Uncertainty avoidance is expressed as the tolerance for unstructured, ambiguous, or unpredictable future events (Hofstede 2001). Hofstede (2001) states that the unpredict ability of the future is a given fact of human existence, of which all people are conscious. However, people in different cultures deal with this fact in different ways.
Uncertainty avoidance is expressed as the acceptance for unstructured, ambiguous, or unpredictable future events (Hofstede 2001). Hofstede (2001) states that the unpredicted ability of the future is a given fact of human existence, of which all people are conscious. However, people in different cultures deal with this fact in different ways. High-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are characterized by a need to reduce ambiguity and risk, members of high uncertainty-avoidance cultures perceive life more as a threat and experience higher levels of anxiety. To lower this anxiety, they should be more motivated to reduce the perceived ambiguity and uncertainty of life (Doney, Cannon, and Mullen 1998). A way to reduce ambiguity and uncertainty in the context of services is to seek advice or assurance from trusted others. Consistent with this notion, high uncertainty avoidance is associated with a higher level of opinion-sharing (Lam, Lee, and Mizerski 2009; Liu, Furrer, and Sudharshan 2001), as well as opinion-seeking (Dawar, Parker, and Price 1996; Money, Gilly, and Graham 1998), behavior. In the context of service relationships, this level would suggest more reliance on received WOM referral from reliable others who already have experience with or knowledge of the service when evaluating a provider’s service quality. People in high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures will also seek these referrals in already existing service relationships because they want to reassure themselves of their opinion about the service provider.
In low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures, anxiety can be reduced through passive relaxation; thus, people are expected to control their emotions (Hofstede 2001).
Moreover, low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are characterized by a greater openness to change and new ideas, making people more comfortable with ambiguity and chaos. People in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures often embrace diversity and are more curious about things that do not conform to the norm. Finally, people in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures have a greater belief that they can influence their own lives and the world in general (Hofstede 2001). Therefore, they are less engaged in information acquisition behavior (Dawar, Parker, and Price 1996; Money, Gilly, and Graham 1998) and should be less susceptible to external influences on their consumer behavior and cognitions.
Therefore, we predict the following: