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Geert Hofstede, in his pioneer study looking at differences in culture across modern nations, identified four dimensions of cultural values: individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity-femininity. Working with researcher Michael Bond, Hofstede later added a fifth dimension with called dynamic Confucianism, or long-term orientation. According to Hofstede’s research, people, in individualistic societies, are expected to care for themselves and their immediate families only; while in collectivist cultures, people view themselves as members of larger groups, including extended family members, and are expected to take responsibility in caring for each other. With regards to power distance, different countries have varying levels of accepting the distribution of unequal power. Uncertainty avoidance takes into consideration that the “extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain and ambiguous situations.” Then, masculinity-femininity examines the dominant values of a culture and determines where these values land on a spectrum in which “masculine” is associated with assertiveness, the acquisition of money and things, as well as not caring for others. Finally, long-term orientation looks at the extent to which a society considers respect for tradition and fulfilling social obligations; some future-oriented values are persistence and thrift. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have formed a fundamental framework for viewing others. International business people, psychologists, communications researchers, and diplomats all benefit from Hofstede’s work, as well as everyone else. Utilizing these interpretative frameworks leads to a greater understanding of ourselves and others. To see differences across cultures more clearly, we compiled a list of illustrations of Hofstede’s concepts in action.
“Sierra Leone” by Annie Spratt. Public Domain via Unsplash.
“Xi’an Bell Tower, Xi’an, China” by Lin Qiang. Public Domain via Unsplash.
Featured image credit: “Mexico, Puebla, Cuetzalan” by CrismarPerez. Public Domain via Pixabay. Cassandra Gill is a marketing coordinator for Oxford University Press. Information for this post was sourced from Meina Liu’s article, “Verbal Communication Styles and Culture” in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Our Privacy Policy sets out how Oxford University Press handles your personal information, and your rights to object to your personal information being used for marketing to you or being processed as part of our business activities. We will only use your personal information to register you for OUPblog articles. Or subscribe to articles in the subject area by email or RSS When a culture is high in uncertainty avoidance people are likely to?People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance try to minimize the occurrence of unknown and unusual circumstances and to proceed with careful changes step by step by planning and by implementing rules, laws and regulations.
Which of the following is the best definition of uncertainty avoidance?Which of the following statements best defines uncertainty avoidance? It is the degree to which societies are willing to tolerate ambiguity and risk. A society has a common practice that men should remove their hats whenever they ride in elevators that are also carrying women.
Which of the following is an example of a high context culture?High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. Countries that fall into this categorization are Japan, China, France, Spain, Brazil, and more.
Which of the following is true of ethnocentrism quizlet?Which of the following is true about ethnocentrism? It can lead to prejudice, discrimination, and even racism. It provides the framework within which to judge other cultures.
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