The Hofstede survey, which measures specific cultural values in countries, can be use to compare values in countries that have been surveyed. The website provides “insights on Hofstede’s research into national and organizational culture.”
The values are as follows:
-Power Distance (PDI): This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of power distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low power distance, people strive to equalise the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power.
-Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV): The high side of this dimension, called Individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Its opposite, Collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society’s position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.”
-Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS): The masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success. Society at large is more competitive. Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented.
-Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI): The uncertainty avoidance dimension expresses the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. Weak UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles.
-Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation (LTO): The long-term orientation dimension can be interpreted as dealing with society’s search for virtue. Societies with a short-term orientation generally have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth. They are normative in their thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results. In societies with a long-term orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to adapt traditions to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.
-Indulgence vs. Restraint (IND): Indulgence stands for a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms.
According to Hofstede’s dimensions, both Egypt and Morocco are equally as hierarchal, scoring 70 on the scale, and are also equally as collectivistic, with a score of 25. Morocco has an uncertainty avoidance of 68 where Egypt scored 80, and Egypt scored slightly lower in Masculinity femininity with a score of 45, whereas Morocco scored 53. This means that Egypt has a higher propensity for avoiding uncertainty, although Morocco also holds a very rigid system for also avoiding it. The major difference in the two countries, despite the scores, is that Egypt has a more feminine society, where Morocco is more masculine; the scores are not so far apart, so we cannot presume that they are that much different from each other. The scores for Indulgence vs. Restraint and Long-term vs. Short-term orientation were not listed.
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