Sweden according to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Reflection Paper

submitted at the
IMC Fachhochschule Krems
(University of Applied Sciences)

Bachelor programme
By

Jamila Sadikhova

Intercultural Competence (2020): Cohort 2019/2022

Lecturer: Faina Gachabayova

Submitted on: 01.12.2020
Table of Content
1. İntroduction ................................................................................................. 3

2. Power Distance Index .................................................................................. 3

3. Individualism versus Collectivism ............................................................... 4

4. Masculinity versus Feminity ........................................................................ 5

5. Uncertainty avoidance ................................................................................... 6

6. Pragmatic versus Normative ......................................................................... 6

7. Indulgent versus Restaint ............................................................................... 7

8. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 7

9. List of References ........................................................................................... 8

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Introduction

During the past two centuries, various scientists provided different definitions of culture. It is
widely accepted that culture is a certain lifestyle for a specific society, and it is passing from
generation to generation. According to Hofstede (2001), culture is similar to psychological
software which is settled in people’s minds and it supports to differentiate representatives of one
community or group of individuals from another. Also, culture is a way of communicating (Hall
& Hall, 1990). It is obvious that, like language, art, history, rituals, culture also includes different
manners, behavioral norms, and various beliefs. Therefore, culture tells us how to act or how we
should respond during the communication process with other people.
Sweden is one of the most popular Scandinavian countries and is often described as a
progressive, modern, flourishing, social welfare state. Like any other country, Sweden also has
its own specific culture which was affected by different social groups starting from ancient
times.
Today, we live in the globalization era, where every day tens of international companies are
spreading all over the world and which cause people from different cultures to work together.
Even though some cultures can have similarities, when it comes to business their business
cultures can be completely different and this can be a reason for some problems. One of the most
famous psychoanalysts - Geert Hofstede is also an author of the multidimensional theory which
describes the business behaviors of people from different cultures. According to Hofstede
national business patterns can be categorized by six dimensions and each dimension can be
measured and then compared with other cultures’ results.

Power Distance Index

The first of six dimensions – Power Distance dimension shows the degree of acceptance and
expectation of allocation of power, authority, wealth, and status unequally by the people who
have low influential power. The core aspect of this dimension is in which way the society
manages the issue of inequality among people (Hofstede, 1984). In society people who show a
high level of Power Distance recognize a social hierarchy where everyone has a position and
they do not need any additional explanation. In countries with a low level of power distance,
people desire to equalize power allocation and they require justification for inequalities in power
variation (Hofstede Insights, 2018).

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For this dimension, Sweden has only 31 points out of 100, which indicates that Sweden has low
power distance and Swedish people are independent and almost everyone has equal rights, if
some have problems with it they demand explanation and equalization. In Swedish companies
power is decentralized and for example, in Azerbaijani companies workers mostly rely on the
knowledge of their managers during the process of decision making, however in Swedish
companies managers count on the skills of their colleagues and on a regular basis empower them
to try to make decisions by themselves. Swedish workers accept hierarchy in the workplace only
because of the convenience and it should be not surprising for people with different cultures to
see a Swedish worker talk in an informal way with executive managers. Even in schools, pupils
talk with their teachers in an informal way, calling them only by their first name. Swedish
employees assume to be consulted during the process of making important decisions and
executives also take into account the thoughts of their employees.

Source: Hofstede Insights 2018

Individualism versus Collectivism

This dimension consists of two completely different ways of thinking and shows the degree of
integration of a person in the establishment of community. In individualistic societies, persons
have weak social connections with others, and their personal desires and efforts are regarded to
be extremely important not only in personal life but also in business life. Another feature of this
society is that individuals make decisions based on their aspirations and strivings and it is
assumed that such people worry only about themselves and their immediate family members. In
contrast, in societies with a high level of collectivism, people have strong social bonds, and they
integrate into family and community. Individuals in collectivistic societies mostly identify
themselves as “we” and they predict, for example, their relatives support and take care of them if
needed. In such societies people are loyal to their families and communities, even in business,

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they consider the point of view of their society more important than personal desires (Hofstede,
2011).
According to Hofstede Insights (2018), Sweden is an individualist society with 71 points. In
Swedish companies, employees have a special connection with employers, and this connection is
based on the mutual advantage, which means that employees do their best for the company while
executives do their best for their employees. For example, in collectivistic societies like
Azerbaijan, managers can hire and provide good positions and future career to their relatives and
friends, however in Swedish companies this is impossible, recruitment and future position
development are hugely dependent on the individuals' achievements in business life.
As an individualistic society, the people of Sweden love privacy both in personal and business
life. For example, Swedish people cannot knock on the door and enter the house of their
relatives, they should inform that they want to visit their relatives or friends at least one or two
weeks beforehand.

Masculinity versus Feminity

As seen from the name, this dimension indicates the instinctual functions that males and females
have (Hofstede, 1983). People with masculine culture are considered as tough, reward oriented,
always striving for new achievements and brave actions. In contrast, people from feminine
societies are usually considered as tender, very caring after the weak, and who aim to have a
better quality of life (Hofstede Insights, 2018).
From this dimension, Sweden has 5 points which means that Swedish society is a Feminine
society. For Swedish society, the balance between professional and personal life is essential,
people achieve success in work but at the same time ensure that they have enough time for
themselves and their family. Swedish people have a lot of national holidays all over the year and
they often do not work during these holidays such as Midsummer, Holy Saturday, crayfish
festival, and so on. Additionally, day by day the number of Swedish companies that provide
employees free time, flexible working hours, and the place is increasing. Also, Swedes have their
special very well-known coffee break – “Fika” and most of the Swedish companies have special
days when they provide some sweets and coffee for their employees (Nordstrom, 2010).
In Sweden, both men and women have paid parental leave days when they can enjoy their time
with children, and men also actively participate in the bringing up process and they use these
parental leave days. Besides that, every Swedish worker has at least 25 paid vacation days during
the year (Nordstrom, 2010).
In Swedish society, there is the word “lagom” which means that everybody will have enough,
and nobody will go without. In society “lagom” is actualized with the fictional law that almost
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every Scandinavian has in mind (Hofstede Insights, 2018). This law aims to keep people in
place, and it recommends people not to boast and position themselves above others. This
fictional law and way of thinking decrease competitiveness and increase empathy for those who
failed.

Uncertainty avoidance
In an ever-changing world, we as humans are not able to predict what will happen tomorrow, and
this Uncertainty Avoidance dimension shows how people from different cultures accept and feel
about situations uncertain or unknown to them. Societies with a high level of uncertainty
avoidance try to avoid ambiguous situations and they may use the method of controlling and
provide new rules to be secure in such situations. People with such a culture afraid of changes
and risks as they do not know what will happen in the future (Hofstede Insights, 2018).
Swedish culture has 29 points from this dimension which means that Sweden has a low
preference for uncertainty avoidance. Swedes easily admit changes and take risks during the
uncertainty and the new innovations are not threatening. For example, Azerbaijani society as a
high level of uncertainty avoidance society resist uncertainty with the usage of different rituals,
however, in Sweden people do not resist uncertainty and simply accept it.

Pragmatic versus Normative

Another name for this dimension is Long-Term versus Short-Term Orientation. Nowadays, every
society faces challenges of the present and each society deals with such difficulties differently.
People in societies with a high level of Long-Term orientation assume that the truth of the matter
varies based very much on the circumstance, moment, and context. Individuals with Long-term
orientation culture considered pragmatic, realistic, and thrifty. However, people from Short-term
orientation societies are more religious, they believe in old traditions and apply these traditions
on present issues, and they accept changes in social norms very suspiciously (Hofstede Insights,
2018).
Sweden scores 53 points on this dimension and is considered as a Long-Term orientated society,
but 53 points show that swedes have no clear preference for this dimension and in society there
quite enough Short-Term oriented people. Swedes with a pragmatic point of view see education
as the main way of preparation for future difficulties rather than old traditions. Therefore, in
Sweden education in schools and most of the universities is free of charge. At the same time,
swedes with the normative way of thinking respect traditions, especially during the national

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holidays, for example, during the Saint Lucy's Day parents dress their children in a special white
dress (Nordstrom, 2010).
The level of globalization is very high in Sweden. For example, in Sweden the main second
language is English, and almost every swede knows English very well, and in business with
foreigners, they can communicate very easily.

Indulgent versus Restraint

This the last, sixth of Hofstede’s dimensions, and the main idea of this dimension are that on this
dimension the level of controlling the desires and impulses of people is measured. The societies
which score low from this dimension are considered as Restraint and in such societies, the
satisfaction of needs is very much controlled by the different social norms. However, societies
with a high level of Indulgent individuals have no such social norms and limitations that prevent
the satisfaction of basic and natural human needs and people enjoy life and have fun, they live as
they wish (Hofstede Insights, 2018).
Sweden with 78 points on this dimension is a pure Indulgent society. Even though Swedish
people love their privacy, they do not miss the chance to celebrate holidays, festivals, and
parties. This is the reason why the people of Sweden have numerous holidays and festivals.
For example, the society in Azerbaijan is considered Restraint, and people are very obsessed
with the opinions of their relatives, friends, colleagues and before doing something they consider
what are the thoughts of people, if something will affect their reputation they will not do this.
However, in Sweden for people their desires and needs are paramount, if they want to do
something they do not consider the opinions of other members of society, they just do what they
want. For example, in most countries, same-sex marriage is still prohibited, but in Sweden same-
sex marriage is almost on the same level as ordinary marriages.

Conclusion
In conclusion, every society has different psychology and national patterns, and these all affect
individuals’ both personal and business life. Even though every person is unique, and some
people can be completely different from their society, Hofstede’s six dimensions model is very
useful in today’s globalization era. Despite the fact that in some societies as years pass
Hofstede’s theory is changing as their national patterns change, for Swedish society, Hofstede’s
six dimensions are still true. Companies that are international and want to open an outlet in
Sweden or companies which recruit swedes should consider their national behaviors and patterns
according to Hofstede’s model.

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List of References

1) Hall, E. T., & Hall, M. R. (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences. Intercultural

Press, INC.
2) Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions
and Organizations Across Nations. SAGE
3) Hofstede, G. (2018). National Culture. Hofstede Insights. https://hi.hofstede-
insights.com/national-culture
4) Hofstede, G. (1983). The cultural relativity of organizational practices and theories.
Journal of International Business Studies. 14, 2, 75-89. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/222593
5) Hofstede, G. (1984). Cultural dimensions in management and planning. Asia Pacific
Journal of Management. 1, 2, 81-99. doi:10.1007/BF01733682
6) Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online
Reading in Psychology and Culture. 2, 1, 8. doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1014

7) Nordstrom, B.J. (2010). Culture and Customs of Sweden. Greenwood