Figure 2.1 Uncertainty avoidance × power distance
Source: from Hofstede (2001, p. 152).
Managers see themselves as practical and systematic and admit the need for support.
Subordinates expect to be consulted when important decisions are made, and prefer a
participative superior with whom they can disagree without feeling at risk. They dislike
close supervision. They find it easier to cooperate with each other, and interdependence
is stressed. In the wealthier lower power distance cultures, technical education is used to
acquire expert power rather than to signal social status.
All human societies show some people exercising power over others, and no societies
are entirely without power distances. In cultures where distances appear to be least,
informal perceptions of who has what power may be extremely subtle and not necessarily