GlobalMedia: Hofstede’s Dimensions of Value Orientation (U3-P5)

Geert Hofstede during the 1980s surveyed over 100,000 workers in multinational corporations in forty countries.

He found 4 main dimensions along which countries/cultures differ. Each country was ranked according to his dimensions.

• 1. Individualism - Collectivism
• I versus We
• e.g., “Squeaking wheel gets the greasy.”
• e.g., “The nail that sticks up gets pounded down.”
• Indiv. (e.g., U.S. & Australia) <--------> Coll (e.g., Taiwan & Peru)
• 2. Uncertainty Avoidance
• The extent to which a culture feels threatened by the unknown.
• Hi-U.A. cultures try to avoid uncertainty.
• Hi UA (e.g., Greece & Japan) <---> Low UA (e.g. U.S. & Denmark )

• 3. Power Distance
• The extent to which a culture accepts inequality.
• Hi-P.D. cultures accept inequality in relationships.
• Hi PD (e.g. Philippines & India) <----> Low PD (e.g. Sweden & N.Z.)
• 4. Masculinity and Femininity
• Masculinity = assertiveness, ambition, possessions...
• Femininity = caring and nurturing...
• M (e.g., Japan & Italy) <-----------> F (e.g., Norway & Denmark)

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