scholarly journals Gerard Hofstede and His System for Measurement of Cultural and Organizational Differences

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 35-51
Author(s):  
Tolya Stoitsova
Keyword(s):  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Short Term ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Organizational Differences ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Intercultural Differences

The article offers a brief introduction to a great contemporary scientist – Professor Gerard Hofstede. Three reasons are underlined in connection with the question why Bulgarian researchers, some of them from NBU, are proud to have contributed to the development and implementation of its model for understanding intercultural differences and those in different organizations. The six Hofstede’s dimensions are discussed theoretically. These are: Power Distance; Individualism Versus Collectivism; Masculinity Versus Femininity; Uncertainty Avoidance; Long- and Short-Term Oriented National Cultures; and Indulgence Versus Restraint. Empirical results for Bulgarian culture are presented along with comparisons between Bulgaria and some other cultures using the principle of similarities and differences.

The influence of culture in entrepreneurs’ opportunity exploitation decision in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Liu ◽  
Frida Thomas Pacho ◽  
Wang Xuhui
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opportunity Exploitation ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Risk Taking Behavior

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore the impact of culture (using individualism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance) on entrepreneurial risk taking behavior which leads to the opportunity exploitation decision. Moreover, it also uses risk taking behavior of entrepreneurial as the mediation variable between culture and opportunity exploitations decisions. Design/methodology/approach The study took place in Tanzania, which is allocated in East Africa and is one of under researched countries. In total, 140 entrepreneurs who own venture of 5-99 employees were able to be interviewed using a survey questionnaire. In this study, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the direct and indirect relationship of culture in entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation decisions. Findings After hypothesis testing, the empirical results showed that Tanzania’s culture has an impact on entrepreneurial risk taking behavior, which influences entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation decision. It also showed culture through individualism and uncertainty avoidance measurements affect entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation decisions. The empirical results on power distance were insignificant. Research limitations/implications This study is a wake-up call to policy makers and formal institutions such as government authorities, education institutions and religion institutions. Thus, culture has an ability to influence the behavior of entrepreneurs and so the performance of ventures if it is consistent and well structured. Therefore it should be not taken for granted. Data for our study are based on only two cities and therefore the results should not be generalized as the whole country’s inference. Generalizability is questioned because the data are from only two cities in Tanzania and therefore future research should include more cities to be able to validate the generalizability. Practical implications This study is a wake-up call to policymakers and formal institutions such as government authorities, education institutions and religion institutions. Thus culture has an ability to influence the behavior of entrepreneurs and so the performance of ventures if it is consistent and well structured. Therefore it should be not taken for granted. Data for our study are based on only two cities and therefore the results should not be generalized as the whole country’s inference. Social implications In the country which has well-structured culture, influence the behavior of entrepreneurs to exploit opportunities. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to use SEM for exploring the culture of individualism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance impact on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation in Tanzania.

How do national cultures impact the operations strategy process?

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 1937-1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Lee Park ◽  
Ely Laureano Paiva
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Functional Integration ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Operations Strategy ◽  
Manufacturing Strategy ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which different patterns of cross-functional integration and the operations strategy (OS) process may be explained by national cultures differences.Design/methodology/approachPerceptual survey data from 105 manufacturing plants in four countries were used to validate the constructs and to test the hypotheses. The plants are located in two Western and two Eastern countries with different industrialization and development backgrounds (Brazil, China, Germany and South Korea). CFA validated the constructs, and ANOVA andt-tests evaluated the differences between levels of four Hofstede’s elements (i.e. power distance, individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and long-term vs short-term orientation) on the OS process enablers (i.e. leadership for cross-functional integration and functional integration) and elements (i.e. manufacturing strategy linkage to corporate strategy and formulation of manufacturing strategy).FindingsResults suggest that different OS and OM processes are present in different national cultures. Leadership for cross-functional integration and manufacturing strategy linkage to corporate strategy differ between levels of power distance, individualism vs collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. Functional integration and formulation of manufacturing strategy also present differences according to the degree of individualism vs collectivism and long-term orientation.Originality/valueResults indicate that national culture is a key aspect for the OS process. Prior studies usually do not consider cultural aspects. Therefore, the OS process varies in different countries and contexts. Managers need to adjust their OS process when they are developing a global OS.

scholarly journals Relationships of Cultural Dimensions and Lactation Patterns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Alidadi Shamsabadi ◽  
Mitra Savabi-Esfahani ◽  
Ali Hashemianfar
Keyword(s):  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significance Level

Abstract Background Proper nutrition is essential for infant growth and health. Exclusive breastfeeding is the best pattern for feeding infants in the first 6 months of life. On the other hand, lactation patterns may be influenced by cultural factors. The present study aimed to determine relationships of cultural dimensions and lactation patterns.Methods The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 452 mothers with 6-month and younger infants. Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Power Distance, Individualism vs. collectivism, Masculinity vs. Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs. Restraint were assessed using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests (independent t-test, Eta, phi and Cramer coefficients) and SPSS 18 at a significance level of less than 0.05.Results In the masculinity-femininity dimension, the mean score of exclusive breastfeeding pattern was higher than the non-exclusive breastfeeding (3± 0.48, 2.48±0.50) and there were statistical significant differences between groups (P = 0.03). However, despite different mean scores of power distance, individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, long term- short term orientation, indulgence- restraint in different breastfeeding patterns, the differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions Masculinity-femininity as a cultural dimension was associated with lactation patterns, so that mothers with greater orientation towards masculinity had higher focus on gender roles of a woman such as breastfeeding and they had greater exclusive breastfeeding. Therefore, some cultural dimensions should be taken into consideration in training and counseling for maternal breastfeeding.

scholarly journals NATIONAL CULTURE AND TRANSPARENCY: EVIDENCE FROM ISLAMIC BANKS

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-109
Author(s):  
Rochania Ayu Yunanda ◽  
Mohammad Ali Tareq ◽  
Akbariah Binti Mahdzir ◽  
Faried Kurnia Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Other Hand

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of predominant cultural values on banking disclosure. On one hand, Islamic banks have practiced Islamic principles which are universal for all countries. Islamic banks are expected to provide transparent information especially in terms of social and Shariah(Islamic) compliant information as Islamic banks claim themselves to have social objectives as the prime consideration. Islamic banks also have Shariah supervisory body to ensure that the banking activities and business operations are in line with Islamic requirements. On the other hand, Hofstede‘s cultural dimensions and Gray‘s hypotheses have rendered remarkable contributions in financial and accounting practices among different nations. Examining 45 Islamic banks in 11 Moslem majority countries, this paper focuses on four particular cultural dimensions namely individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance and whether these dimensions have an impact on transparency. This study found that two out of four national cultures still have significant effect on the transparency level in Moslem majority countries.

The Effects of Individual and National Cultures in Knowledge Sharing

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Chang ◽  
Ping-Yu Hsu ◽  
Wen-Lung Shiau ◽  
Yun-Shan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Characteristics ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Organizational Rewards ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The U.S

A major challenge for multinational companies is to motivate employees with different individual cultural characteristics and national cultures to share knowledge. Although comparative studies across different countries have been conducted, little is known about the effects of individual cultural differences in this context. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of individual and national cultures in knowledge sharing. The individual cultural characteristics of power distance, individualism/collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance are incorporated into the model as antecedents of knowledge-sharing motivations (organizational rewards, image, and reciprocal benefits). National cultural differences are examined by subjects conducted in the U.S. and China. Results show that power distance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. Individualism/collectivism is related to organizational rewards and image for the U.S. but not for China, while individualism/collectivism is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for China but not for the U.S. Uncertainty avoidance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. This study provides knowledge-sharing practices and managements for multinational companies attempting to motivate U.S. and Chinese employees to share knowledge.

Gender Differences in Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Among a Kuwaiti Sample

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S503-S504 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. AlAnezi ◽  
B. Alansari
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha

IntroductionHofstede's model of cultural dimensions has become the most widely accepted and most frequently cited model for cross-cultural research. His cultural dimensions included power distance index (PDI), individualism vs. collectivism (IDV), masculinity vs. femininity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), and long-term vs. short-term orientation (LTO).ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to explore gender related differences in the Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture for work-related values among a sample from Kuwait.MethodsThe participants were 540 first year secondary school Kuwaiti teachers (270 males: mean age = 28.95 ± 2.47; 270 females: mean age = 28.20 ± 2.04). The Arabic version of the Values Survey Module, VSM 08 was administered to participants. Data analysis include independent sample t-test was used to examine gender differences in Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture.ResultsInternal consistency was satisfactory for the Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism, Masculinity vs. Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation subscales respectively (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82, 0.84, 0.90, 0.74, 0.87) for males and (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77, 0.90, 0.83, 0.80, 0.88) for females. The results revealed significant gender differences where the males obtained a higher score than females on individualism (t = 2.95, P < 0.002), and masculinity (t = 2.77, P < 0.005), while females obtained a higher score than males on power distance (t = 4.48, P < 0.000), and long-term orientation (t = 4.13, P < 0.000).ConclusionThese findings suggest that the gender differences exist for cultural dimensions, and provide insight on leadership characteristics.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Requisite Variety: A Concept to Analyze the Effects of Cultural Context for Technology Transfer

1989 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 765-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Demel ◽  
Najmedin Meshkati
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Requisite Variety ◽  
Law Of Requisite Variety ◽  
The Law

The Law of Requisite Variety states that “the system must possess as much regulatory variety as can be expected from the environment” (Ashby, 1957). This law may have some implications for culture. Specifically, the four cultural dimensions by which national cultures differ (as proposed by Hofstede, 1980a): Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism-Collectivism, and Masculinity-Femininity influence Requisite Variety depending on the country to which the technology is transferred. Therefore, it is proposed in this study that Requisite Variety can be used as a concept to systematically investigate the influence of culture for technology transfer. This approach constitutes the incorporation of Human Factors considerations in technology transfer, as stated by Meshkati (1986 and 1989b) and Wisner (1985).

scholarly journals Culture and profitability: empirical evidence at a European level

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 580-588
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Martins ◽  
Ilídio Tomás Lopes
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Return On Equity ◽  
Lower Uncertainty

Organizational cultures distinguish different organizations within the same country or countries. When comparing the organizations within the same country differences in national cultures are not relevant but become relevant in comparison between different countries. This paper intends to evidence whether the profitability of companies can be influenced by the national culture. In order to characterize the culture of each country, we used the Hofstede measure of cultural dimensions (1. Power Distance (PDI); 2. Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI); 3. Individualism (IDV); 4. Masculinity (MAS); 5. Long-Term Orientation (LTO); and 6. Indulgence vs Restraint (IND)). Sample was based on the 500 largest European companies rated by the Financial Times 2015. Profitability was measured by the ratios Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). Statistical tests were performed to test whether the means of the variables used to measure profitability are statistically equal. The results indicate that companies with higher profitability are from countries with lower Power Distance, lower Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-Term Orientation, and Higher Indulgence

scholarly journals Intercultural Communication in Manuscript Digitization (Study in the Village of Legok Indramayu)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Tantry Widiyanarti ◽  
Sarwititi Sarwoprasodjo ◽  
Ahmad Sihabudin ◽  
Rilus A. Kinseng
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Village

Manuscript digitization is an effort to preserve the content of the manuscript from damage. The content of the manuscript which contain local wisdom must be saved, because the manuscript is old and is in a concerning condition, damaged, destroyed, or even lost. Therefore, digitalization needs to be done. However, digitalization cannot be done easily, because there are cultural differences that underlie it. This study wants to see how intercultural communication is carried out during the process of digitizing a manuscript so that digitization can be carried out. This study uses a qualitative method with observation, interview, and data triangulation techniques. This research is useful to add insight and make it easier for the digitizer to digitize the manuscript if he meets a manuscript owner with a different culture than the digitizer. The result or finding is that the intercultural communication used in digitizing manuscripts uses a cultural dimension approach so that digitization can be carried out.Keywords: Manuscript digitization, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, the collectivism-short term communication ABSTRAKDigitalisasi naskah ialah upaya untuk melestarikan isi naskah dari kerusakan. Isi naskah yang berisi local wisdom harus diselamatkan,karena usia naskah sudah tua dengan kondisi yang prihatin, rusak, hancur, bahkan hilang. Karena itu digitalisasi perlu dilakukan. Namun, digitalisasi tidak dapat dilakukan dengan mudah, disebabkan ada perbedaan budaya yang mendasarinya. Penelitian ini ingin melihat bagaimana komunikasi antarbudaya yang dilakukan ketika proses digitalisasi naskah sehingga digitalisasi dapat dilakukan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan teknik observasi, wawancara dan triangulasi data. Penelitian ini berguna menambah wawasan dan memudahkan pendigital dalam melakukan digitalisasi naskah, jika bertemu dengan pemilik naskah yang berbeda budayanya dengan pendigital. Hasil atau temuan penelitian ini adalah komunikasi antarbudaya yang digunakan dalam digitalisasi naskah menggunakan pendekatan dimensi budaya sehingga digitalisasi dapat terlaksana. Kata Kunci: Digitalisasi naskah, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism-short term orientation,  low level communication

The Effects of Individual and National Cultures in Knowledge Sharing

2020 ◽  
pp. 513-532
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Chang ◽  
Ping-Yu Hsu ◽  
Wen-Lung Shiau ◽  
Yun-Shan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Cultural Characteristics ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Organizational Rewards ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The U.S

A major challenge for multinational companies is to motivate employees with different individual cultural characteristics and national cultures to share knowledge. Although comparative studies across different countries have been conducted, little is known about the effects of individual cultural differences in this context. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of individual and national cultures in knowledge sharing. The individual cultural characteristics of power distance, individualism/collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance are incorporated into the model as antecedents of knowledge-sharing motivations (organizational rewards, image, and reciprocal benefits). National cultural differences are examined by subjects conducted in the U.S. and China. Results show that power distance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. Individualism/collectivism is related to organizational rewards and image for the U.S. but not for China, while individualism/collectivism is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for China but not for the U.S. Uncertainty avoidance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. This study provides knowledge-sharing practices and managements for multinational companies attempting to motivate U.S. and Chinese employees to share knowledge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document