Hofstede's Cultural Dimension (Singapore)

University of Information Technology &Sciences (UITS) Assignment on: Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Course code: MGT 315 Course title: Organizational Behavior Submitted to: Shumi Sarkar Lecturer, School of Business Submitted by: Ozair Alam Id No: 13510266 Date: 31.03.16 1 and prestige. Power Distance This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. older brother-younger brother. Children should learn to restrain themselves. Malay around 15% and expatriates around 2%). Individualism The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. These relationships are based on mutual and complementary obligations. This means that the “We” is important. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and thIeir direct family only. With a Confucian background (the Chinese) they normally have a syncretic approach to religion. self-respect. clans or organisations) who look after each other in exchange for loyalty. Control is expected and attitude towards managers is formal. people belong to in-groups (families. Employees expect to be told what to do. Paying respect to someone is called giving face. 2 . he or she is a member of a family. Here we can see the high PDI as a consequence.Singapore If we explore Singaporean culture through the lens (Singapore is a multi-ethnic society with Chinese around 77%. rather. which is based on unequal relationships between people. which is also the dominant approach in Singapore. and senior friend-junior friend. We can see the high PDI also in the government’s defined five “shared values”: 1) Nation before community and society above self. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. Singapore. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. husband-wife. A person is not primarily an individual. Singapore scores high on this dimension (score of 74). In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty. to overcome their individuality so as to maintain the harmony in the family. Confucius distinguished five basic relationships: ruler-subject. Harmony is found when everybody saves face in the sense of dignity. Communication is indirect and the information flow is selective. Power is centralized and managers rely on their bosses and on rules. Social relations should be conducted in such a way that everybody's face is saved. father-son. with a score of 20 is a collectivistic society. Indian around 6%. we can get a good overview of the deep driving factors of Singaporean culture relative to other world cultures. Here we can also see the second key principle of the Confucian teaching: The family is the prototype of all social organizations. One of the key principles of Confucian teaching is the stability of society. Masculinity A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition. for example. Singaporeans call their society a “Fine country. You’ll get a fine for everything”. A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. During discussions being cautious is important. on the other hand. Being modest and humble is seen as very important. This means that the softer aspects of culture such as leveling with others. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. Uncertainty Avoidance The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. prefer to maintain time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion.Communication is indirect and the harmony of the group has to be maintained. achievement and success. and societies prioritise these two existential goals differently. which score low on this dimension. Singapore scores 48 and is in the “middle” of the scale but more on the Feminine side. The relationship has a moral basis and this always has priority over task fulfilment. We can also see the feminism in the governments defined five “shared values” again: 3) Community support and respect for the individual. The face of others has to be respected and especially as a manager calmness and respectability is very important. not to being too persistent. politeness takes precedence over honest feedback. Normative societies. Long Term Orientation This dimension describes howevery society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future. with success being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational life. Singapore scores 8 on this dimension and thus scores very low on this dimension. thus showing that one knows it all and therefore has come to educate the counterparts is not liked. Those with a culture which scores high. wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine). In Singapore people abide to many rules not because they have need for structure but because of high PDI. A “yes” doesn’t necessarily mean “yes”. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people. consensus. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance. take a more 3 . sympathy for the underdog are valued and encouraged. Conflicts are avoided in private and work life and consensus at the end is important. open conflicts are avoided. ordering relationship by status and having a sense of shame (see also again the Confucian teaching). Is it not possible to determine a preference on this dimension because of Singapore's intermediate score of 46. Indulgence One challenge that confronts humanity. B must be wrong. sustained efforts. Without socialization we do not become “human”. 4 . this high score is refelcted in Singapore which shows cultural qualities supporting long-term investment such as perseverance. now and in the past. Singapore scores 72. Relatively weak control is called “Indulgence” and relatively strong control is called “Restraint”. Westerners believe that if A is right. This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses. therefore. They are always keeping their options open as there are many ways to skin a cat. is the degree to which small children are socialized. being sparse with resources. Singapore has also become one of the five dragons with an immense economic success. thrift. This mindset allows for a more pragmatic approach to business. the Singaporeans are emphasizing virtue and the way you do things.pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future. Whereas westerners have been looking for the truth. whereas people from East and Southeast Asian countries see that both A and B combined produce something superior. slow results. Cultures can. based on the way they were raised. be described as Indulgent or Restrained.