A Review on Six Cultural Dichotomies
i. High Power Distance vs. Low Power Distance
The idea of “Power Distance” addressed in this part of psychology assignment denotes the probable degree to which less powerful members of a proposed institution or organization within national norms anticipate and accept that power is further divided unequally. While investigating “Pakistan” using the “Hofstedes six-dimension” model, it is worth noting that in higher forms of power-distance cultures, authority openly tends to demonstrate their potential rank, and subordinates or members are not provided critical work or included in organizational decision-making attributes (Khanet al. 2021).
In Pakistan, the average power-distance score is 55, demonstrating that the connection or prospective link between leaders and subordinates is seldom personal or communicative (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). In this context, Australia has a “low power-distance culture,” with an average score of 36, indicating a possible indicator of better equality amongst diverse social norms, including multiple governments, organizations, and institutions (Gulet al. 2018). However, because of Pakistan’s high score in this area, the orientation does not support any sort of cooperative engagement or communication across diverse power norms, resulting in an unstable cultural-environment.
On the contrary, Australia’s short power distance suggests that power is potentially diffused out to everyone in organizations rather than being assigned or appropriately reserved for certain groups. As a result, whereas Pakistan thinks that only certain sections inside organizations have possible access to power, Australians feel that both the powerful and the weak must work together (Green, 2019). Managers in Australia socialize with their future subordinates more than managers in Pakistan. It also suggests that, as compared to Pakistanis, Australians are more concerned with ensuring better forms of equality amongst diverse socioeconomic and cultural norms.
ii. Acceptance of Uncertainty-Avoidance of Uncertainty
It is important to highlight that “uncertainty avoidance and acceptance” refers to the probable amount to which various individuals of a society feel potentially threatened by unknown events or ambiguous situations, leading in the establishment of institutions and beliefs to avoid the same. In this context, Pakistan’s average score in this aspect is 70, indicating a greater level of preference in terms of “avoiding ambiguity” (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). It clearly shows that nations with higher scores in this category, such as Pakistan, retain tight rules of belief and behavior.
In general, Pakistan with a higher score in this category is more intolerant of “abnormal thoughts and behavior” (Riveretet al. 2018). In these societies, there is an emotional need for possible laws and regulations, even though the rules never seem to operate, and individuals in Pakistan have an inner want to be potentially occupied as well as work hard. Within organizations, innovation is often discouraged, and accuracy, as well as possible forms of timeliness, are cultural standards.
According to “Hofstede Insights,” Australia’s predicted “uncertainty score” is 51, which is lower than Pakistan’s. In this regard, it means that Australians dislike ambiguity as much as Pakistani culture does, and that there is a need for stability for organizational members (Akhtaret al. 2019). Australians, like Americans, aim for possible consensus and tend to be more stressed and anxious. Because to possible waves of immigration as well as indigenous and aboriginal people, Australian society is more accepting of a varied and cross-cultural population. In contrast to Pakistan, Australian organizations and enterprises are more likely to accept various forms of risk.
Australia, which has a significantly lower score in this category than Pakistan, likewise tends to ensure and promote greater innovation inside workplaces and organizations (Butt, 2020). In Australia, privacy may be regarded the norm when seeking a personal kind of ingratiation, which is met with appropriate pushback. When compared to Pakistan, Australia’s population is more multicultural, chances are taken, and new forms of thoughts and prospective ideas are simpler to launch in organizations. When compared to Pakistan, multi-cultural communication is considerably greater, and individuals in Australia tend to accept other points of view while adhering to less and fewer regulations and conventions.
iii. Collectivism against Individualism
It is important to highlight that in “collectivist societies,” individuals tend to join to separate “in groups” that look after them in exchange for their devotion to the organizations. However, the degree of suitable dependency within social norms is preserved in “Individualist societies.” Pakistan has a low (estimated) score of 14 in this category, making it a possible kind of “collectivistic society” (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021).
In this regard, it is possible to assert that Pakistan consists of potential loyalty in terms of collectivist-culture norms, as well as overriding numerous types of society restrictions and prospective rules (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021).
In comparison to Pakistan, Australia’s predicted score in this area is just 21, indicating a “short-term-oriented culture” (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). As a result, it is a realistic culture that encourages prospective thrift as well as efforts in correct contemporary education and preparation for future issues (Muskatet al. 2021). As a result, unlike Pakistani communities, Australian societies exhibit a possible feeling of security as well as suitable stability. It strengthens individual reputation protection while ensuring adherence to customs and favors. In organizational and social characteristics, Australia leans more toward “short-term orientation,” while Pakistan leans more toward “long-term orientation.”
vi. Moderation-Indulgence
It is vital to emphasize that the “indulgence or restraint component” refers to the amount to which different individuals and civilizations prefer to limit and manage their prospective urges and wants depending on their upbringing. While indulgence is characterized by a lack of control, “Restraint” cultures are characterized by a high level of control. Caudleet et al. (2019)
The estimated score for Australia is 71, which is a rather high number and indicates that it is an Indulgent kind of nation (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). People in Australian civilizations demonstrate a prospective kind of readiness to realize potential impulses as well as wishes with reference to enjoying their lives and concentrating on potential leisure activities (Caudle et al. 2019). Furthermore, Australians put a larger degree of right weight on prospective leisure time and act, and they prefer to spend more money on living a decent life.
On the contrary, Pakistan is a relatively “Restrained society,” with a low score in this category. Furthermore, unlike Australian culture, individuals in Pakistan exhibit both “cynicism” and greater levels of pessimism. They do not place a high value on leisure time. Unlike in Australian civilizations, Pakistanis prefer to limit their potential pleasure from aspirations (Solihinet al. 2019). Pakistani cultures may have the sense that their various acts or activities are constrained by societal standards, as well as feelings that indulging oneself is ethically wrong (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). Australian cultures, on the other hand, tend to have a more positive mindset by putting a greater emphasis on leisure time.
In this type of Culture, the society of Pakistan fosters strong form of association where everyone is involved for taking potential responsibility for different members in their respective group. Australian on the other hand, comprises of a high average score of 90 in “Individualism”, aspect, that assures that society of Australia is a highly individualist-culture. It implies that, unlike Pakistan, Australia translates into potential loosely-knit-society in which people are more concerned into looking after themselves along with their immediate-families (Zhaoet al. 2019). It is worthy to note that Australian businesses, unlike Pakistan tend to expect that their employees are self-reliant and potentially capable of illustrating proper initiative.
Additionally, while Pakistan’s collective-societies and business concentrates more in taking recruitment and promotion decisions because of family-association or group-management. Australian businesses on the other hand focus on taking the mentioned-above business decisions solely on grounds of proper merit or absolute evidence of individual’s capacity of work within the organisational standards (Mughalet al. 2020). Therefore, unlike Pakistan’s norms, only privacy is considered as a potential cultural form of norm in Australia and businesses expect their employees to be more self-dependent and take initiative in workplace as well as organisational standards.
iv. Feminine-Masculine
The fundamental issue in this aspect is that things, which motivate people, which are wanting to be best (masculine) or liking things, that an individual executes (Feminine). In this aspect, the estimated score of Australia comprises of 61, which is higher and resulting in Australia becoming a “Masculine Society”, Therefore, behaviour in terms of organisation and educational institutions are shared upon potential values, in which people believes they are striving and struggling for becoming the best in the society (Pensalfini&Meakins, 2019). Australians are generally proud regarding their success as well as achievement aspects in their life while the culture offers a potential basis for proper hiring as well as promotion decision-making aspects in the workplace attributes. In Australia, the conflicts are further resolved at an individual standards while the mutual goal remains to achieve the winning target.
On the contrary, Pakistan, scores 50 (estimated), in this dimension and comprises of a lower score than Australia (Hofstede-insights.com, 2021). It implies that Pakistan comprises of an intermediate score in this aspect but potentially favours masculinity. However, unlike Australia, most Pakistan businesses or society do not strive to become the best. There lies a potential attitude in some of the cultural part in Pakistan to do things that they like. Both of these countries, that is Australia as well as Pakistan shares a similar form of value preferring masculinity more than femineity trait in their organisational and social culture (Threadgold& Cranny-Francis).
v. Short term orientation-Long term orientation
This potential dimension clearly explains ways in which every society needs to maintain some proper links with its-own past while potentially dealing with different kind of challenges related to present as well as future. It enhances understanding of societies, which prioritise two existential targets in a different manner. In this context, Pakistan comprises of a score of 50 in terms of “long term orientation”, that states that it prefers towards potentially maintaining time-honoured form of traditions as well as norms(Hofstede-insights.com, 2021).
Pakistan also tends to view their societal change with a sense of suspicion (Khanet al. 2021). In Pakistan, the “long-term orientation”, is higher than that of Australia, which indicates that the society of Pakistan is generally characterised through both perseverance as well as persistence. It comprises of a potential respect associated with hierarchy in order with “status of relationships and thrift”. It enhances more traditional form of orientation in Pakistani societies when compared to Australian societies.
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