Hofstede on Power Distance

Mulder vs Hofstede?

The degree of inequality in power between a less powerful individual and a more powerful other… (Mulder 1977)

the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations with in a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. (Hofstede 1997)

Is the paper ethnocentric?

Are there both positives and negatives to high/low power distance?

Positives & negatives?

Promotion?

Role play (20 min)

1. Divide class in half.
   1. Propositions 1-4
   2. Propositions 5-9
2. Each half then divides into groups of 4-5 people.
   1. actors
   2. a narrator
3. Design a role playing scenario that exhibits the articles proposals for both the high and low power-distance cultures. The narrator should be able to set the stage and highlight the salient points.

High PD props. 1-4

• 1a Low participation
• 1b People are most comfortable in organizations that matches their values
• 2 Job description will be more tightly specified
• 3 Communication gap between superiors and subordinates will be greater
• 4a More centralized
• 4b Decision-making process is quicker
• 4c Implementation of decisions is faster
• 4d Quality of decisions is poorer

High PD props. 5-9

• 5 Greater control over employee behavior
• 6 Junior employees show greater respect to senior employees
• 7 Management development opportunities are restricted
• 8 Unethical behavior is greater
• 9a Senior managers are overloaded
• 9b Greater differentiation of organizational activities
• 9c Lower integration of organizational activities

TPS: Exception to the rule