Columnist: Lucas Migray
If you would like to read the part one of this series, please go ahead and click here.
Today we would like to take another look at the topic of culture, namely we will look again at some cultural differences that play a major role in success in another cultural area, this time, according to studies by the Dutch cultural scientist and social psychologist, Geert Hofstede. Since it is a very long topic, we will only look at two subitems today.
4. Power Distance Index
The Power Distance Index measures attitudes toward inequality and respect for authority. Power distance is thus “the extent to which the less powerful members of a country’s institutions or organizations expect and accept that power is unequally distributed. ((Hofstede (1991), p. 38).
The power distance index values for some countries (after G. Hofstede (2006), p. 56):
Malaysia 104
Serbia 86
China 80
India 77
Croatia 73
Switzerland 70
(French part)
Poland 68
Turkey 66
Greece 60
South Korea 60
Spain 57
Japan 54
Germany 35
UK 35
Switzerland 26
(German part)
Austria 11
The greater the number, the greater the power distance between a superior and a normal employee. Let us now take a look at the main differences between companies with low (g) and high (G) power distance:
g – Inequality among people should be as small as possible; G – Inequality among people is expected and desired
g – Tendency towards decentralization; G – Tendency towards centralization
g – Employees expect to be involved in decisions; G – Employees expect to receive instructions
g – The ideal superior is the resourceful democrat; G – The ideal superior is the benevolent autocrat or kind father
g – Privileges and status symbols meet with disapproval; G – Privileges and status symbols for managers are expected and popular
Source:
Hofstede: Local Action, Global Thinking, 1997, p. 46
5. Individualism Index
Individualism describes societies in which the bonds between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to provide for himself and his immediate family.
Its counterpart, collectivism, describes societies in which the individual is integrated from birth into strong, closed groups of us that protect him throughout his life and demand unconditional loyalty in return. A high IDV stands for a strong individualism. (See Hofstede (2017)).
Individualism index for some countries, according to Hofstede:
USA 91
UK 89
Italy 76
France 71
Switzerland 69
(German part)
Germany 67
Poland 60
Austria 55
Spain 51
India 48
Turkey 37
Greece 35
Portugal 27
China 20
South Korea 18
Indonesia 14
Colombia 13
Guatemala 6
These are the main differences between collectivist (K) and individualist (I) societies:
K – People are born into extended families or other we-groups that continue to protect them and in return receive loyalty; I – every person grows up to care exclusively for himself and his direct (core) family
K – Identity is rooted in the social network to which one belongs; I – Identity is founded in the individual
K – Relationship has priority over task; I – Task has priority over relationship
K – Collective interests dominate over individual interests; I – Individual interests dominate over collective interests.
K – Children learn to think in terms of the “we”; I – Children learn to think in terms of the “I”.
It helps one to know whether a society is collectivist or individualistic, and also whether there is a large or small power distance. Above all, it helps you to be able to adjust to it and thus to adapt to the way of thinking of this society and to integrate better and faster.