Unit 6 Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) and Masculinity versus Femininity.

Part I Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)

The lecture is devoted to such dimensions of Hofstede’s five-dimensional (5D) model of

differences among national cultures as: Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) and Masculinity versus
Femininity.
Tell me please, what other dimensions of Hofstede’s 5D model are you familiar with?
(You have already been familiar with Power Distance and Individualism versus
Collectivism).
Lecture's plan for Part I
1. The term Uncertainty Avoidance (UA).
2. Uncertainty Avoidance, Risk avoidance, Anxiety and Fear.
3. Weak and Strong Uncertainty Avoidance Cultures in different communication
settings.
4. Uncertainty avoidance Index and its importance for various countries.
Uncertainty Avoidance and Ukraine.
Let’s start with UA. In the book “Culture and Organization. Software of mind” by
Geert Hofstede and Michael Minkov in Unit 6 “ What is different is dangerous” there is a
very interesting example which show the largest difference between the two countries called
uncertainty avoidance.
“ In the 1960s Arndt Sorge did his military service in the West German army. Near his hometown,
where he spent his free weekends, there were barracks of the British “Army on the Rhine.” Sorge
was keen on watching British motion pictures with the original sound track, which were shown in
the British barracks, and he walked up to the sentry to ask whether he, as a German soldier, could
attend. The sentry referred him to the sergeant of the guard, who called the second in command on
the telephone and then tore a page out of a notebook, on which he wrote, “Mr Arndt Sorge has
permission to attend fi lm shows,” and signed it, adding that permission was granted by the second
in command. Sorge used his privilege not only on that occasion but also several other times, and the
notebook page always opened the gate for him, in conjunction with his German army identity card.
After he was demobilized, he asked the British sentry whether he, now as a civilian, could continue
to come. The sentry looked at the notebook page, said, “This is for you personally,” and let him in.”
Arndt Sorge became an organization sociologist, and he remembers this experience as an
example of how differently the British seemed to handle such an unplanned request in comparison
with what he was accustomed to in the German army. The Germans would have taken more time
and would have needed the permission of more authorities; they would have asked for more
information about the applicant and issued a more formal document. Finally, the document would
have been issued to him as a member of the armed forces, and there would have been no possibility
of his using it after his demobilization. “
Germany and Britain have a lot in common. Both are Western European countries, both speak a
Germanic language, their populations are of roughly equal size, and the British royal family is of
German descent. Yet it does not take a very experienced traveler to notice the considerable cultural
difference between the two countries. Sorge’s surprise at the easygoing approach of the British
sentry suggests that the two countries differ in their tolerance of the ambiguous and the
unpredictable.
The term Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)
The term uncertainty avoidance has been borrowed from American organization
sociology, in particular from the work of James G. March “A Behavioural Theory of the
Firm” (1963). The first key concept from “A Behavioural Theory of the Firm” on which
internationalization process theory builds is the notion of uncertainty avoidance.
I would like to give you some definitions of UA taken from different sources.

1. "Uncertainty Avoidance, is "a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity". It

reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by
minimizing uncertainty. The uncertainty avoidance dimension expresses the degree to
which a person in a society feels uncomfortable with a sense of uncertainty and ambiguity.
The fundamental issue here is how 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?"
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_avoidance]

2. “Uncertainty avoidance is the degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by

situations that are unknown to them” [Ann C. Wintergerst, Joe McVeigh “Culture. Practical
Approaches to Intercultural Communication”. Pearson Education, Inc. 2011].

3. “Uncertainty Avoidance: the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened.
by ambiguous or unknown situations. One of the dimensions of national cultures (from
weak to strong). This feeling is, among other manifestations, expressed through nervous
stress and in a need for predictability: a need for written and unwritten rules.”
“Ways of handling uncertainty, of course, are part and parcel of any human institution in
any country. All human beings have to face the fact that we do not know what will happen
tomorrow: the future is uncertain, but we have to live with it anyway. Extreme ambiguity
creates intolerable anxiety. Every human society has developed ways to alleviate this
anxiety.” [Geert Hofstede, G. Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov “Culture and Organizations.
Software of the Mind” The McGraw-Hill 2010, p.189].
Uncertainty Avoidance, Risk avoidance, Anxiety and Fear
Anxiety is a term taken from psychology and psychiatry that expresses a diffuse “state
of being uneasy or worried about what may happen.” It should not be confused with fear,
which has an object, a feeling you get when you are afraid or worried that something bad is
going to happen. We are afraid of something, but anxiety has no object.
Uncertainty avoidance should not be confused with risk avoidance. Uncertainty is to
risk as anxiety is to fear. Fear and risk are both focused on something specific: an object in
the case of fear, and an event in the case of risk. Risk is often expressed as a percentage of
probability that a particular event will happen. Anxiety and uncertainty are both diffuse
feelings. Anxiety, it was argued earlier, has no object. Uncertainty has no probability
attached to it. It is a situation in which anything can happen and we have no idea what.
“ For example, imagine you’re walking down a dark street. You may feel a little uneasy
and perhaps you have a few butterflies in your stomach. These sensations are caused by
anxiety that is related to the possibility that a stranger may jump out from behind a bush, or
approach you in some other way, and harm you. This anxiety is not the result of a known or
specific threat. Rather it comes from your mind’s vision of the possible dangers that may
result in the situation.
Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. Using the scenario above,
let’s say you’re walking down a dark street and someone points a gun at you and says, “This
is a stick up.” This would likely elicit a response of fear."
[http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/understandingpanic/a/fearandanxiety.htm]
Weak and Strong Uncertainty Avoidance Cultures
According to the ways of handling uncertainty Hofstede divided the cultures (countries)
into two types: weak or low uncertainty avoidance (UA) cultures and strong or high
uncertainty avoidance (UA) cultures.
Ann C. Wintergerst and Joe McVeigh speak about truth value as “a dimension of culture
that ranges from strong uncertainty avoidance (UA) to weak uncertainty avoidance (UA)”
[''Culture. Practical Approaches to Intercultural Communication”. Pearson Education, Inc.
2011].
Cultures with a high (strong) level of uncertainty avoidance are less comfortable with
uncertainty and try through rules, regulations, laws, controls, and behavioral norms to
reduce or manage uncertainty and ambiguity. It is worth noting that high UA cultures
attempt to manage unstructured, ambiguous situations not only through formal, explicit
rules and laws, but also through informal, implicit rules. On the contrary, low
(weak)uncertainty avoidance cultures are comfortable with uncertainty, and are relaxed in
the face of ambiguity or unstructured situations. These cultures do not rely as heavily on
rule-oriented mechanisms for uncertainty mitigation, are typically more tolerant of risk
taking, and are more open to change.
We may define the key differences between weak and strong uncertainty avoidance
societies in different communication settings: family – education/school – workplace –
state structure – ideas/philosophy

UNCERTAINTY
Key differences between weak and strong uncertainty avoidance societies.
I: general norm, family, school, workplace, shopping
Weak uncertainty avoidance Strong uncertainty avoidance
1. Uncertainty is a normal feature of life and 1. The uncertainty inherent In life as a
each day is accepted as it comes continuous threat which must be fought
2. Low stress; subjective feeling of wellbeing 2. High stress; subjective feeling of anxiety
3. Aggression and emotions should not 3. Aggression and emotions may at proper
times be shown and places be ventilated
4. Comfortable in ambiguous situations and 4. Acceptance of familiar risks; fear of
with unfamiliar risks ambiguous situations and of unfamiliar risks
5. Lenient rules for children on what is dirty 5.Tight rules for children on what is dirty
and taboos and taboo
6. What is different, is curious 6. What is different, is dangerous
7. Students comfortable with opened learning 7. Students comfortable in structured learning
situations and concerned with good discussions situations and concerned with the right
answers
8. Teachers may say 'I don't know' 8. Teachers supposed to have all the answers
9. There should not be more rules than is 9. Emotional need for rules, even if these
is strictly necessary will never work
10. Time is a framework for orientation 10. Time is money
11. Comfortable feeling when lazy; 11. Emotional need to be busy; inner urge to
work hardworking only when needed hard
12. Precision and punctuality have to be learned 12. Precision and punctuality come naturally
13. Tolerance of deviant and innovative ideas 13.Suppression of deviant ideas and behavior;
and behavior resistance to innovation
14. Motivation by achievement and esteem or 14. Motivation by security and esteem or
belongingness belongingness
15. In shopping, the search is for convenience 15. In shopping, the search is for purity
and cleanliness
16. Used cars, do-it-yourself home repairs 16. New cars, home repairs by experts
UNCERTAINTY
Key differences between weak and strong uncertainty avoidance societies.
II: politics and ideas
Weak uncertainty avoidance Strong uncertainty avoidance
1. Few and general laws and rules 1. Many and precise laws and rules
2. If rules cannot be respected, 2. If rules cannot be respected, we are sinners
they should be changed and should repent
3. Citizen competence versus authorities 3. Citizen incompetence versus authorities
4. Citizen protest acceptable 4. Citizen protest should be repressed
5. Citizens positive towards institutions 5. Citizens negative towards institutions
6. Civil servants positive towards political process 6. Civil servants negative towards political process
7. Tolerance, moderation 7. Conservatism, extremism, law and order
8. Positive attitudes towards young people 8. Negative attitudes towards young people
9. Regionalism, internationalism, attempts 9. Nationalism, xenophobia, repression of
at integration of minorities minorities
10. Belief in generalists* and common sense 10. Belief in experts and specialization
11. Many nurses, few doctors 11. Many doctors, few nurses
12. One group's truth should not be imposed 12. There is only one Truth and we have it
on others
13. Human rights: nobody should be persecuted 13. Religious, political, and ideological fundamentalism
for their beliefs and intolerance
14. In philosophy and science, tendency towards 14. In philosophy and science, tendency towards
relativism** and empiricism*** grand theories
15. Scientific opponents can be personal friends 15. Scientific opponents cannot be personal friends
* persons competent in several different fields or activities.
**Relativism is the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value
according to differences in perception and consideration.
***Empiricism is a philosophical perspective based on experience and observation.

Uncertainty avoidance Index and its importance for various countries.

Uncertainty Avoidance and Ukraine
Professor Geert Hofstede’s Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) is a well-known
measure for prototypical estimation of cultural behavior. The index was developed as a
result of research Hofstede conducted using data provided by IBM from 70 countries
through the late-1960s and early-1970s. The results of his research, including the concepts
of Power Distance, Individualism vs Collectivism, Masculinity vs Femininity, as well as
Uncertainty Avoidance, have been widely cited in cultural, management, and organizational
development literature.
This index measures levels of uncertainty avoidance so that countries could be compared
to one another. A low score on the uncertainty avoidance index indicates that the people in
the country are more comfortable with ambiguity, more entrepreneurial, more likely to take
risks, and less dependent on structure rules. Countries with high uncertainty avoidance
scores desire more stability, more structured rules and social norms, and are less
comfortable taking risks. (See Addition I-III). Examples of low scoring countries: USA,
UK, India, China, Indonesia, Singapore. Examples of high scoring countries: Greece,
Belgium, Russia, Italy, Korea, Mexico
What about Ukraine? (Students may be asked to make their own research. See activity
Exercise 3 'Learning station')
By parameters defined by G. Hofstede, Ukraine is among the countries of masculine
culture with high uncertainty avoidance and large power distance. [http://geert-
hofstede.com/ukraine.html]. Scoring 95 from a maximum of 112 Ukrainians feel very much
threatened by ambiguous situations. They are less tolerant of change and seek to avoid the
anxiety that brings suspense, by establishing strict rules. As long as Ukrainians interact with
people considered to be strangers they appear very formal and distant. At the same time
formality is used as a sign of respect.

Part II Masculinity versus Femininity.

Lecture's plan for Part II
1. Masculinity versus femininity as a social difference; male and female sex
as a biological difference.
2. Feminine and Masculine societies\ cultures in different communication settings.
3. Masculinity versus Femininity Index (MAS) and its importance for various
countries. Masculinity versus Femininity and Ukraine.
4. Conclusion.

In the book “Culture and Organization. Software of mind” by Geert Hofstede and
Michael Minkov in Unit 5 “ He, She, and (S)he” there is a very interesting example which
show the difference between the two countries called masculinity versus femininity.
"As a young Dutch engineer, Geert once applied for a junior management job with an American
engineering company that had recently settled in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. He
felt well qualified, with a degree from the leading technical university of the country, good grades, a
record of active participation in student associations, and three years’ experience as an engineer
with a well known (although somewhat sleepy) Dutch company. He had written a short letter to the
company indicating his interest and providing some salient personal data. He was invited for an
interview, and after a long train ride he sat facing the American plant manager. Geert behaved
politely and modestly, as he knew an applicant should, and waited for the other man to ask the usual
questions that would enable him to find out how qualified Geert was. To his surprise, the plant
manager touched on very few of the areas that Geert thought should be discussed. Instead, he asked
about some highly detailed facts pertaining to Geert’s experience in tool design, using English
words that Geert did not know, and the relevance of the questioning escaped him. Those were things
he could learn within a week once he worked there. After half an hour of painful misunderstandings,
the interviewer said, “Sorry—we need a first-class man.” And Geert was out on the street.
Years later Geert was the interviewer, and he met with both Dutch and American applicants.
Then he understood what had gone wrong in that earlier case. American applicants, to Dutch eyes,
oversell themselves. Their curricula vitae are worded in superlatives, mentioning every degree,
grade, award, and membership to demonstrate their outstanding qualities. During the interview they
try to behave assertively, promising things they are very unlikely to realize—such as learning the
local language in a few months. Dutch applicants, in American eyes, undersell themselves. They
write modest and usually short CVs, counting on the interviewer to find out how good they really
are by asking. They expect an interest in their social and extracurricular activities during their
studies. They are careful not to be seen as braggarts and not to make promises they are not
absolutely sure they can fulfill. American interviewers know how to interpret American CVs and
interviews, and they tend to discount the information provided. Dutch interviewers, accustomed to
Dutch applicants, tend to uprade the information. The scenario for cross-cultural misunderstanding
is clear. To an uninitiated American interviewer, an uninitiated Dutch applicant comes across as a
sucker. To an uninitiated Dutch interviewer, an uninitiated American applicant comes across as a
braggart."

Masculinity versus femininity as a social difference; male and female sex

as a biological difference.
All human societies consist of men and women, usually in approximately equal
numbers. They are biologically distinct, and their respective roles in biological procreation
(reproduction), are absolute. For the biological distinction, this chapter will use the terms
male and female; for the social, culturally determined roles, the terms are masculine and
feminine. The latter terms are relative, not absolute: a man can behave in a “feminine” way
and a woman in a “masculine” way; this means only that they deviate from certain
conventions in their society. From now on, this chapter will use the more politically correct
term gender roles. Gender roles are part and parcel of every society. Gender roles are a
fundamental part of identity. Pleck defines gender roles as “the psychological traits and the
social responsibilities that individuals have and feel are appropriate for them because they
are male or female” [Pleck, J (1977). The psychology of sex roles. Journal of
Communication, 26, 193-200.]
Masculinity versus its opposite, Femininity, again as a societal, not as an individual
characteristic, refers to the distribution of values between the genders which is another
fundamental issue for any society, to which a range of solutions can be found. The IBM
studies revealed that (a) women's values differ less among societies than men's values; (b)
men's values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and
competitive and maximally different from women's values on the one side, to modest and
caring and similar to women's values on the other. The assertive pole has been called
'masculine' and the modest, caring pole 'feminine'. The women in feminine countries have
the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat
assertive and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap
between men's values and women's values. In masculine cultures there is often a taboo
around this dimension (Hofstede et al., 1998).
1. "A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men
are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are
supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. A society is
called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to
be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life." [Geert Hofstede, G. Jan
Hofstede, Michael Minkov “Culture and Organizations. Software of the Mind” The
McGraw-Hill 2010, p.189].
2. “The dimension of culture – social gender role – includes the question of roles for
females and males. In traditional gender roles, men are expected to be forceful, tough, and
materialistic, whereas women are expected to be humble, sensitive, and worried about the
quality of daily life. When we look at this dimension, we are looking at the degree to which
a society reinforces the traditional male and female roles regarding achievement, control,
and power.” [Ann C. Wintergerst, Joe McVeigh “Culture. Practical Approaches to
Intercultural Communication”. Pearson Education, Inc. 2011].
 According to gender role Hofstede divided the cultures (countries/societies) into two
types: feminine and masculine cultures.
We may define the key differences between feminine and masculine societies in
different communication settings (family, school, workplace, politics and religion).

FEMINISM
Key differences between feminine and masculine societies.
I: general norm, family, school, and workplace

Feminine Masculine
1. Dominant values in society are caring for 1. Dominant values in society are material success
others and preservation and progress
2. People and warm relationships are important 2. Money and things are important
3. Everybody is supposed to be modest 3. Men are supposed to be assertive, ambitious,
and tough
4. Both men and women are allowed to be 4. Women are supposed to be tender and
tender and to be concerned with relationships care of relationships
5. In the family, both fathers and mothers deal 5. In the family, fathers deal with facts and
with facts and feelings mothers with feelings
6. Both boys and girls are allowed to cry but 6. Girls cry, boys don't; boys should fight back
neither should fight when attacked, girls shouldn't fight
7. Sympathy for the weak 7. Sympathy for the strong
8. Average student is the norm 8. Best student is the norm
9. Failing in school is a minor accident 9. Failing in school is a disaster
10. Friendliness in teachers appreciated 10 Brilliance in teachers appreciated
11. Boys and girls study same subjects 11. Boys and girls study different subjects
12. Work in order to live 12. Live in order to work
13. Managers use intuition and strive 13. Managers expected to be decisive and
for consensus assertive
14. Stress on equality, solidarity, and quality 14. Stress on equity, competition among
of work life colleagues and performance
15. Resolution of conflicts by compromise and 15. Resolution of conflicts by fighting them
negotiation out
FEMINISM
Key differences between feminine and masculine societies.
II: politics and ideas
Feminine Masculine
1. Welfare society ideal 1. Performance society ideal
2. The needy should be helped 2. The strong should be supported
3. Permissive society 3. Corrective society
4. Small and slow are beautiful 4. Big and fast are beautiful
5. Preservation of the environment should 5. Maintenance of economic growth should have
have highest priority have highest priority
6. Government spends relatively large proportion 6. Government spends relatively small
of budget on development assistance to poor proportion of budget on development
countries assistance to poor
7. Government spends relatively small 7. Government spends relatively large
proportion of budget on armaments proportion of budget on armaments
8. International conflicts should be resolved 8. International conflicts should be resolved
by negotiation and compromise by a show of strength or by fighting
9. A relatively large number of women in 9. A relatively small number of women in
elected political positions elected political positions
10. Dominant religions stress the 10. Dominant religions stress the male
complementarity of the sexes prerogative
11. Women's liberation means that men and 11. Women's liberation means that women
women should take equal shares both at home will be admitted to positions hitherto only
and at work occupied by men

Masculinity versus Femininity Index (MAS)and its importance for various countries.
Masculinity versus Femininity and Ukraine
In Hofstede et al. (2010) Masculinity versus Femininity Index (MAS) scores are
presented for 76 countries. A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the
society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined
by the winner / best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout
organizational behavior. A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant
values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where
quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The
fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or
liking what you do (Feminine). Masculinity is high in Japan, in German speaking countries,
and in some Latin countries like Italy and Mexico; it is moderately high in English speaking
Western countries; it is low in Nordic countries and in the Netherlands and moderately low
in some Latin and Asian countries like France, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Korea and Thailand.
(See Addition IV).
What about Ukraine? (Students may be asked to make their own research. See Exercise
3 activity 'learning station')
By parameters defined by G. Hofstede, Ukraine is among the countries of masculine
culture, scoring 25 from a maximum of 112 [http://geert-hofstede.com/ukraine.html].
Ukraine’s relatively low score of 25 may surprise with regard to its preference for status
symbols, but these are in Ukraine related to the high Power Distance. At second glance one
can see, that Ukrainians at workplace as well as when meeting a stranger rather understate
their personal achievements, contributions or capacities. They talk modestly about
themselves and scientists, researchers or doctors are most often expected to live on a very
modest standard of living. Dominant behavior might be accepted when it comes from the
boss, but is not appreciated among peers.

Conclusion
 In this unit we explored such dimensions of Hofstede’s five-dimensional (5D) model
of differences among national cultures as: Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) and Masculinity
versus Femininity. We appreciated the role these dimensions or values play in
communicating effectively with persons from other cultures. We realized the main reasons
of cross-cultural conflicts and we may predict our own and other people's behavior in case
of intercultural conflicts. We may appreciate attitude differences toward men and women in
different cultures and develop tolerant attitude toward representatives of other cultures and
organizations.
Task 1
Read the texts and complete the table below your articles. What do these scores
mean to each country?
Student A: Read the text A Student B: Read the text B
Student C: Read the text C
Country UAI score MAS score
1.
2.
3.

Text A

What about the UK? http://geert-hofstede.com/ukraine.html

If we explore the British culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good
overview of the deep drivers of British culture relative to other world cultures.
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. 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.
At 35 the UK has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance which means that as a nation
they are quite happy to wake up not knowing what the day brings and they are happy to
‘make it up as they go along’ changing plans as new information comes to light. As a low
UAI country the British are comfortable in ambiguous situations - the term ‘muddling
through’ is a very British way of expressing this. There are generally not too many rules
in British society, but those that are there are adhered to (the most famous of which of of
course the British love of queuing which has also to do with the values of fair play).
In work terms this results in planning that is not detail oriented – the end goal will be
clear (due to high MAS) but the detail of how we get there will be light and the actual
process fluid and flexible to emerging and changing environment. Planning horizons will
also be shorter. Most importantly the combination of a highly Individualist and curious
nation is a high level of creativity and strong need for innovation. What is different is
attractive! This emerges throughout the society in both its humour, heavy consumerism
for new and innovative products and the fast highly creative industries it thrives in –
advertising, marketing, financial engineering.
Masculinity
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by
competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in
field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational life. A
low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are
caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the
sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental
issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking
what you do (Feminine).
At 66, Britain is a Masculine society – highly success oriented and driven. A key point
of confusion for the foreigner lies in the apparent contradiction between the British
culture of modesty and understatement which is at odds with the underlying success
driven value system in the culture. Critical to understanding the British is being able to
‘’read between the lines’’ What is said is not always what is meant. In comparison to
Feminine cultures such as the Scandinavian countries, people in the UK live in order to
work and have a clear performance ambition.

Text B

What about the USA?

If we explore the US culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good
overview of the deep driving factors of American culture relative to other cultures in our
world. By supplying you with this information please realise that culture describes a
central tendency in society. Everybody is unique, yet social control ensures that most
people will not deviate too much from the norm. Moreover, within every country regional
cultural differences exist, also in the States. Americans, however, don’t need to go to a
cultural briefing before moving to another state successfully.
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. 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.
The US scores below average, with a low score of 46, on the Uncertainty Avoidance
dimension.As a consequence, the perceived context in which Americans find themselves
will impact their behaviour more than if the culture would have either scored higher or
lower. Thus, this cultural pattern reflects itself as follows:
2. There is a fair degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products and a
willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to technology,
business practices or food. Americans tend to be more tolerant of ideas or opinions
from anyone and allow the freedom of expression. At the same time, Americans do
not require a lot of rules and are less emotionally expressive than higher-scoring
cultures.
3. At the same time, 9/11 has created a lot of fear in the American society
culminating in the efforts of government to monitor everybody through the NSA
and other security organisations
Masculinity
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by
competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the “winner” or
“best-in-the-field”. This value system starts in childhood and continues throughout one’s
life – both in work and leisure pursuits. A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means
that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine
society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd
is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be
the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).
 The score of the US on Masculinity is high at 62, and this can be seen in the typical
American behavioral patterns. This can be explained by the the combination of a high
Masculinity drive together with the most Individualist drive in the world. In other words,
Americans, so to speak, all show their Masculine drive individually. The British,
however, have the same culture in this respect. The question, therefore, should be: is the
same drive not normally to be seen on the surface? This difference is a reflection of the
higher score of the US on Uncertainty Avoidance than of the UK. In other words, in both
societies we find the same drive, but Americans show it up-front whereas the British will
take you by surprise.
This American combination reflects itself in the following:
 Behavior in school, work, and play are based on the shared values that people
should “strive to be the best they can be” and that “the winner takes all”. As a
result, Americans will tend to display and talk freely about their “successes” and
achievements in life. Being successful per se is not the great motivator in
American society, but being able to show one’s success
 Many American assessment systems are based on precise target setting, by which
American employees can show how well a job they did.
 There exists a “can-do” mentality which creates a lot of dynamism in the society,
as it is believed that there is always the possibility to do things in a better way
 Typically, Americans “live to work” so that they can obtain monetary rewards and
as a consequence attain higher status based on how good one can be. Many white
collar workers will move to a more fancy neighborhood after each and every
substantial promotion.
 It is believed that a certain degree of conflict will bring out the best of people, as it
is the goal to be “the winner”. As a consequence, we see a lot of polarisation and
court cases. This mentality nowadays undermines the American premise of
“liberty and justice for all.” Rising inequality is endangering democracy, because a
widening gap among the classes may slowly push Power Distance up and
Individualism down.
http://geert-hofstede.com/ukraine.html

Text C

What about Ukraine?

If we explore the Ukrainian culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a
good overview of the deep drivers of Ukrainian culture relative to other world cultures.
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. 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.
Scoring 95 Ukrainians feel very much threatened by ambiguous situations.
Presentations are either not prepared, e.g. when negotiations are being started and the
focus is on the relationship building, or extremely detailed and well prepared. Also
detailed planning and briefing is very common. Ukrainians prefer to have context and
background information. As long as Ukrainians interact with people considered to be
strangers they appear very formal and distant. At the same time formality is used as a sign
of respect.
Masculinity
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven
by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner / best
in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organizational
behavior.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society
are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is
the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental
issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what
you do (Feminine).
Ukraine’s relatively low score of 25 may surprise with regard to its preference for
status symbols, but these are in Ukraine related to the high Power Distance. At second
glance one can see, that Ukrainians at workplace as well as when meeting a stranger
rather understate their personal achievements, contributions or capacities. They talk
modestly about themselves and scientists, researchers or doctors are most often expected
to live on a very modest standard of living. Dominant behavior might be accepted when it
comes from the boss, but is not appreciated among peers.
http://geert-hofstede.com/ukraine.html

Exercise 5 Read the fragment of a text about two approaches in resolving

international conflicts (the Åland crisis and of the Falkland crisis.)

The Åland islands are a small archipelago halfway between Sweden and Finland; as
part of Finland they belonged to the tsarist Russian Empire. When Finland declared itself
independent from Russia in 1917, the thirty thousand inhabitants of the islands in
majority wanted to join Sweden, which had ruled them before 1809. The Finns then
arrested the leaders of the pro-Swedish movement. After emotional negotiations in which
the newly created League of Nations participated, all parties in 1921 agreed with a
solution in which the islands remained Finnish but with a large amount of regional
autonomy. The Ålands have become a prosperous part of Finland, attracting many
Swedish tourists.
The Falkland Islands are also a small archipelago disputed by two nations: Great
Britain, which has occupied the islands since 1833, and nearby Argentina, which has
claimed rights on them since 1767 and tried to get the United Nations to support its
claim. The Falklands are about eight times as large as the Ålands but with less than one-
fifteenth of the Ålands’ population: about 1,800 poor sheep farmers. The Argentinean
military occupied the islands in April 1982, whereupon the British sent an expeditionary
force that chased the occupants, at the cost of (officially) 725 Argentinean and 225 British
lives and enormous financial expense. The economy of the islands, dependent on trade
relations with Argentina, was severely jeopardized. The Falklands remain a disputed
territory needing constant British subsidies and military presence.

Answer the following questions:

What explains the difference in approach and in results between these two remarkably
similar international disputes?
How are international conflicts resolved in famine and masculine societies? Give your
own examples.