Cultural Dimensions – Geert Hofstede by Leman DEMİRBAŞ & Tuğçe TAŞGİT

Cultural Dimensions – Geert Hofstede

1.Introduction

·        Hofstede and his contribution to the cultural studies

·        A framework of his theory on cultural dimensions

2. Dimensions:

·        Power Distance Index: this dimension expresses the degree to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The important question is how a society perceive social inequalities: do they accept hierarchical order among people or do they call for equality?

Ø  Analysis of Saudi Arabia

Ø  Analysis of Austria

Ø  Analysis of Japan

Ø  Analysis of Turkey

·        Individualism: it expresses whether a society’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.” It refers to the preferences of social ties in a society.

Ø  Differences between individualism and collectivism

Ø  Analysis of United States of America

Ø  Analysis of Russia

Ø  Analysis of Norway

Ø  Analysis of Turkey

·        Masculinity: Masculinity degree of this dimension stands for a preference for achievement, heroism, and material rewards for success. The fundamental question is if a society tends to be competitive or works in cooperation with all its individuals.

Ø  Differences between masculinity ad femininity

Ø  Analysis of United Kingdom

Ø  Analysis of Sweden

Ø  Analysis of Mexico

Ø  Analysis of Turkey

·        UncertaintyAvoidance Index: it shows how uncomfortable a society is with future uncertainty and ambiguity. It ultimately refers to man’search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situation.

Ø  Differences between Weak and Strong Uncertainty Avoidance Societies

Ø  Analysis of United States

Ø  Analysis of United Kingdom

Ø  Analysis of Austria

Ø  Analysis of Turkey

·        Long Term Orientation: it reflects whether a society prefers to maintain its old traditions and norms or takes a more pragmatic approach. Every society has to maintain some links between its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and the future. So cities prioritize these two existential goals differently.

Ø  Typical opinions of people from Long Term Orientation Culture

Ø  Typical opinions of people from Short Term Orientation Culture

Ø  Analysis of United States

Ø  Analysis of Russia

Ø  Analysis of Canada

Ø  Analysis of Turkey

·        Indulgence: this dimension expresses whether a society allows free gratification of basic human drives or it regulates strict social norms. It is essentially a measure of happiness. Indulgence is defined as a society that allow  relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to enjoying life and having fun.

Ø  Differences between Indulgence and Restrained Cultures

Ø  Analysis of United States

Ø  Analysis of United Kingdom

Ø  Analysis of  Germany

Ø  Analysis of  Turkey

3. The Iceberg Illusion: Edward T. Hall developed the iceberg  analogy of culture. Hall reasoned that if culture is an iceberg, there are some aspects which are visible can be seen (above the water), and a larger aspect which is hidden beneath the surface (below the water).