TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions AY2013-14

│TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions│ Lecture 3:

Dimensions of Culture

Objectives Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to: • Understand the cultural dimensions: • power distance • individualism vs collectivism • masculinity vs femininity • uncertainty avoidance • Appreciate the effects of cultures on travel behaviour Introduction • A notion of the “Western” culture to generalise universal western culture is not correct. • The culture in different Western countries like Germany, France, Sweden or U.K. is not the same. • By the same token, speaking of an “Asian” or “Middle-Eastern” culture is not justified. • We need to have a deeper understanding on the range of culture-determined value systems that exist among countries, in order to have a better picture on how culture affects tourism. Gerard Hendrik Hofstede • Born 2 October 1928, Haarlem, the Netherlands • An influential Dutch writer on the interactions between national cultures and organisational cultures • Hofstede's study demonstrated that there are national and regional cultural groupings that affect the behaviour of societies and organisations, and that are very persistent across time Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory • He has found four dimensions of culture in his study of national work related values: •

Four dimensions: • Low vs. High Power Distance • Individualism vs. Collectivism • Masculinity vs. Femininity • Uncertainty Avoidance

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TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions AY2013-14

Power Distance • The degree to which the less powerful members of a society / an organization accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. (high vs. low) • Less powerful members – accept unequal power distribution • Learned early in families (obedience toward parents) • E.g. Power Distance in China, Nations’ ranking of Power Distance •

Characteristics of High Power Distance • Respect those in the higher hierarchical positions (rulers, managers, parents) or with higher status (monks in Burma and Thailand, professionals, celebrities, rich people)) • Power and influence are concentrated in the hands of a few population (leaders, upper class) • Reinforce differences between people – The role of Low vs High power distance

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Characteristics of Low Power Distance • People expect and accept more consultative or democratic relationship. • People relate to one another more as equal regardless of formal positions. • People at lower positions demand the right to contribute to and critique the decision making of those in power.

Attitudes towards power High Power Distance • •

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Low Power Distance •

Inequality as natural More authoritarian and paternalistic, therefore “do not question their superiors.” Stress coercive and referent power Limited interaction and communication

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Do not necessary accept superior’s orders unless they provide reasons Believe legitimate and expert power Look for more consultative or democratic relations Want to contribute

Individualism vs. Collectivism • It refers to the extent to which people are expected to stand up for themselves or act predominantly as a member of a group or an organisation. • Latin American cultures rank among the most collectivist. • Western countries like the USA, the UK and Australia are the most individualistic cultures. • The identity of me or we TOU-4001 Lecture 3

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TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions AY2013-14

• Nations’ ranking of Individualism vs. Collectivism

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Characteristics of Individualist • Define people by individual achievement • Relationship is more remote and distant • Individualist – direct communication style • Speaks out the wants and needs

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Characteristics of Collectivist • Emphasize on relationships with people • Stress interdependent activities and suppressing individual aims • Collectivist – indirect communication style – “maybe”, “sometimes” and “I would say so, but I I’m not sure” – Less or avoidance of eye contact, greater personal distance

Attitudes towards Individualist/ Collectivist Individualism

Collectivism

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Individual interest prevails over the interests of group

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Group interests prevails over the interests of individual

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Ties between individuals are loose Look after themselves and their immediate family “I” as their identity Goals are set with minimal consideration given to groups

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Ties among people are tight People integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups – unquestioning loyalty “We” as their identity Groups are taken into account in major goals setting

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Masculinity vs. Femininity • It refers to the distribution of emotional roles between the genders • Masculinity-predominated countries – Austria, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, and Venezuela • Femininity-predominated countries – Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden • U.S.A. falls in the middle • Nations’ ranking of Masculinity vs. Femininity

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TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions AY2013-14

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Characteristics of Masculinity

• Masculinity represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success. Society is more competitive and result-oriented. • Characteristics of Femininity • In opposite, femininity stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented and caring. Attitudes towards Masculinity/ Femininity Masculinity

Femininity

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Maximal distinction between women and men Stress assertiveness & competition

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Overlapping social roles Stress quality of life

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Value wealth & material success Little contact with opposite sex Same sex relationships are intimate

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Value interpersonal relationship Concern for the weak

Uncertainty Avoidance • The extent to which members of a society feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations, and whether they attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. • Cultures that scored high in uncertainty avoidance prefer rules and structured circumstances, strict codes of behaviour. • Mediterranean, Latin America and Japan rank the highest in this category (Nations’ ranking) •

Characteristics of low Uncertainty Avoidance • Maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour • Minimize the possibility of unusual situations by strict laws and rules to minimise risks and proceed with changes step by step.

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Characteristics of low Uncertainty Avoidance • Accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments • Try to minimise rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of change.

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TOU-4-001 Tourism Cultural Dimensions AY2013-14

Attitudes towards Uncertainty Avoidance Strong Uncertainty Avoidance • • • • • • •

Aggressive Emotional Compulsive Security seeking Intolerant “what is different, is dangerous” Develop rules & rituals to avoid ambiguity

TOU-4001 Lecture 3 © Vocational Training Council, Hong Kong

Weak in Uncertainty Avoidance • • • • • •

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Less aggressive Unemotional Relaxed Accepting personal risks Relatively tolerant “what is different, is curious”