All animals are equal. Or not? (Series: global teamwork)

“All animals are equal. But some are more equal than others.”

You may remember this quote from Animal Farm by George Orwell from your school days. Similarly to the fable, cultures deal differently with differences, injustice and power.

This raises questions such as:

• How easy is it for people who have high status in a society to gain more power
• Does wealth automatically legitimize high status
• Can a successful businessman gain status by holding political office?
• Essentially, the question here is how a culture, a society deals with power.

This is why Hofstede also calls this cultural dimension the power index. In the world of work, for example, different ways of dealing with power are reflected particularly in the way hierarchies and management styles are handled. However, signs of the distribution of power in society can also be seen in the common parenting style, the school system, the healthcare system and the state organization of a culture.

Typical signs of a culture with a high power distance:

• Parents expect obedience from their children.
• Teachers, like gurus, pass on their personal knowledge to students.
• Patients subordinate themselves to doctors and treat them like a superior.
• Whoever is in power is also right.

In cultures with a low power distance, also known as egalitarian societies,

• Parents and teachers who treat children as equals.
• Teachers who expect pupils to show initiative in class.
• Doctors and patients who treat each other as equals.
• That talent, power, wealth and status are not directly related.

In the world of work, power distance is reflected above all in the behavior of managers and their subordinates.

Typical characteristics of a corporate culture with high power distance are

• Centralized organizations.
• Authoritarian management style.
• Employees are not tolerated to contradict their superiors.
• Formal regulations.
• The ideal boss corresponds to the image of the magnanimous autocrat.

On the other hand, egalitarian corporate cultures tend to have

• Decentralized structures.
• Managers who act as equals with their employees.
• Managers who rely on their experience and that of their employees.
• Teams that demand involvement in the decision-making process.

In any case, these lists could be expanded considerably. Perhaps you already recognize some differences or similarities to your culture? Perhaps you are wondering, as I am, whether it is possible that power distance is lived differently in different areas?

That is definitely the case. Just as every situation is comparable and every person is different, so is the manifestation and handling of power distance. For example, hierarchy is handled very differently in IT start-ups than perhaps in a bank.

It is important not to lose sight of the fact that the results from Hofstede’s system provide a rough framework that promotes understanding, but that there are so many additional factors influencing each situation – such as individual personalities, financial conditions, market situations, company culture – that results from Hofstede’s lists can never fully explain a situation.

But perhaps they can help to explain misunderstood situations. In my experience, they are very valuable in creating awareness of what colleagues, business partners, bosses, etc… may have been given culturally or could be driving them. That France, for example, has a much more pronounced power distance than Germany, but both countries are invested in uncertainty avoidance.

But more on the second topic in the next article! Thank you and see you next time!

In the following links you will find the previous articles in this series on the topics of cultural misunderstandings and cultural programming.

As a business coach and trainer with long experience in international contexts, I can support you as leader and your team to make the most out of your intercultural teamwork and a diverse Team set-up.

Get in touch with me!

See you soon,

Cary Langer-Donohoe