a research study hofsteed

8/8/2019 A Research Study Hofsteed

1/12

A Research Study:A Research Study:The Cultural Impact onThe Cultural Impact on

Information SystemsInformation Systems Through the Eyes ofThrough the Eyes of

HofstedeHofstede A CriticalA CriticalJourneyJourney


2/12

Hofstedes Findings and

Relevance to IS

As a result of multi-nation study, Hofstededevised four dimensions to characterizecross cultural differences and their impacton IS (Information system).

It illustrates the importance of culture, andthe impact that each of Hofstedes dime-nsions has impact on IS design, develop-ment and management.


3/12

Power Distance (PD)

It has to do with the degree to which unequaldistribution of power and wealth are tolerated.

This can be determined by the level of hierarchyin workplaces and distance between social strata.

Example Malaysia ranks low on Hofstedes

scale showing that they hold large dist-ances between ranks in an organisation;communications are likely to be throughthe command chain rather than direct.


4/12

Israel is at the other end of Hofstedes scale,meaning that Israelis are very egalitarian, aworker can generally approach her boss and

vice versa.

The affects of PD on IS has been studied as interms of IS usage, the use of information andcommunication technology (ICT) for interpe-rsonal Communication can be interpreted indifferent ways by the different cultures.

As Malaysia, which holds a high power distance

index in its organization, could benefit from theintroduction of ICT as communication means.

As email communication is perceived as less intr-usive the use of ICT could promote inter-rank

communication.


5/12

More egalitarian cultures, such as in Australia,Communication via ICT might be perceived as

a more distant and therefore less favorable.

Individualism-Collectivism (IC)This scale is a measure of whether people prefer

to work alone or in groups.

USA measures the lowest on this scale, that is,they prefer singular achievement.

Guatemala ranks the highest meaning that theywork in groups and ascribe performance as acooperative achievement.


6/12

Promoting collaboration is one of the majorgoals of IS. Tools such as intranet, online

forums, shared drives and Group SupportSystems (GSS) are some of the toolssupporting collaborative activity.

They provide means for knowledge sharing,

reuse and dissemination. They facilitate groupdiscussion and decision making.

It is possible that individualist cultures

would resist these efforts of collaborativesupport, and integrative cultures wouldadopt them more easily.


7/12

Masculinity-Femininity (MF)

It depicts the degree to which masculine traitslike authority, assertiveness, performance andsuccess are preferred to female characteristics

like personal relationships, quality of life,service and welfare.

Japan ranks the lowest on Hofstedes scale

showing that they are highly paternallyoriented. Japanese workplaces are likely to beautocratic.


8/12

At the other extreme Hofstede found Swedenand Norway. People in these two countries are

likely to show more empathy for their fellowworkers, they are likely to spend time onrelationships and personal ties.

An interpretation of a paternal approach

towards IS management could be a controlled,centralized approach. Centralization entails atop-down approach to standards, architecture,settings and processes.

In contrast, the accommodation for individuallocations and business areas enabled by

the flexibility of decentralized IS could beconsidered feminine.


9/12

Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)

UA is the extent to which people are thre-atened by a lack of structure or uncertain

events.

It refers to the way that people will dealwith the future, whether they have inher-ent control, or whether events are beyondtheir control (fatalism).


10/12

People with low UA will require structure andorder with clear rules and guidelines. Hofstedefound Greece to have the lowest UA score.

Therefore, people in Greece will be reluctant tomake decisions and they will require verystructured work routines.

Swedes on the other hand can work well with-out structure and will have a high tolerance forambiguity.


11/12

Dependency on IS brings another dimension of

uncertainty and risk. Possible threats are theft,loss, corruption of data, destruction, and denialof service .

Consequences involve loss of availability, legal

liability and financial losses. These can bedetrimental to the organizations survival .All these risks can be mitigated, but a cost isassociated with this mitigation.

It is expected that businesses with low tolerancefor risk would invest more in the mitigation ofthese processes.


12/12

UA has been shown to influence the planning

and implementation of Enterprise ResourcePlanning (ERP).

In a comparative study ofUS and Chinese

implementation of ERP, Shanks et al. (2000)found more planning and attention to detail inthe Chinese company.

More emphasis was put on data accuracy in thenew ERP system by the Chinese company bec-

ause of low UA.

a research study hofsteed

Documents