Cultural Values

While on the outside, the United States and Denmark may look much like same, they are many differences. However, first I would like to discuss how the two rate according to Hofstede. In our text book there Hofstedes five major cultural dimensions are discussed. I would like to look more closely to only four of them. Individualism/collectivism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, and Masculinity/Femininity. I want to compare the two cultures of the United States and Denmark with these four dimensions. As well, I want to take a look at Halls high/low context.

The first of Hofstedes dimensions I want to look at in regards to these two cultures is individualism/collectivism. Hofstedes conclusions are based on a study of 50 countries and then they were ranked based on his findings. With the United States and Denmark both being ranked in the top 9 most individualistic countries, we will focus on this similarity. One may be finding themselves thinking "What does it mean for a culture to be individualistic?" Individualistic cultures emphasize personal rights and responsibilities, privacy, voicing ones opinion, freedom, innovation, and self-expression these individuals put their interest over the group’s interest. We all know that when we were growing up our parents always told us to "be yourself, don't be like everyone else" "think for yourself". We were pushed in school and sports to be competitive. This is emphasizing the individual. Hofstede points out that there are four important components of individualism. One being that the individual is the single most important unit. Second being independence is stressed over interdependence. Third being that individual achievement is rewarded. The last being that uniqueness is a paramount value.

The second dimension that we will look at is another similarity between the two countries, Uncertainty Avoidance. Uncertainty avoidance is how well people deal with the unknown. They can have a high uncertainty or low uncertainty avoidance. Denmark and the United States both fall under the low-uncertainty division. With this it means that both are comfortable with accepting the new or the uncertainty inherent in life. They are not uncomfortable with uncertainty and are very tolerant of the unusual. They are open to new people and ideas. Much like with the individualistic aspect of the culture, they do not depend much on experts but rather on themselves. They are less constrained by social protocol and dislike the hierarchy structure. The United States may not have as low of uncertainty avoidance (being number43) and the 51 ranked Denmark, but the two fall close enough together that it is just about the same in both countries.

Next, we will discuss the power distance dimension. Power distance measures the way in which different cultures approach and accept inequalities between individuals in society. Once again there are two groups in which a country can fall. High-power distance or low-power distance. High power would mean that there is a large cap in the gain. People are not considered equal and everyone has their rightful place. Low-power distance means that believe that equality in society should be minimized. This is where the two countries grow a little further apart. Denmark falls once again in the 51st place. Meaning that they are among the lowest power distance. While the United States is still considered to be low-power distanced we fall 38th. These two countries are considered to have minimal power distinctions, they are considered to see hierarchy as an inequality and people in power positions try to not seem as powerful as they are. In both countries, people are to be treated equally. There is to be a strong middle class and violence is rare. In Denmark people to don’t showcase their ranks or achievements, but rather try to live and act as they are the same as others. In the United States however, people may interact with subordinates, they don’t not care to showcase their success. You will see the rich living in neighborhoods with large houses on the country clubs golf course or on their own private property with a house 10 times the size of many of their subordinates. That is why I stated that the two countries are a little further apart in this category.

The last of Hofstedes dimension we will discuss is the masculinity/femininity. With this dimension, the two countries are very much different. First let us talk about the United States. Here in the United States it is emphasized that one must 'fight' for one’s self. I say fight because to me it seems to be a word that represents the masculine characteristic, aggressive. The United States is considered to be a masculine dominate culture. We expect men to be assertive, ambitious, and competitive. They are to strive for material success and to respect whatever is big, strong, and fast. The gender roles are very well defined. As the text states, "Assertiveness and the acquisition of money and things (materialism) and emphasized and often take precedence over interpersonal relationships". While at the other end of the scale falls Denmark. Denmark is considered to be feminine, which puts emphasis on good relationships and co-operation, charity, and modesty. In Denmark nurturing behaviors are stressed for both men and women. This causes the gender roles to overlap. Family and safety are very important values. They consider failure to be an accident not a disaster as it would be in the United States.

Edward Hall examined cultures similarities and differences on perception and communication, than he put them in to one of two groups. The first group is high context and the second is low context. High context communication is one which most of the information is already in the person, very little is in the coded, explicitly transmitted part of the message. While with low context communication the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code. Both Denmark and the United States fall under the low context communication category. This means that people in these cultures want to gain background information each time they talk to you. This communication style is direct and explicit. Communicators in this context talk more, speak rapidly, and often raise their voices. It is considered important to speak up and say what is on your mind. Large vocabulary is admired because people can express themselves clearly and cleverly.

Works Cited

Cultural Values in Danish Advertising. (2002). Retrieved March 2012, from Limbi Straine: http://www.limbistraine.com/ro/cercetare/Gabriela-Sauciuc/3.Denmark-Hofstede-s-cultural-dimensions.html

Culture of Denmark. (2012). Retrieved March 2012, from Countries and Their Cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Denmark.html

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2010). Communication Between Cultures, Seventh Edition. Canada: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.