What is a characteristic of high uncertainty avoidance cultures

What is meant by uncertainty avoidance?
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
High uncertainty avoidance.
Low uncertainty avoidance.
Uncertainty avoidance examples.

From all of Professor Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, I find uncertainty avoidance the most difficult one to explain.

Table of Contents Show

There’s a saying that says: there are only two things in life certain: Death & Taxes.
About the rest, we’re not sure.
Three Problems With Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension
High Uncertainty Avoidance
Uncertainty Avoidance Examples
Examples of high uncertainty avoidance scoring countries
Some low uncertainty avoidance characteristics are mentioned below:
Examples of low uncertainty avoidance countries:
Uncertainty Avoidance Examples
Want to Know More? Get the Book
Key concepts
High uncertainty avoidance
Low uncertainty avoidance
Moderate uncertainty avoidance
Applications
Further reading

The reason for this is that most people seem to associate this fourth of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions with only formal rules and not with the many more informal rules that a society has.

But before we continue let’s start with a definition. For this, where else to go for that other than Wikipedia.

“In cross-cultural psychology, uncertainty avoidance is a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It reflects the extent to which members of a society try to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty.”

However, to a lot of people, the above is just an academic definition. For that reason, when it comes to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the other three are easier and better defined (I’m talking about Power Distance, Individualism, and Masculinity).

Given this, here is my own take on how to explain this using an easier language:

There’s a saying that says: there are only two things in life certain: Death & Taxes.

About the rest, we’re not sure.

Therefore there are some countries that look at this and say: “fine, that’s all I need to know; I’ll cross that bridge when I’ll come to it.” Because of this attitude, these countries will score relatively low on this dimension.

On the other hand, there are also countries that say: “if the only things certain in life are death and taxes, I need more predictability. I want to know what is around the curve“. These countries will score relatively high on this cultural dimension.

Three Problems With Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension

There are three major problems with this dimension. These add to the complexity of really understanding this.

Everyone thinks that their country has a lot of rules. This is, however, a very subjective viewpoint. Objectively there are vast differences in the number of rules a country has. In actual fact, there are countries that really have fewer rules than others.
The second issue is that most rules that we have are not formal rules. To have a maximum speed limit is a formal rule. How we meet and greet is not a formal rule, but it is a rule. This also goes for the “rule/ritual” of wine tasting in a restaurant.
The last issue is that countries that score high, might not always follow the formal rules. There are simply too many of them. And therefore, the individual could choose the rule that fits his current situation best.

High Uncertainty Avoidance

My experience is that Western Europeans and North Americans view Mediterranean countries as quite relaxed. Hence low scoring on this dimension. Whilst the opposite is actually true. Mediterranean countries are all high uncertainty avoidance countries.

Italy, Greece, and Spain all have a relatively high uncertainty avoidance score.

What they see is that Mediterranean countries are somewhat chaotic. So, the perception of someone from the West is that if a country is chaotic, then their score cannot be high uncertainty avoidance.

In other words, if the perception of someone from the West is that the “other” country is chaotic and/or not very organized, they will interpret that as being a low-scoring country. Or: It’s chaotic and unorganized, so there must be few rules, right?

But the opposite is often true. Countries that may look disorganized from the outside usually do (!) have a lot of rules. Cultures that score high on uncertainty avoidance often have so many rules that people do not know what rules to stick to (because there are so many). So they pick and choose the rules that make the most sense to them at that moment. And just to make sure, I’m talking about official rules only here.

Uncertainty Avoidance Examples

Below are some high uncertainty avoidance characteristics.

Structure, rules, expertise. Makes sense too, right? But not only formal rules (like the maximum speed on the freeway, also informal rules like how you properly pour a glass of wine and taste it).
Security (avoiding the unfamiliar). Rather than taking risks, people prefer to stick to what they know already.
Hectic. “Life” is being perceived as hectic and stress full. Pretty much from all angles.
Emotions/passion. Showing your emotions is seen as a way to blow off steam. Consider a minor car collision in Rome (high scoring) versus London (low scoring).

You can see that it says “Structure, rules, expertise” under high uncertainty avoidance cultures? In short, cultures with a relatively high score on this dimension do have a lot of rules and regulations. But… they don’t always stick to those rules (depending on other cultural factors).

Examples of high uncertainty avoidance scoring countries

Greece
Belgium
Russia
Italy
Korea
Mexico

Some low uncertainty avoidance characteristics are mentioned below:

Few rules, little structure. Makes sense, right?
Entrepreneurial. Starting your own business is seen as very normal. The same goes for risk-taking (no guts, no glory!).
Stress-free. People experience “life” as being relatively stress-free.
Cool, calm & collected. There is a premium in society to look Cool, Calm & Collected. Think of the British stiff upper lip.

Examples of low uncertainty avoidance countries:

USA
UK
India
China
Indonesia
Singapore

Uncertainty Avoidance Examples

If you’re only interested in getting some uncertainty avoidance examples, make sure to read this article (opens in a new window).

Low uncertainty avoidance cultures are generally higher risk takers than high-scoring countries. Examples are the credit crisis that started in the US (a relatively low-scoring country). Versus Belgium a (very) high scoring culture where the level of risk involved in mortgages is pretty much zero.

I hope that with this explanation of what is uncertainty avoidance, I was able to shed some light on the most difficult cultural dimension of Hofstede.

Want to Know More? Get the Book

If you want to read more on this very difficult cultural dimension and what influence it has in doing business internationally, why not get the book? It’s titled “Uncertainty Avoidance in International Business: The Hidden Cultural Dimension You Need to Understand When Doing Business Overseas“ The book covers:

Rules and Bureaucracy
The Countries and Their Scores
Uncertainty Avoidance Correlations
The Difference Between Uncertainty Avoidance, Anxiety, Fear & Risk
Uncertainty Avoidance in and Around the House & School
Consumer Behavior and Uncertainty Avoidance
The Rule of Law, the Country, and Uncertainty Avoidance
Uncertainty Avoidance, Health, and Happiness
UAI (Uncertainty Avoidance) in the Workplace
Lots of uncertainty avoidance examples
And more!

It’s exclusively available in the Amazon Kindle store. Click here to go there now.

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In cross-cultural psychology, uncertainty avoidance is how cultures differ on the amount of tolerance they have of unpredictability.[1] Uncertainty avoidance is one of five key qualities or dimensions measured by the researchers who developed the Hofstede model of cultural dimensions to quantify cultural differences across international lines and better understand why some ideas and business practices work better in some countries than in others. [2] According to Geert Hofstede, "The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: Should we try to control it or just let it happen?"[1]

The uncertainty avoidance dimension relates to the degree to which individuals of a specific society are comfortable with uncertainty and the unknown. Countries displaying strong uncertainty avoidance index (UAI) believe and behave in a strict manner. Individuals belonging to those countries also avoid unconventional ways of thinking and behaving. Weak UAI societies display more ease in regards to uncertainty.[2] People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance try to minimize the occurrence of unknown and unusual circumstances and to proceed with careful changes step by step by planning and by implementing rules, laws and regulations. In contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic and more tolerant of change.[3]

When it comes to the tolerance of unpredictability, the areas which uncertainty avoidance deals with the most are technology, law, and religion. Technology assists with the uncertainty done by nature with new developments. Law defends the uncertainty of behavior by the people with rules that are set. Religion accepts the uncertainty people cannot get protected from. Individuals use their beliefs to get through their uncertainties.[4]

Key concepts

There is a wide scale on where specific cultures fall under the uncertainty avoidance. Three types of uncertainty avoidance are high, low, and moderate uncertainty avoidance. Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance scale shows the want to reduce any visible uncertainty that is placed in the life of a person.[5]

High uncertainty avoidance

There are many ways to detect if someone has a high amount of uncertainty avoidance. Typically, the use of formality in interaction with others, dependence of formalized policies and procedures, apparent resistance of change, and intolerance of untraditional ways are all characteristics of high uncertainty avoidance.[2]

Also, people from high uncertainty avoidance cultures demonstrate higher stress and anxiety levels.[4] These individuals have a high value on control, which means that having a set structure in everything of their life helps. The use of rigid rules assists them with defining what they believe in and how they behave. The development of new ideas makes them uncomfortable and only take risks that they know have success rates.[1] Older people in high UA are highly respected and feared of.[4] When children are being taught the beliefs of their culture, they cannot question them.[1]

People in high uncertainty avoidance societies may be afraid of people who are different from them. They may show signs of Xenophobia.[3]

High uncertainty avoidance countries

Some of the highest uncertainty avoidance countries include Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, and South Korea.[6]

Low uncertainty avoidance

In contrast, people can also exhibit characteristics of low uncertainty avoidance. Unlike high UA, those with a low level use informality in interaction with others, they often rely on informal norms and behaviors in most matters. Also, they will show moderate resistance to change.[2]

Individuals that come from a culture with low UA care about letting the future come without the control or plan of it. Rules that are placed do not have an influence on them. Those with a low UA believe that it is okay to question the people in higher positions.[1] They have lower stress and anxiety rates. Younger people in low UA are respected[4] and when they are being taught the beliefs within their culture, they do not have to follow them right away. When new ideas are brought up, they are open-minded when hearing about them.[1] People from low UA don't find situations that aren't clear as problems that might cause them trouble. Originality will have higher value and likely to be taken into consideration.[7]

Additionally, people with low uncertainty avoidance do not have any difficulty with interacting with people who are different from them.[3]

Low uncertainty avoidance countries

Some of the lowest uncertainty avoidance countries include Jamaica, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, and Ireland.[6]

Moderate uncertainty avoidance

People of moderate uncertainty avoidance cultures are in between the high and the low uncertainty avoidances. These in take some characteristics from both avoidances. The people with moderate UA are those who live in the United States and Canada.[1]

Risk

Uncertainty avoidance is commonly mistakenly associated with risk avoidance. However, UAI does not deal with risk avoidance. In fact, it deals with the habits and rituals in which a society feels comfortable practicing.[8]

Applications

Business

David S. Baker and Kerry D. Carson performed a study to evaluate uncertainty avoidance among field sales personnel. They selected 155 subjects from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Their research pointed towards individuals using both attachment and avoidance to lower their uncertainty avoidance in the workplace. People who were high on uncertainty avoidance and those low on it behaved differently. Sales personnel who were low on uncertainty avoidance saw no need to attach with their team or adapt to their environment, but those high on it used both avoidance and attachment to deal with situations. Those who reported moderate levels of uncertainty avoidance preferred to use adaptation rather than attachment when needed. [9]

In a study conducted by Nelson O. Ndubisi, Naresh K. Malhotra, Dilber Ulas, and Gibson C. Ndubisi it was found that customer loyalty is less in countries with low uncertainty avoidance. Additionally, it can be inferred from the study that customer trust is higher in countries with high uncertainty avoidance.[10]

It is also believed that the uncertainty avoidance index (UAI) has a significant effect on consumers' acceptance of unfamiliar brands in the retail market. Brand familiarity, celebrity endorsement, and cultural differences all have an effect on determining an individual's UAI. Eliane Karsaklian has studied the effect UAI has on consumers' attitudes towards familiar and unfamiliar brands in different cultures (specifically American and French). She concludes that uncertainty avoidance has a deep role in shaping consumers' attitudes towards brands.[11] However, the claim that UAI (or any other dimension) has an "effect" is inconsistent with Hofstede's acknowledgement in his reply to Brendan McSweeney (Human Relations, 55.11 - 2002) that "dimensions do not exist" and therefore cannot be causal i.e. they cannot have effects. Like many studies, Karsaklian analysis confuses correlation with causation.

Hofstede concluded that people in high uncertainty avoidance societies may avoid changing jobs. Whereas, people in low uncertainty avoidance societies may feel more at ease with changing jobs.[3][12]

Politics

In politics, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance citizens tend to have low interest in politics and citizen protests are repressed. This is because political unrest would bring about changes which the majority would not be comfortable with. There also tends to be many laws with laws being more specific as to avoid any uncertainty in the interpretation and to guide which behavior is acceptable. On the other side of the spectrum in cultures with low uncertainty avoidance citizens tend to be very interested in politics as it serves as a tool for change. Protests are accepted as another tool for change and laws are general.[13]

Crime

In 2005 Robert M. Wiedenhaefer conducted a study on the factors contributing to terrorism. Wiedenhaefer concluded that uncertainty avoidance has a high association with terrorism. He asserted through his analysis he found that uncertainty avoidance is the strongest predictor in such crimes.[14]

Ellen Giebels, Miriam Oostinga, Paul Taylor, and Joanna Curtis conducted a study in February 2017 on the impact between police-civilian interactions. They hypothesized that a clear and more communicative style of interaction would be used by high uncertainty avoidance negotiators. Their study supported this hypothesis. In addition, they found that uncertainty avoidance highly influences interactions between said individuals.[15]

Education

In cultures with high uncertainty avoidance, teachers are viewed as having all the answers and learning is structured. In cultures with low uncertainty avoidance, teachers are not necessarily viewed as all knowing and the learning is open minded with less focus on facts.[16]

Nursing

In the study of Transformational Leadership, Creative Self-Efficacy, Trust in Supervisor, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Innovative Work Behavior of Nurses done by Bilal Afsar and Mariam Masood in Mansehra, Pakistan, there were two groups of nurses to see how the relationship among transformational leadership relate to their work behaviors in self-efficacy, trust in superiors, and uncertainty avoidance. The first study hypothesized that there is a correlation between transformational leadership, trust, and uncertainty avoidance that takes a toll on the successfulness or effectiveness of their work behavior. The second study hypothesized that the correlation between transformational leadership, trust, and uncertainty avoidance is due to self-efficacy. With a strong and effective transformational leader, leader that finds a change that needs to be done and makes the change following a specific path with the help of members in the group, providing them with what is necessary to work with; makes their work behavior more successful when nurses have a high level of trust and uncertainty avoidance.

[17]

The nurses from Study 1 were from public sector hospitals where they were allowed to test out new ideas without the fear of losing their job. They were allowed to take risks in their job location. Employees with high uncertainty avoidance deal with uncertainty through the use of rules and regulations that are set in place. Transformational leaders assist their employees or people below them to take their risks with the correct research and knowledge prior to taking them. These employees with high UA are more open to their transformational leaders. The nurses from Study 2 were from private sector hospitals where they were allowed to do the same as Study 1. Both studies turned out to have the same conclusion, where there were high levels of trust and uncertainty avoidance, transformational leadership had a higher relationship with innovative behavior. Also, creative self-efficacy did have a correlation among transformational leadership, trust, and uncertainty avoidance. Although, it was discovered that transformational leadership was only useful when there was high levels of trust and high uncertainty avoidance. The leadership wouldn't work if there was a high level of trust and low uncertainty avoidance or the opposite. [17]

References

^ a b c d e f g McCornack, Steven; Ortiz, Joseph (2017). Choices & Connections: An Introduction to Communication (2nd ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN 9781319043520.
^ a b c d Hofstede, Geert. "National Culture". Hofstede Insights.
^ a b c d Hofstede, Geert (7 March 2015). "10 minutes with Geert Hofstede on Uncertainty Avoidance 01032015". Youtube. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
^ a b c d Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. pp. 79–123.
^ Krys, Kuba; Hansen, Karolina; Xing, Cai; Szarota, Piotr; Yang, Miao-miao (2014). "Do Only Fools Smile at Strangers? Cultural Differences in Social Perception of Intelligence of Smiling Individuals". Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 45 (2): 314–321. doi:10.1177/0022022113513922. ISSN 0022-0221.
^ a b Anbari, F.; Khilkhanova, E.; Romanova, M.; Umpleby, S. (2003). "CROSS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGING INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
^ Adair, Wendi L.; Xiong, Tracy X. (2018). "How Chinese and Caucasian Canadians Conceptualize Creativity: The Mediating Role of Uncertainty Avoidance". Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 49 (2): 223–238. doi:10.1177/0022022117713153. ISSN 0022-0221.
^ "The 6D model of national culture". Geert Hofstede. 1 February 2016.
^ Baker, David; Carson, Kerry (1975). "The Two Faces of Uncertainty Avoidance: Attachment and Adaptation" (PDF). Journal of Behavioral & Applied Management. 12 (2): 128–141.
^ Ndubisi, Nelson Oly; Malhotra, Naresh K.; Ulas, Dilber; Ndubisi, Gibson C. (October 2012). "Examining Uncertainty Avoidance, Relationship Quality, and Customer Loyalty in Two Cultures". Journal of International Consumer Marketing. 24 (5): 320–337. doi:10.1080/08961530.2012.741477. S2CID 143389337.
^ Karsaklian, Eliane. "When The Packaging Tells More About The Unfamiliar Brands: A Cross-Cultural Research With American and French Consumers" (PDF). ANZMAC 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
^ Hofstede, Geert (1 December 2011). "Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context". Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. 2 (1). doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1014.
^ "Uncertainty Avoidance". Make Sense of Cross Cultural Communication. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
^ Wiedenhaefer, Robert (2006). Ethnopsychological factors associated with terrorism.
^ Giebels, Ellen; Oostinga, Miriam S. D.; Taylor, Paul J.; Curtis, Joanna L. (2017). "The cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance impacts police–civilian interaction". Law and Human Behavior. 41 (1): 93–102. doi:10.1037/lhb0000227. PMID 27936827. S2CID 4374488.
^ Tidwell, Charles. "Hofstede: Uncertainty Avoidance". Retrieved 20 June 2013.
^ a b Afsar, Bilal; Masood, Mariam (2018). "Transformational Leadership, Creative Self-Efficacy, Trust in Supervisor, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Innovative Work Behavior of Nurses". The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 54 (1): 36–61. doi:10.1177/0021886317711891. ISSN 0021-8863.