The most important topics for this class are the
distance power (high and low PDI), and the uncertainty avoidance (high and low
UAI), because these two factors are determinant in the behavior or customs of a
culture. When talking about the power distance there is the existent of two
societies the ones identified with the high level and the ones with the low
one. The PDI consider that there is an
inequality between countries, however some countries can be more unequal than
other, and These differentiations are related to the occupations, education,
incomes and in some places the genders. These differentiations are related to the
occupations (economy and social classes), education, and incomes and in some
countries the genders. When talking about a low PDI country, the freedom has a
priority instead of equality (even so they are looking for the minimization of the
inequality), which can be explain by the leadership of young people, and their
need to be independent. There is not distinction of social and economic classes;
one example for this kind of culture is Switzerland, referring specially to the
German speakers with a percentage of 34, because they have the believe that
inequality among the people should be minimized, highlighting the existent of independence
and equal rights, so in a firma all the employees
expect to be consulted; and the attitude towards the managers is given in an informal
way, calling them for their first name. Finally, due to the decentralization of
the power, the control is disliked by the citizens. So it’s normal to say that
a teacher will gain the same amount of money than a constructor. For another part, there is the high PDI, where
there is not too much freedom, and the equality is controlled, so the low and
high social and economic classes are protected and differentiated. The leaders
are older, and the possibility of independence is limited. One example for this kind of culture is Japan
with a percentage of 54, because of their hierarchical position in the society,
in means of businesses, all the decisions taken must be
confirmed by each hierarchical layer and finally by the top management in
Tokyo, So the employees expect to be told, but without power of decision. Also the big distinction can be seen when referring
to a teacher or professor, the position and reputation of them goes above
everyone, being almost in the same level of the emperor.
In means of uncertainty avoidance, it is consider as
the uncertainty or ambiguously a society has about the future and how to
control it, or avoid in some way the bad situations that may come. This aspect
is highly correlated to PDI in some countries and also with age. As a very
explicit example of a low UAI, there is Singapore in which their UAI is
correlated to their PDI catalogued as 74%, Singaporeans
call their society a fine country, because as they say “You’ll get a fine for
everything”, so they have to abide to many rules, in order to avoid problems. Therefore there is no stress or anxiety,
because everything is already controlled, and with it their emotions, but
giving them a sensation of happiness and peace. In means of a high UAI, there
is the example or Greece with a percentage of 100, meaning that they are not
comfortable with unknown situations, generating a higher level of stress and anxiety,
making them feels in some way unhappy. The high UAI can be explain or
related in some way with the Greek myth about the “birth” or creation of the
world that says “at the very beginning there was only Chaos but then Cronos the
God of the time came, in order to organize the life and make it easier to
manage”. Laws and norms are determinant in order to have a clarify structure,
and therefore should not be broken. To conclude the correlation between the
level of DPI and UAI can give a wide and easiest explanation of the
organization and behavior of a country.
About the research question, I will like to go deeper into the finding realized by Hofstede and Michael Harris, known as Confucianism or Confucian dynamism, applied to 23 countries around the world, and which is seemly link with economic growth, and based on the teachings of Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher. The teachings are in first place that the stability of a society is based on the unequal relationships; in second place that the family is determined as the “prototype” of all social organizations; in the third place that a virtuous behavior toward others consists on the well-known expression “treat others as one would like to be treated oneself”. And the fourth and last one, that by acquiring skills and education, by working hard, by not spending more than necessary, and by being patient and persevering, is the way a person can achieve with virtue the daily tasks of the life.
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