Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Analysis Essay

Geert Hofstede is a social psycologist, origin onlyy from the Netherlands. Hofstede is well known globally for his subversive research of multicultural organisations and groups. Perhaps his most important work was ontogenesis the theory of cultural dimensions. There are 5 dimensions that Hofstede explains in his poser- these are Power distance index (PDI), Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity versus muliebrity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long end point Orientation versus unequal term normative orientation (LTO). Power distance index is the dimension in which a recite enkindle understand and call for inequalities that surpass in their culture. It is all about the less dominant members of that culture consciousness that imbalances politically, financially and racially for example, occur in their world- and the key issue Hofstede focuses on is how these disparities are handles. For a country to yield a large breaker point of PDI, then the multitude must recognise that these inequalities will occur and accept a hierarchical order.Therefore societies with a low PDI, make every effort to rid of the differences in status or importance and endeavour to level the distribution of, for example, wealth or power. The example that Hofstede recently gave to expand the impact of PDI is the reaction of Chinese authorities to the fact that a Chinese author won the Nobel Prize for peace, explaining that he is a man that the occidental part of the world would only perceive as a good, innoxious winner of the prize. Due to the authorities reaction he describes them as quality threatened by the possible share of power, therefore being a place of high PDI. The second dimension that Hofstede describes is Individualism. This can be explained as a preference of a party that only accepts they need to explore after themselves and their immediate family. The flipside of this, which Hofstede refers to as Collectivism, represents a pref erence for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A societys position on this dimension is reflected in whether peoples self-image is defined in terms of I or we. The following(a) aspect of his framework is the Masculinity versus Femininity factor.The masculinity feature is where society in whole is very competitive. It is about achievement, success, and prevailing to a greater extent than others and gaining real(a) rewards for success. The opposite of this that is illustrated is femininity,which is a society which is more focused on cooperating, fondness for the weak and the general concern for quality of life. In the business linguistic context Masculinity versus Femininity is sometimes also related to as punishing versus gender cultures. The fourth point that Hofstede portrays in his work is Uncertainty escape index. This is explained as b eing the degree to which the members of a society feel awkward with doubt and ambiguity. Hofstede explains the key issue here is how a society can deal with or accept the uncertainty of the early and how it cannot be known- it is a question of whether society attempts to control what will happen in the future or just simply let it happen.A country with a low uncertainty avoidance index is the latter the part of society with more of a laid back and relaxed barbel to how the future develops, whereas a country with strong UAI has firm beliefs on codes of conduct and behaviour, in order to be able to influence the future as more as possible. The final dimension that Hofstede uses is the Long term orientation versus short term normative orientation. Societies who score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain reputable traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which gobs high, on the other hand, take a more pragmatic appro ach they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future.To conclude this exploration of Geert Hofstedes framework, I believe that all of the points he makes and focuses on are relevant in societies internationally, careless(predicate) of specific cultures. For example, the Power Distance index dimension is an issue that occurs all over the globe. There are individuals in every society that name superior power to others, be it financially, politically or just lease a greater status in the social order. However the sufferance of these issues can vary from country to country. For example, I would say that North Korea lose a very high PDI, as they are governed by a dictatorship where certain individuals have enormous power over the liberalization of society, and they just get along with it and accept that fact. However in more democratic states i.e. the UK and the USA the PDI is much lower as society believes much more in equality.