Cultural Differences

Comparison between Bulgaria and

Turkey
Bulgaria
 Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less
powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed inequally.
Bulgaria scores high on this dimension (score of 70) which
means that people accept a hierarchical order in which
everybody has a place and which needs no further
justification.

 Individualism is he degree of interdependence a society

maintains among its members. It has to do with whether
people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”.
Bulgaria, with a score of 30 is considered a collectivistic
society. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to
the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or
extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is
paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and
regulations.
 A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society
will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success
being defined by the winner / best in field. A low score (Feminine) on
the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring
for others and quality of life. Bulgaria scores 40 on this dimension
and is thus considered a relatively Feminine society. In Feminine
countries the focus is on “working in order to live”, managers strive
for consensus, people value equality, solidarity and quality in their
working lives. Conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation.
The extent to which the members of a culture feel
threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have
created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is
reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance. Bulgaria scores 85
on this dimension and thus has a very high preference for avoiding
uncertainty. Countries exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain
rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox
behaviour and ideas. In these cultures there is an emotional need for
rules (even if the rules never seem to work) time is money, people
have an inner urge to be busy and work hard, precision and
punctuality are the norm, innovation may be resisted, security is an
important element in individual motivation.
 Long term orientation describes how every society has to
maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the
challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise
these two existential goals differently. With a score of 69,
Bulgaria has a Pragmatic culture. In societies with a pragmatic
orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on
situation, context and time. They show an ability to adapt
traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong propensity to
save and invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving
results.

 Relatively weak control is called “Indulgence” and relatively

strong control is called “Restraint”. Bulgaria has a very low
score of 16 in this dimension, making it a strongly Restrained
culture. Societies with a low score in this dimension have a
tendency to cynicism and pessimism.
Turkey
 Turkey scores high on this dimension (score of 66)
which means that the following characterises the
Turkish style: Dependent, hierarchical, superiors
often inaccessible and the ideal boss is a father
figure. Power is centralized and managers rely on
their bosses and on rules

 Turkey, with a score of 37 is a collectivistic society.

This means that the “We” is important, people
belong to in-groups (families, clans or
organisations) who look after each other in
exchange for loyalty. Communication is indirect and
the harmony of the group has to be maintained,
open conflicts are avoided.

 Turkey scores 45 and is on the Feminine side of the

scale. This means that the softer aspects of culture
such as leveling with others, consensus, sympathy
for the underdog are valued and encouraged.
Conflicts are avoided in private and work life and
 Turkey scores 85 on this dimension and thus there is a huge
need for laws and rules. In order to minimize anxiety, people
make use of a lot of rituals. For foreigners they might seem
religious, with the many references to “Allah”, but often they
are just traditional social patterns, used in specific situations
to ease tension.

 Turkey’s intermediate score of 46 is in the middle of the scale

so no dominant cultural prefernce can be inferred.

 With an intermediate score of 49, a characteristic

corresponding to this dimension cannot be determined for
Turkey.
 Geert Hofstede is an influential Dutch expert on the
interactions between national cultures and
organizationals cultures, and is an author of several
books.
 Hofstede demonstrated that there are national and
regional cultural groupings that affect the behaviour
of organisations, and that are very persistent across
time.
 Hofstede has found five dimensions of
culture in his study of national work related
values. Replication studies have yielded
very similar results, pointing to stability of
the dimensions across time.
 Professor Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most comprehensive
studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. He
defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind
distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from
others”.

 The six dimensions of national culture are Dimensions of national

culture, Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism versus
Collectivism (IDV),
 Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance Index
(UAI), Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative
Orientation (LTO), Indulgence versus Restraint (IVR).

 The six dimensions of national culture are based on extensive

research done by Professor Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede,
Michael Minkov and their research teams.

 The application of this research is used worldwide in both academic

and professional management settings.
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