Dimensions of Culture - Essay Example

The power distance dimension measures the inclination of the poor citizens of a country to accept power is distributed unequally. In countries that have a high power distance index, the people accept their status within the system even if they are at the bottom. Governments that are abusive take advantage of culture with high power distance to impose their regimen on the people. Arab countries have a much higher power distance score than western nations such as the United States. Individualism refers to the instinct of people looking out for their best interests instead of the group.

In individualistic societies, people are taught to look out for themselves and their families. The United States is a very individualistic society, while Japan believes in collectivism. The survival of the fittest mentality of Americans has instilled a belief in the people that anyone can raise themselves out of poverty through hard work. High educational levels are needed for people in individualistic societies to compete for good-paying jobs. The third cultural dimension is masculinity. “Masculinity versus its opposite, femininity refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found” (Clearlycultural).

The country with the highest masculinity index in the world is Japan. In Japan, the females do not have equal rights in the workplace. Most managers and supervisors in Japan are males. The United States has a lower masculinity rating than Japan, but the glass ceiling effect still exist and females are often passed by for promotions due to their gender. The fourth cultural dimension is uncertainty avoidance. Uncertainty avoidance deals with a country’s tolerance for ambiguity, unstructured situations, and unplanned events (Clearlycultural).

Societies that have a high uncertainty avoidance index such as Singapore are accepting of intrusion of privacy in exchange for a higher level of security. In the workplace, such workers are more receptive to guidelines and structure. The fifth cultural dimension is long term orientation. The country with the highest long term orientation in the world is the People’s Republic of China. The government of China seeks the long term benefit of the collective members of society. U.S citizens are more inclined towards the short term than the long term perspective.