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Essay / Comparison between the United Kingdom and China
Table of contentsPower distanceIndividualismMasculinityUncertainty avoidanceLong-term orientationWorks citedDifferent countries around the world have diverse cultural practices, which has an effect on work relationships and development. Geert Hofstede proposed a structured way to compare the cultural dimensions of different countries. The theory explains the impacts of a community's culture on the values of community members and how these values relate to their behaviors. It gives scores to help distinguish people from different nations using the following dimensions: long-term orientation, individualism, power distance, indulgence, avoidance of necessity, and masculinity. Let's look at the comparisons between two countries: the UK and China, based on Hofstede's Six Dimensions of Culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayPower DistancePower distance refers to the level at which individuals with less power, working in a given organization or institutions in a state, accept or expect that power is not equally distributed. This dimension insinuates that people are not equal. Therefore, this indicates cultural attitudes towards inequalities between individuals (Hofstede, 2011). There is a wide gap in the levels of power distance between the UK and China. The UK has a score of 35, while China has a score of 80. If you don't know, the lower the number, the better. As the study confirms, it suggests that most individuals in the UK believe that people should be treated equally within society. There, we think it's a good quality, because it improves good performance; people, especially those with less power, are given the opportunity to actively participate within their companies – and are highly respected. On the contrary, Chinese citizens believe that people in positions of authority should be given special respect and attention. The Chinese system may seem to have its advantages, but it has some negative effects, particularly on a company's performance. Employees have no chance to express themselves freely or participate in decision-making procedures. Additionally, organizations in China do not challenge any form of abuse of power, as the powerless are seen as having no voice and are not expected to perform any task beyond their rank. IndividualismIndividualism involves the extent of interdependence between a community and its members. This dimension explains whether people act as individuals or work in groups. In individualistic communities, members are expected to value only themselves and their families, not other members of their community. On the other hand, collectivism is a scenario in which members of a society work in consideration and with the opinion of the group, whether or not they have a close blood relationship (Hofstede, 2011). They act in a way that shows their loyalty to the group. China has an individualism score of 20, meaning individuals are more collectivist than individualist. They act in accordance with the interests of a group, not just individuals. Collectivism has negative effects on promotion and hiring, because collectivists more frequently consider team members' ideas, or take them into account when hiring or promoting. Additionally, a Chinese employee is likely to have little commitment to the company. Instead, they value., 2(1), 8.