Page 448 - Cultures and Organizations

Intercultural Encounters 413

Dutch kept the old order intact, but the Dutch tried to persuade the local

authorities to modernize in the name of efficiency, while the English kept at
arm’s length and tried to get as little involved in civil affairs as possible. 35
We recognize stronger power distance plus uncertainty avoidance in the
French approach as opposed to both the English and the Dutch, and from
the latter two the Dutch showed their femininity in attempts at governing
by consensus.
Each of Chapters 3 through 8 has related a cultural values dimension
to national political processes and/or political issues. The former are the
ways the political game is played; the latter are the problems to which
country politicians attach priority, and which they tend to defend on the
international scene. These chapters showed that relationships between val-
ues and politics should always be seen against the backdrop of a country’s
national wealth or poverty; the implication of values is moderated by the
level of economic prosperity.
Differences in power distance and uncertainty avoidance affect primar-
ily the political processes. Larger power distance implies political centraliza-
tion, lack of cooperation between citizens and authorities, and more political
violence. Stronger uncertainty avoidance implies more rules and laws, more
government intervention in the economy, and perceived incompetence of
citizens versus authorities; stronger uncertainty avoidance implies more
perceived corruption, after elimination of the effect of national poverty.
Individualism-collectivism and masculinity-femininity affect primar-
ily the issues that countries will defend. Individualism implies concern
with human rights, political democracy, and market capitalism; collectiv-
ism implies concern with group interests. Masculinity implies a focus on
economic growth and competition and a belief in technology; femininity
implies a focus on supporting needy people in the country (welfare) and

in the world (development cooperation) and on preservation of the global
environment. Masculinity versus femininity relates to political processes
in that in masculine cultures the political discourse is more adversarial, in
feminine cultures more consensus oriented.
Long- versus short-term orientation relates to pragmatism in politics
versus fundamentalism: the latter means a focus on principles, even inef-
fective ones, and vested rights.

Indulgence versus restraint shows the conflict between a need for free-
dom of speech versus a need for order.