[Blog Project Assignment 2] Analysis of Hofstede’s variable

 

Based on Hofstede's cultural dimension theory, we compared how countries belonging to Eastern and Western cultures differ. First of all, China and Korea, which are Asian cultural countries, and Britain and the U.S., which are Western cultural countries, were selected as comparison targets. I arbitrarily chose Britain as the representative countries of the European Union, the United States as the Americas, and China and Korea as the representative countries of Asia. These countries do not necessarily represent all countries in the region. But I think I have enough public confidence in the results.

First of all, let's look at 'the distance of power'. 'Power Distance' refers to the emotional distance that subordinates in an organization isolate from their boss. Usually, questions such as "1. Are subordinates afraid to speak out to their bosses?" "2. What is the actual decision-making style of the boss that the subordinates see?" and "3. What is the boss's preferred decision-making style?" were suggested to investigate this.

In the case of Britain and the United States (less than half the figure) with a small range of power, the degree to which subordinates depend on their bosses is weak and they prefer interdependence between bosses and subordinates. On the other hand, the psychological distance between subordinates and bosses is large in Korea and China, which have a large gap in power. So it is rare for subordinates to approach their bosses in person and express their opposition. 

Next is 'personalism.' Individualism is a value concept, and it has two meanings. It means human dignity and self-determination. There is a value that an individual's existence is of valuable value in itself, and that it is desirable for an individual to think and make a decision on his or her own without relying on his or her surroundings.

The survey results interpreted it as a sign of self-determination and showed a stark difference between Eastern and Western countries. China and South Korea accounted for only about 20 percent, but Britain and the United States accounted for about 90 percent. This is because individualism has developed in the West, while collectivism has developed in the East. Individualism values individual freedom and rights, citing "I," while collectivism puts "we" ahead and places high value on harmony and harmony of groups. This also creates differences in ideas related to Corona19, with individualistic views opposing the disclosure of the confirmed patient's movements on the grounds that they infringe on individual freedom and rights, but collectivist positions argue that the disclosure of the confirmed person's movements should be made within a certain line for the safety and rights of "we" all.

The following are the results for masculinity. While China, Britain and the United States are similar, South Korea recorded slightly lower results. Masculinity  is a term that indicates the nature of a man's social and cultural acquisition. Masculinity is not linked to sexual identity. Exist in various forms according to the state, society, religion, social class, culture, etc., it is a pluralistic and fluid concept that is socially and culturally different and historically changing. As a result, masculinity in Korea and masculinity in the other three countries can be interpreted as having different sociocultural consequences.

The fourth is uncertainty. Increased autonomy increases uncertainty, and uncertainty breeds anxiety. In countries where uncertainty avoidance tends to be weak, the level of anxiety is relatively low. It is taken for granted to refrain from expressing aggression and emotion, and those who act emotionally or loudly are not socially recognized. The death rate of heart disease is high in these countries because stress must be internalized.

In a country with a strong tendency to avoid uncertainty, each person you meet is busy, restless, emotional, aggressive and active. In these countries, people felt less happy on average, which can be seen as a different way of expressing the inherent anxiety factor in the avoidance of uncertainty.

In the case of uncertainty, it could be seen that Korea recorded 85 percent, and that it was quite different from the other three. Korean people are known to be impatient, and they are actually busy, diligent, and active. However, the results of Korea's happiness index are low, so people on average feel less on average. The factor could be the increase in stress caused by a fiercely competitive society.

The fifth is long-term orientation. Long-term orientation is an attribute of national culture that emphasizes the future and values saving, frugality and patience. The results show that Eastern countries are much longer-term oriented than Western countries. In other words, there is a system in Korea that prepares for corruption in the future through installment savings and insurance.

Finally, let's look at tolerance. Unlike before, Western countries showed high results. In the case of Western countries that value individual freedom and rights, they actually have free ideas, unlike Asian cultures that value Confucian ideas. Unlike Chinese and Korean Confucian ideas, Britain and the United States also seek individual happiness and freedom more and more. 

So I analyzed the result. It was interesting that there were distinct differences among most countries. While this analysis should not generalize other countries, it may be used as a reference.