a male employee to lead the team
and had a strong male contingent on the team. In Sweden, on the
other hand, you would aim for a team that was balanced in terms of
skill rather than gender.
 Hoefstede’s Model
MAS Characteristics Tips

•Be aware that people may

•Men are masculine and women
expect male and female roles to
are feminine.
be distinct.
High MAS •There is a well defined
•Advise men to avoid discussing
distinction between men's work
emotions or making emotionally
and women's work.
based decisions or arguments.

•Avoid an "old boys' club"

•A woman can do anything a mentality.
man can do. •Ensure job design and practices
Low MAS
•Powerful and successful women are not discriminatory to either
are admired and respected. gender.
•Treat men and women equally.
 Hoefstede’s Model

4. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI)

This relates to the degree of anxiety that society members feel
when in uncertain or unknown situations. High UAI-scoring nations
try to avoid ambiguous situations whenever possible. They are
governed by rules and order and they seek a collective "truth." Low
UAI scores indicate that the society enjoys novel events and values
differences. There are very few rules, and people are encouraged to
discover their own truth.
Application: Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions imply that when
discussing a project with people in Belgium, whose country scored
a 94 on the UAI scale, you should investigate the various options
and then present a limited number of choices, but have very
detailed information available on your contingency and risk plans.
(Note that there will be cultural differences between French and
Dutch speakers in Belgium.)
 Hoefstede’s Model
UAI Characteristics Tips

•Be clear and concise about your

•Very formal business conduct with lots of
expectations and parameters.
rules and policies.
•Plan and prepare, communicate often and
•Need and expect structure.
High UAI early, provide detailed plans, and focus on
•Sense of nervousness spurns high levels
the tactical aspects of a job or project.
of emotion and expression.
•Express your emotions through hand
•Differences are avoided.
gestures and raised voices.

•Do not impose rules or structure

unnecessarily.
•Informal business attitude.
•Minimize your emotional response by
•More concern with long term strategy than
Low UAI being calm and contemplating situations
what is happening on a daily basis.
before speaking.
•Accepting of change and risk.
•Express curiosity when you discover
differences.
 Hoefstede’s Model
5. Long Term Orientation (LTO)
This refers to how much society values long-standing – as opposed
to short-term – traditions and values. This is the fifth dimension
that Hofstede added in the 1990s, after finding that Asian
countries with a strong link to Confucian philosophy acted
differently from Western cultures. In countries with a high LTO
score, delivering on social obligations and avoiding "loss of face"
are considered very important.
Application: According to Hofstede's analysis, people in the United
States and United Kingdom have low LTO scores. This suggests that
you can pretty much expect anything in this culture in terms of
creative expression and novel ideas. The model implies that people
in the U.S. and U.K. don't value tradition as much as many others,
and are therefore likely to be willing to help you execute the most
innovative plans as long as they get to participate fully. (This may
be surprising to people in the U.K., with its associations of
tradition.)
 Hoefstede’s Model
LTO Characteristics Tips

•Family is the basis of society. •Show respect for traditions.

•Parents and men have more •Do not display extravagance or act
authority than young people and frivolously.
High LTO women. •Reward perseverance, loyalty, and
•Strong work ethic. commitment.
•High value placed on education and •Avoid doing anything that would
training. cause another to "lose face."

•Promotion of equality. •Expect to live by the same standards

•High creativity, individualism. and rules you create.
Low LTO •Treat others as you would like to be •Be respectful of others.
treated. •Do not hesitate to introduce
•Self-actualization is sought. necessary changes.
 Note:
Hofstede's analysis is done by country. While this
is valid for many countries, it does not hold in the
countries where there are strong subcultures
that are based on ethnicity of origin or
geography. In Canada, for instance, there is a
distinct French Canadian culture that has quite a
different set of norms from those of English-
speaking Canada. And in Italy, masculinity scores
would differ between north and south.
thanks