According to Geert Hofstede, culture is the collective programming of the human mind that makes one group of individuals different from another (Taras, 2017). Hofstede identified dimensions of culture, which are individualism versus collectivism, equality versus hierarchy (power distance), short term versus long term orientation (time orientation), and change orientation (uncertainty avoidance). The use of these interpretative concepts gives a better understanding of other people based on their cultures, which is essential for issues such as international business, among others. In this paper, four cultural dimensions are discussed in the Kenyan society context.
The equality and hierarchy dimension addresses the fact that all people in society are not equal. This dimension explains how societies view power differences. A society that has a high power distance is hierarchical. Kenya’s score for power distance index is 70 (Hofstede Insights, 2017). This means that it is a highly hierarchical society. In Kenyan society, each person has a position, and it does not require more justification. As a result, leadership is centralized, there are power ranks in organizations, and different privileges accompany power, and supervision is valued (Taras, 2017). Therefore, for organizations seeking to expand the business into Kenya, it is important to understand that organizational designs are not flat, decisions are made at the top, and they are focused on power distribution. In addition, employees expect supervision, and they expect to be given directives in their work by those in authority.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In the collective and individual dimension, Kenya scores high in collectivism. The country is considered a collectivist society. Collective and individual dimensions refer to the level to which societies are integrated into groups (Taras, 2017). In an individualistic culture, people focus on realizing their personal goals and being self-sufficient is highly valued. Collectivism in the Kenyan society is evident in society’s value for loyalty (Hofstede Insights, 2017). For example, developing teams would be an effective success strategy compared to allocating work among different individuals for organizations working in Kenya. The relationship between an employer and an employee in a collectivist society is based on moral values. When recruiting or promoting employees, participation in group work is considered.
Kenya does not have an explicit preference when it comes to change orientation dimension, also referred to as uncertainty avoidance. This dimension refers to the level to which individuals feel comfortable with taking risks and embracing changes. Kenya has a score of fifty in this dimension, which means that the country’s direction in this orientation is not clear (Hofstede Insights, 2017). Societies with a high level of uncertainty avoidance emphasize on developing rules, structures, ensuring the order is implemented, and predictability (Taras, 2017). Therefore, unexpected changes are not well tolerated in such societies. In contrast, societies with a less certainty avoidance index easily embrace changes, and organizations are flexible. Moderate changes are well tolerated in organizations in the Kenyan context. However, despite some tolerance and change embrace, uncertainty is also existent, and changes are thoroughly assessed before being accepted. For example, some organizations in the country are highly flexible, while others are not. Also, some execute strict procedures to reduce risks while others do not.
Time orientation dimension is the extent to which society perceives the time horizon (Taras, 2017). Kenya is considered a society inclined towards the short term. For societies with a short term orientation, the focus is on the immediate future. For example, organizations operating in Kenya seek quick results, and tradition is important. Achievement in such societies is considered in the short term, and the stability of an organization is important. This is different from long term orientation in which achievements in the short term are slowed down so that they are achieved in the long term.
References
Hofstede Insights. (2017, August 22). Kenya . https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/kenya/
Taras, V. (2017). Cultural Dimensions, Hofstede. The International Encyclopedia of
Intercultural Communication , 1–5. doi: 10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0100
