Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory

This report discusses Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, which identifies four cultural dimensions: individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femininity, and power distance. The report explains the implications of these dimensions on society and organizations, highlighting their benefits and drawbacks. It also touches upon the importance of study skills in achieving personal and professional goals.

Study Skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
Suggestion Hofstede's cultural dimensions ................................................................................1
Agreement and disagreement .....................................................................................................1
Make other suggestion ...............................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
Study skills are an arrangement of abilities that handle the procedure of organizing and
taking in new info retaining data or dealing with assessments. These are abilities needs to enable
to study and learn efficiently which are an essential set of transferable life skills. Study skills
advice appropriate to learners across all the fields and different life conditions (Kneale, 2014).
These skills help to fulfil the objectives and goals of personal as well as professional life. This
report will suggest the different cultural dimensions. It will assess the agreement and
disagreement with the dimensions. Furthermore, study will make other suggestion for this
theory.
MAIN BODY
Suggestion Hofstede's cultural dimensions
Culture provides guide of position for thinking and behaving to the people. Different
elements of culture as values, rituals, symbols, belief and thought procedure. Cultural values
which can effect businesses that have been discovered in the work of Greet Hofstede (McGuire,
2015). They are identified four cultural dimensions which can have deep impact on the
environment of business such as: power distance, individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty
avoidance, masculinity vs femininity.
Individualism vs Collectivism:
Individualism dimension of culture means to how self oriented members of culture are in
their behaviour. This culture places large value of single person's achievement and self interest.
This dimension explores level to which people ins society are incorporated into groups. These
societies have loose draws which frequently only relate an individual to immediate family
(Cottrell, 2017). Its opposite, collectivism culture value working towards collective goals and
group harmony. It is determined society in which binding incorporated relationship draw
extended families and other into in-groups. These in-groups are tied with undoubted loyalty and
help each other when the battle arises with another in-groups.
Uncertainty Avoidance:
This dimension refers to respond to uncertainty and unclearness of members of the
society. The high score of uncertainty avoidance which tend to avoid risk taking. It is determined
as tolerance for expression of society in which people embrace or avert an incident of something
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unexpected, unknown and away from the status quo. The high level is this dimension prefer for
stiff codes of behaviour, guidelines, laws and normally trust on absolute truth (Mazanec and
et.al., 2015). The low level shows more acceptance of differing ideas or thoughts. Society tends
to impose fewer laws, expression is more used to and environment is more free flowing. The
culture with less uncertainty avoidance which believe that risk taking and invention are essential
in accomplishing successful result. Values are chosen through leaders to create understands
involving ethical behaviour and the social responsibilities.
Agreement and disagreement
Manager agree with individualism cultural dimension because it can be determined as
preferences for generally knit social framework in which single persons are expected to take care
of themselves and their immediate families. This cultural dimension express I vs We. This index
researches level to society are incorporated into unit. Manager disagree with collectivism which
shows preferences for tough framework in society that single persons expect their relatives or
members of specific in group in-group to see after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty
(Khlif, 2016). There are undoubted loyalty and help each other when arising the conflicts with
the another in-group. Manager also disagree with uncertainty avoidance cultural dimensions in
which tolerance for expression. This index prefers for formal codes of behaviour, guidance,
regulations and normally rely on absolute truth. The belief which one lone truth principles
everything and people know what it is. Society tends to enforce fewer regulations and
environment of free flowing. The low level of uncertainty avoidance which represent more
acceptance if various ideas and thoughts.
Make other suggestion
Societies should adopt masculinity vs femininity cultural dimensions within the
workplace which refers as preferences for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material
rewards for success. Its opposite femininity shows that preferences for cooperation, modesty and
caring for weak and quality of life. Female tend to show various values. They are shared modest
and caring aspects equally with men. In masculinity society, female are assertive and competitive
but notably less than male (Minkov and Hofstede, 2014). In other terms, they still identify gap
among men and women values. Society must have adopted the power distance which can be
determined as the level to which less strong members of companies and families accept and
expect which power is distributed unequally. In this dimension, inequality and power is
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precevied from the subordinates or lower strata. The high level of this index which indicates
hierarchy is clearly implanted and executed in society without doubt and reason. The lower level
of index intends which people question authority and share to distribute power. People strive to
equalise the distribution of power and demand explanation for inequality of power. This primary
issue is society manages inequalities between people. Therefore, societies and organisations
adopted the power distance cultural dimensions for distributing equality between the people
(Mazanec and et.al., 2015). In this context, organisations should adopt the Hofstede's cultural
dimensions theory because it determines values of people in various nations and their culture of
firms are also different. The culture of workers performing in international businesses can be
differentiated from national culture of nation. Organization values are particular to mission
statement which guides conduct and relations with stakeholder. These values can not be same as
individual's values in which they are identified and helped by top level administration to evolve
and shared perceptive for expected behaviour.
CONCLUSION
This report has summarised that defined the individualism vs collectivism and
uncertainty avoidance within society and organization. It can be concluded that individualism is
beneficial and collectivism as well as uncertainty avoidance which are not beneficial for society
and organization. Furthermore, society can be adopted masculinity vs femininity cultural
dimensions for success of male and female in life. It can be discussed that power distance culture
dimensions to powerful members within the organisations. It can be concluded that study skills
help to achieve the goals of personal and professional life. Therefore, all individuals can be
improved their study skills.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Kneale, P. E., 2014. Study Skills for Geography Students: A Practical Guide 2nd Edition.
Routledge.
McGuire, S. Y., 2015. Teach students how to learn: Strategies you can incorporate into any
course to improve student metacognition, study skills, and motivation. Stylus Publishing,
LLC.
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Mazanec, J. A. and et.al., 2015. Homogeneity versus heterogeneity of cultural values: An item-
response theoretical approach applying Hofstede's cultural dimensions in a single
nation. Tourism Management. 48. pp.299-304.
Khlif, H., 2016. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in accounting research: a review. Meditari
Accountancy Research. 24(4). pp.545-573.
Minkov, M. and Hofstede, G., 2014. A replication of Hofstede’s uncertainty avoidance
dimension across nationally representative samples from Europe. International Journal of
Cross Cultural Management. 14(2). pp.161-171.
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