The Advantages And Pros And Cons Of Hofstede's Model

1) What are the cultural dimensions Hofstede proposes? Please include a definition of each and how is each one rated?

The Cultural dimensions Hofstede proposes are four dimensions that represent elements of common structure in the cultural systems of the countries. They are based on four very fundamental issues in human societies to which every society should find its answers. The position of a country on each of the four dimensions could be indicated by a score. Each dimension’s score is on a scale of zero to hundred, and the range of scores represented the range of different answers to the four issues.
The power distance dimension is defined as “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect

Some of the pros are that Hofstede provided a definition of culture and how culture can be measured. His research showed that cultural differences matter. Also, Hofstede's model provides managers of cross-cultural relations a tool to help them understand differences in value sets and behavior. Hofstede's model helped people in day to day life by making them understand about different culture. Another pro is Hofstede model negates that one set of principles is universally applicable by confirming that there are multiple ways of structuring organizations and institutions.
Some of the cons are that then Hofstede's first results were criticized by many scholars. Also, culture is a far too complex and multifaceted to be used as a straightforward organizational change control. Another con is that some people say it is out dated while other says four dimensions did not give sufficient information.

3) Please describe the United States, Mexico, and a country of your choosing using Hofstede’s

Yes, Japanese are always conscious of their hierarchical position in any social setting. However, it is not as hierarchical as most of the other Asian cultures. in Japanese society there is no one top guy who can take decision like in more hierarchical societies. Japan scores 46 on the Individualism dimension. Certainly Japanese society shows many of the characteristics of a collectivistic society: such as putting harmony of group above the expression of individual opinions and people have a strong sense of shame for losing face. However, it is not as collectivistic as most Asian neighbors. The most popular explanation for this is that Japanese society does not have extended family system which forms a base of more collectivistic societies such as China and Korea. At 95, Japan is one of the most Masculine societies in the world. However, in combination with their mild collectivism, you do not see assertive and competitive individual behaviors which we often associate with Masculine culture. What you see is a severe competition between groups. From very young age children learn to compete on sports day for their groups traditionally red team against white team. What you also see as an expression of Masculinity in Japan is the drive for excellence and perfection in every aspect of life. It is still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with their Masculine norm. At 92 Japan is one