Communication Between Cultures

world and that everybody has a rightful place, which is clearly marked by countless

societal hierarchies, often based on factors such as family name, education, age, pro-

fession, or organizational position. Organizations in high power distance cultures com-

monly have a strong centralization of power, a recognition and use of rank and status,

and adherence to established lines of authority.

Low Power Distance. Low power distance countries hold that inequality in society should

be minimized. Cultures considered to be low power distance are characterized by

numerous laws, regulations, and rules that tend to minimize power differentials between

people. Subordinates and superiors consider and treat each other as equals, and the use

of titles is deemphasized. People in power, be they supervisors, managers, or government

officials, often interact with their constituents and try to look less powerful than they

really are. For example, high-level executives may remove their ties and/or suit coats

when interacting with subordinates in an effort to signal equality.

We can observe signs of this dimension innearly every communication setting,

such as the educational context. In high power distance societies, education is

teacher centered. The teacher initiates all communication, outlines the path of

learning students should follow, and is never publicly criticized or contradicted. In

high power distance societies, the emphasis is on the personal“wisdom”of the

instructor, whereas in low power distance societies, the focus is on discerning the

impersonal“truth,”which can be obtained by any competent person.^67 Power dis-

tance also plays out in corporate decisionmaking. In a low power distance culture,

consensus decision making is usually thenorm, with managers consulting subordi-

nates and proposals for new initiatives being thoroughly discussed and debated by

everyone concerned, regardless of position. In contrast, decision making in a high

power distance organization is usually much more authoritarian, the preserve of

only a few top-level individuals.

Cultural values can exert a particularly strong hold on peoples’behaviors, some-

times with tragic consequences. The death of so many high school students in the

April 2014 sinking of the South Korean ferry may be partially attributed to the influ-

ence of high power distance. Instructed by the crew to remain inside the ship,“many

of the children did not leave their cabins, not questioning their elders, as is customary

in hierarchical Korean society. They paid for their obedience with their lives.”^68

Masculinity/Femininity

Hofstede uses the words“masculinity”and“femininity”to refer to the degree to

which masculine or feminine traits are valued and revealed. His rationale, one that

is supported across several academic disciplines, is that many masculine and feminine

behaviors are learned and mediated by cultural norms and traditions. Adler and

Gunderson feel that the terms“masculinity”and“femininity”do not adequately con-

vey the full meaning behind this dimension and choose to use the terms“career suc-

cess”and“quality of life.”^69 For our discussion here, and throughout the book, we will

adhere to Hofstede’s terminology.

Masculinity. Masculinity is the extent to which the dominant values in a society are

male oriented. In a masculine-oriented culture,“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

228 CHAPTER 6•Cultural Values: Road Maps for Behavior

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