Insights from the largest cross-cultural study

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

The Hofstede cultural factor analysis was designed to examine cultures based on a worldwide survey of employee values by IBM. It compares the answers of 117,000 people across 40 of the largest countries. What’s more, it's generally accepted as the most comprehensive framework of national culture values by those studying business culture.

Similarities and differences in cultures, it shows, are not entirely predictable. This is determined when considering the geographical closeness of some countries and their massive differences in culture.

Intrigued? Click through this gallery to learn some fascinating insights regarding the cultures of the world.

Power distance

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

This dimension measures how people accept and expect a distance in power from their bosses and politicians. For instance, the American dream adheres to values of low power distance. Cast systems would score high in this category.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

If you open an office in Japan, you should recognize you are operating in a hierarchical, deferential, and traditionally patriarchal society.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Latin American and Asian countries show very high in the dimension of power distance. By contrast, in Germanic countries, generally, the score is low.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Malaysia scores the highest in power distance. According to the model, team members in Malaysia will not initiate action and instead expect to be guided and directed to complete work tasks. If the person in power doesn’t take charge, it’s assumed that the job is unimportant.

Masculinity vs. femininity

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Masculinity represents values such as assertiveness, competition, and achievement. Femininity represents values such as co-operation, sensitivity, and empathy.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Masculinity is very low in Nordic countries, with Norway scoring eight and Sweden scoring five out of 100. The UK scores relatively high (65), and Japan scores exceptionally high (95).

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Latin American countries differ in this dimension. For example, Venezuela scores 73, and Chile scores 28 in Masculinity.

Individualism vs. collectivism

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

This dimension measures how people are expected to take care of themselves as opposed to taking care of other members of society.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

China is a collective society. In China, there is a win-win culture of doing business. You would never negotiate in your first business meeting. Business there is based on relationships where both parties benefit. The term given to this practice is Guanxi.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

The US scores the highest in the individualism dimension (91), while Australia scores second-highest (90), followed by the UK (89).

Long-term vs. short-term orientation

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

High long-term orientation scores are typically attributed to countries throughout East Asia, with South Korea having the highest possible score (100).

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Societies that score low in this dimension are open to changes, young people are respected, and originality is significantly valued. Jamaica and Singapore score low in this dimension. Japan and France score the highest in this dimension.

Uncertainty avoidance

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

This dimension is a measurement of how society feels comfortable with uncertainty. Societies with high scores in this dimension are less tolerant of individuals who engage in risky behavior such as gambling.

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

In schools in Germany, for example, classes are rigidly planned. In the lower-scoring countries, teachers are not seen as all-knowing and learning is a more open process.

Indulgence vs. restraint

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Hofstede argues that in countries characterized by a restrained culture, there is a tendency towards pessimism. People also put less emphasis on leisure time.

Atheist countries

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Predominantly atheist countries have low uncertainty avoidance, moderate masculinity, and are less individualistic than Catholic counties. Fun fact: the Czech Republic has the highest number of atheists in the world.

Taken with a pinch of salt

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

It should be noted that the majority of people that were originally surveyed for this study in 1967 were privileged males working as engineers or sales personnel in one of the world’s most elite organizations.

It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Power distance, Masculinity vs. femininity, Individualism vs. collectivism, Long-term vs. short-term orientation, Uncertainty avoidance, Indulgence vs. restraint, Atheist countries, Taken with a pinch of salt, It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got

Studies have continued in this field for the past 50 years, and now the literature is much more balanced to include women and minorities, for example. The index is far from perfect, but it's still the most comprehensive cross-cultural theory.

Sources: (Hofstede Insights) (Mind Tools)

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