Questions and Answers Based on Geert Hofstede's Ideas
Questions and Answers Based on Geert Hofstede's Ideas
Definition:
Power distance is the term used for nations that have an expected gap in power among citizens, which are not disputed by the citizens, but accepted as part of the societal reality.
Summary:
When examining the nations of Bhutan, Russia, Venezuela, and Japan one can clearly see that a high degree of power distance exists in both Bhutan, who scored 94 and Russia, who scored 93. Venezuela had a fairly high power distance of 81. Japan scored the lowest on in comparison to the other countries at just 54.
Definition:
Individualism is a system or framework for a society where the individual is only concerned about looking out for his or her best interests, as well as those of their family members.
Summary:
The nations of Bhutan and Japan are somewhat balanced in the level of individualism that is present in the structure of the countries with Bhutan scoring at 52 and Japan at 46. Russia was slightly less individualistic with a score of 39, which shows that citizens of this nation are much more mindful of the wellbeing of one another and not just their tight knit family group. Lastly, Venezuela with a very low score of 12 is the least individualistic nation of the four nations discussed.
Definition:
Masculinity/Femininity are terms used to describe the type of societal structure that exists with the masculine nations displaying a strong drive for material success; whereas the feminine nation displaying a kinder gentler concern for its citizens quality of life.
Summary:
A difference exists among the four nations as far as their level of masculinity vs. femininity. Bhutan scoring 32 and Russia scoring 36 were the least masculine of the four nations. Venezuela scored 73 indicating a fairly large amount of masculinity in its society, but not nearly as high as Japan with a score of 95.
Definition:
Uncertainty Avoidance Index has to do with the degree to which a nation feels secure or insecure in their future, which encourages either a strict set of rules with no room for new ideas when the UAI is high or a more relaxed environment in nations with a lower UAI.
Summary:
Most of the nations examined scored higher on the UAI, with only Bhutan having the lowest score of 28. Meanwhile, Russia having the highest UAI score of 95 with Japan close behind at 92. Venezuela scores at 76 making it also fairly high on the UAI .
Definition:
Temporal Orientation has to do with a society’s relationship with time, which includes society’s that have a “circular” concept of time with the past and present connected as one, whereas the nations with a linear concept of time see a past, present and future moving in the direction of the future.
Summary:
When looking at the variations in the temporal orientation of each nation discussed, the highest scoring nations were Japan at 88 and Russia at 81. Meanwhile, Venezuela had a much lower score of only 12. Bhutan was unique in that is had no score whatsoever on the temporal orientation range. One can see that the two nations that scored higher are also much more driven to progress towards future goals, while the lower scores of Venezuela and Bhutan show a different relationship with their past and futures as an interconnected circle in time.
References
Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2016, from https://www.geert-
hofstede.com/national-culture.html
