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Hofstrede’s dimension of culture & leadership

by BryanDecember 18, 20142 min read

Five dimensions of culture (Hofstede):

  1. Power distance – the degree and range of the distribution of power among societal groups
  2. Uncertainty avoidance – level of comfort with unstructured, uncontrollable situations
  3. Individualism / collectivism – degree to which individuals care for themselves versus being cared for in a group (family)
  4. Masculinity / femininity – the distribution of emotional roles between genders
  5. Long-term / short-term – degree to which members of societies are willing to delay gratification of needs

Individualism and collectivism are two poles of one dimensions of Hofstrede’s understanding of cultural differences. Individualism reflects the degree to which individuals care for themselves versus being cared for in a group. Interestingly, high-individualism cultures appear to be clustered in the northern and western hemispheres, although not exclusively, and low-individualism (high collectivistic) cultures appear to be clustered in the eastern and southern hemispheres. This particular cultural dimension presents numerous challenges to leadership in multinational organizations where different sites are often located in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Research such as the GLOBE study have suggested there are some universal leadership traits across cultures, such as inspiration, visioning, team building and integrity. On the other hand, Boisot’s understanding of strategic thinking as the process in which information is gathered, structured, processed, and shared is determined significantly by the density, or degree, of interaction between the agents in the group. Highly collectivist cultures are more socially dense and thus involve more complex ways of processing data, i.e., dynamics such as collaboration, sharing, dialogue, indirect reflection, consideration for feelings, position, or tenure play a greater role in collectivist cultures when it comes to leadership activity.

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