The Interaction of Uncertainty Avoidance and Power
Distance in Crisis
Uncertainty avoidance and power distance will affect an
organization’s communication and public response to crisis in two ways. First,
these cultural dimensions affect how the organization acts during a crisis. Low
uncertainty avoidance organizations may not view isolated incidents as constituting
a crisis and thus may do little to communicate to publics about the situation.
Likewise, organizations from low power distance cultures may not see a need to
communicate with local governments about a particular situation. Organizations
from high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance nations may take the
opposite approach and communicate directly with governments during a crisis to
secure their support. Even the decision as to which organizational department will
handle a crisis is influenced by the levels of uncertainty avoidance and power
distance. For instance, in their study of tourism crises in Spain and the United
States, Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt’s found that 64% of the Spanish organizations
surveyed worked with legal advisors during a crisis.36 Spanish tourist organizations
seem to prefer legal counsel when dealing with crises rather than relying on public
relations efforts. This tendency may exist because tourism is such an important part
of the national economy. Moreover, in the Hofstede study, Spanish culture does
not appear as tolerant of ambiguity and risk.37
Second, cultural variation also affects how the public responds to a crisis.
Hofstede asserted that, “in their impact on society, power distance and uncertainty
avoidance will interact.”38 This interaction has serious implications for crisis public
relations. A “high UAI [uncertainty avoidance index] score was related to a strong
superego. However, in a high PDI [power distance index] environment this superego
will be personified in the form of a powerful person (the father, leader, the
boss). People will be able to blame the powerful people for their ills”39 In other
words, in high uncertainty avoidance nations people seek rules, rituals, and laws to
guide behaviors. In high power distance nations, people respect those who hold positions of power. However, when the two dimensions of culture interact, those
who have power are held to a strict standard of conduct. If these people, or the
organizations that they lead, break the socially constructed norms, then the public
(those with less power) will seek retribution and accountability. Thus, organizations,
especially those from a different level of cultural variation, need to be aware
of the levels of power distance and uncertainty avoidance of their international
publics. Not knowing your publics’ tolerance for risk could have severe consequences
for the organization–public relationship.
What are the short-term and long-term implications of losing international
public trust? The next section of the article offers an examination of a public
relations case study in Western Europe that shows how cultural variation influenced
international public response to a crisis situation