What are the 5 dimensions of operational culture

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Power Distance
Uncertainty Avoidance
Individualism-Collectivism
Masculinity-Femininity
Time Orientation
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This textbook is designed to help Marines link concepts of culture to the realities of planning and executing military operations around the world. The book has three primary goals:

To provide a theoretically sound framework of five basic cultural dimensions, based on clear, academically accurate definitions, which are relevant to military missions.
To apply these basic cultural principles to actual environments to which Marines and other members of the U.S. military have deployed, or may deploy in the future, showing how the principles of Operational Culture can be applied across the geographic and kinetic spectrum of operations.
To develop a capacity among Marines at all levels to think systematically about culture, and to apply that thinking to learning about culture in both professional military education and pre-deployment training.

This book is of equal utility to company-grade and field-grade officers, as well as for staff non-commissioned officers (SNCOs). It is to be used in the classrooms of the Marine Corps, and will also serve as a reference tool in the fleet. Finally, it can help commanders and planners to incorporate culture in every step of the road prior to and during deployment, from unit training, to planning, to the ongoing commander’s evaluation of the battlespace. These capabilities are particularly germane in current and future operating environments.

Explore Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture.

In addition to the organisational cultures described in the previous step, we can also consider cultures on a national level.

This approach is commonly associated with Geert Hofstede (1984, 1988 & 2001), as described in Schermerhorn and Bachrach (2017). He explored national cultures through the identification of five different dimensions, which are:

Power distance
Uncertainty avoidance
Individualism-collectivism
Masculinity-femininity
Time orientation

The five dimensions are explained below:

Power Distance

Power distance is the degree a society accepts or rejects the unequal distribution of power in organisations and society. In high power distance cultures such as Japan, we expect to find great respect for age, status and titles. This could create problems for an American visitor used to the informality of a more moderate power distance culture, and accustomed to using first names and casual dress in the office.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty avoidance is the degree a society tolerates or is uncomfortable with risk, change, and situational uncertainty. In high uncertainty avoidance cultures, such as France or Japan, one would expect to find a preference for structure, order and predictability.

Individualism-Collectivism

Individualism-collectivism is the degree to which a society emphasises an individual’s accomplishments and self-interest, versus the accomplishments and interests of groups. In Hofstede’s data, the United States had the highest individualism score of any country.

Masculinity-Femininity

Masculinity-femininity is the degree a society values assertiveness and materialism versus feelings, relationships, and quality of life. You might think of it as a tendency to emphasise stereotypical masculine or feminine traits and attitudes towards gender roles. Visitors to Japan, with the highest masculinity score in Hofstede’s research, will probably notice how restricted career opportunities can be for women.

Time Orientation

This is the degree to which a society emphasises short-term or long-term goals. Americans are notorious for being impatient and wanting quick, even instant gratification. Accordingly, American companies are expected to achieve short-term results. Many Asian cultures are the opposite, valuing persistence, being patient, and are willing to work for long-term success.

However, Schermerhorn and Bachrach (2017) add that Hofstede warned against acting with the mistaken assumption that a generalised cultural value applies always and equally to all members of a specific culture.

Can you see why Hofstede’s cultural dimensions can be significant in business and management?

Do you have any specific examples?

Share your thoughts in the comments area.

References

Schermerhorn, J. R. Jr., & Bachrach, D. G. (2017). Exploring management (6th ed.). Wiley.

Hofstede, G. H. (1984). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. SAGE Publications.

Table of Contents:

Foreword / General James N. Mattis, USMC
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1. Terms of Reference: 1. Context ; 2. Defining culture
Part 2. Five operational culture dimensions for planning and execution: 3. Dimension 1 - The physical environment ; 4. Dimension 2 - The economy ; 5. Dimension 3 - The social structure ; 6. Dimension 4 - The political structure ; 7. Dimension 5 - Belief systems
Part 3. Toward applying operational culture: 8. From models to dimensions to observable realities ; 8. Operational culture learning in training and education
Conclusion
Appendix A. Glossary of terms
Appendix B. Culture operator's questions
Bibliography.