Cultural Reference Sheet

How to read this Cultural Reference Sheet

HI: Hierarchy

Level of acceptance of people, who have no power, of the unequal spread of power in their society.

HI –	HI +
independence	dependence
a good reason for hierarchy	hierarchy is just there
what goes for you goes for me	special treatment
open door policy	gatekeepers

WI : We versus I

I+ : My loyalty lies with me first. Nuclear families.

I- : My loyalty lies with my group first. Extended families.

We (I-)	I (I+)
we versus them	me, myself & I
group opinion important	own opinion important
indirect communication	direct communication
loss of ‘face’, shame	loss of self-respect, guilt
relationship over task	task over relationship

PG : Process versus Goals

PG+ : Goals; Winning & decisiveness are important in society.

PG- : Process; Process & consensus are important in society.

Process (PG -)	Goals (PG -)
sticking your head out is not appreciated (socially, nor materially)	winning is good and one gets rewarded
equal	standing
consensus	competition
sympathy for the loser	admiration for the winner

AA: Anxiety Avoidance

How cultures adapt to changes and cope with uncertainty. Emphasis on the extent to which a culture feels threatened by or is anxious about ambiguity.

Low avoidance (AA-)	High avoidance (AA+)
few rules, little structure	structure, rules, expertise
entrepreneurial	security (avoiding the unfamiliar)
stress-free	hectic
cool, calm & collected	emotions/passion

Country Overview

Legend:

H+ = a very high score
H = a medium-high score
M = a medium score
L = a medium-low score
L+ = a very low score

Country	HI	WI	PG	AA
Albanië	H+	L	H	H
Angola	H	L	M	H
Arab Emirates	H+	L	M	H+
Argentina	M	M	M	H+
Australia	L	H+	H	M
Austria	L	M	H	H
Bangladesh	H+	L	M	H
Belgium	H	H	M	H+
Brazil	H	L	M	H
Bulgaria	H	L	M	H+
Bhutan	H+	M	L	L
Burkina Faso	H	L	M	M
Canada	L	H+	M	M
Cape Verde	H	L	M	H
Caucasus	H	L	M	H
Chile	H	L	L	H
China	H+	L	H	L
Colombia	H	L	H	H
Costa Rica	M	L	L	H+
Croatia	H	L	M	H
Czech Republic	M	M	M	H
Denmark	L	H	L+	L
Dominican Republic	H	L	H	M
East Africa	H	L	H	M
Ecuador	H	L+	H	H
Egypt	H	L	M	H
El Salvador	H	L	M	H+
Estonia	M	H	L	H
Ethiopia	H	L	H	M
Fiji	H	L	M	M
Finland	M	H	L	M
France	H	H	M	H+
Germany	M	H	H	H
Ghana	H	L	M	H
Greece	H	L	M	H+
Guatemala	H+	L+	L	H+
Honduras	H	L	M	M
Hong Kong	H	L	H	L
Hungary	M	H	H	H
Iceland	L	H	L+	M
India	H	M	H	M
Indonesia	H	L+	M	M
Iran	M	M	M	H
Iraq	H+	L	L	H+
Ireland	L	H	H	L
Israel	L	M	M	H
Italy	M	H	H	H
Jamaica	M	M	H	L+
Japan	M	M	H+	H+
Jordan	H	L	M	H
Kenya	H	L	H	M
Kuwait	H+	L	M	H
Lebanon	H	M	H	M
Luxembourg	M	H	M	H
Malawi	H	L	M	M
Malaysia	H+	L	M	L
Malta	M	M	M	H+
Mexico	H	L	H	H+
Morocco	H	M	M	H
Namibia	H	L	M	M
Nepal	H	L	L	M
Netherlands	L	H+	L+	M
New Zealand	L	H	M	M
Nigeria	H+	L	H	M
Norway	L	H	L+	M
Pakistan	H	L	M	H
Panama	H+	L	M	H+
Peru	H	L	M	H+
Philippines	H+	L	H	M
Poland	H	H	H	H+
Portugal	H	L	M	H+
Romania	H+	L	M	H+
Russia	H+	L	M	H+
Saudi Arabia	H+	L	H	H
Senegal	H	L	M	H
Serbia	H+	L	M	H+
Sierra Leone	H	L	M	M
Singapore	H	L	M	L+
Slovakia	H	M	H	M
Slovenia	H	L	L	H+
South Africa	M	H	H	M
South Korea	H	L	L	H+
Spain	M	M	M	H+
Sri Lanka	H	L	L	M
Surinam	H+	M	L	H+
Sweden	L	H	L+	L
Switzerland	L	H	H	M
Syria	H	L	M	H
Taiwan	H	L	M	H
Tanzania	H	L	M	M
Thailand	H	L	M	H
Trinidad	M	L	M	M
Turkey	H	L	M	H+
United Kingdom	L	H+	H	L
United States	L	H+	H	M
Uruguay	H	L	L	H+
Venezuela	H+	L	H	H
Vietnam	H	L	M	L
West Africa	H	L	M	M

Legend:

H+ = a very high score
H = a medium-high score
M = a medium score
L = a medium-low score
L+ = a very low score

This Cultural Reference Sheet gives you a practical and applicable overview of the majority of the countries in the world, and their estimated scores partly inspired by the cultural dimension of Professor Geert Hofstede.

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