Page 554 - Cultures and Organizations

Glossary 519

INDIVIDUALISM: the opposite of collectivism; together, they form one of the
dimensions of national cultures. Individualism stands for a society in which
the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after
him- or herself and his or her immediate family only.

INDIVIDUALISM INDEX (IDV): a measure for the degree of individualism in a
country’s culture, originally based on the IBM research project.
INDULGENCE: the opposite of restraint; together, they form one of the
dimensions of national cultures. Indulgence stands for a society that allows

relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to
enjoying life and having fun.
IN-GROUP: a cohesive group that offers protection in exchange for loyalty
and provides its members with a sense of identity.
INSTITUTION: an organized set of activities to which the people in a group
attribute a symbolic function. Institutions can be purely symbolic (mar-
riage) or have a physical form (a school).

LONG-TERM ORIENTATION: the opposite of short-term orientation; together,
they form a dimension of national cultures. Long-term orientation stands
for the fostering of pragmatic virtues oriented toward future rewards, in
particular perseverance, thrift, and adapting to changing circumstances.
LONG-TERM ORIENTATION INDEX (LTO): a measure for the degree of long-
term orientation in a country’s culture. LTO-CVS scores are based on the
Chinese Value Survey among student samples; LTO-WVS scores are
based on the World Values Survey of representative samples of national
populations.

MASCULINITY: the opposite of femininity; together, they form one of the

dimensions of national cultures. Masculinity stands for a society in which
emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be asser-
tive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be
more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life.

MASCULINITY INDEX (MAS): a measure for the degree of masculinity in a
country’s culture, originally based on the IBM research project.

MATRIX ORGANIZATION: an organization structure in which a person can
report to two or three superiors for different work aspects—for example,