Explorando as Dimensões Culturais de Hofstede

The Cultural Environment When we think about organizations we should consider how they navigate all of the diverse cultures around the world The cultural environment refers to the cultural differences between nations Research indicates that national culture has a greater effect on employees than their organizations culture National culture refers to the values and attitudes shared by individuals from a specific country that shape their behaviour and beliefs about what is important A professor at Maastricht University Geert Hofstede found that managers and employees vary on six value dimensions of national culture Select this link to watch a video which will explain Hofstedes cultural values Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Theory In this panel slider we will further explore all six of Hofstedes cultural dimensions Each dimension has two opposite ends of a spectrum and a specific culture may fall at either end It is important to recognize these differences in cultures when working in management Select the arrows to learn more about each dimension Power Distance Hofstede used the term power distance as a measure of the extent to which a society accepts the fact that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally A high power distance society accepts wide differences in power in an organization and employees here have a great deal of respect for those in authority A low power distance society downplays inequalities Superiors still have authority but employees are not afraid of or in awe of the boss Individualism Versus Collectivism This dimension focuses on the degree to which people in a country prefer to act as individuals rather than members of groups In individualistic societies people look after their own interests above those of others In collectivist societies people prefer to act as members of groups and rely on the group for protection and assistance Masculinity Versus Femininity This dimension focuses on the degree to which achievement versus nurturing is culturally valued Masculine cultures value achievement assertiveness and competitiveness Feminine cultures value nurturing relationships a concern for others and cooperation Uncertainty Avoidance This dimension focuses on the degree to which people tolerate risk and prefer structured over unstructured situations Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance feel threatened by uncertainty and experience high levels of anxiety and stress Cultures with low uncertainty avoidance are more comfortable with risks and tolerant of opinions that differ from their own Pragmatic Versus Normative This dimension measures how cultures deal with the fact that so much cannot be explained Normative cultures are concerned with establishing the absolute truth and exhibit respect for social convention and tradition Pragmatic cultures believe that the truth depends on the situation and the context Indulgence Versus Restraint This dimension measures the degree to which society has fun and enjoys life versus suppresses the gratification of personal desires Indulgent cultures value gratification and freedom of expression Restrained cultures are more comfortable suppressing their personal needs through tradition