Hofstede's Insights

ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
If we explore the Philippine culture through the lens of the Hofstede’s Insights, we can
get a good overview of the deep drivers of the Philippine culture relative to other world
cultures.
POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it
expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. 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 unequally.
At a score of 94, The Philippines is a hierarchical society. This means that people accept
a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification.
Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular,
subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat
INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the 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”. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves
and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care
of them in exchange for loyalty.
The Philippines, with a score of 32, 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. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes
responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivist societies offence leads to shame
and loss of face, employer/employee relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family
link), hiring and promotion decisions take account of the employee’s in-group, management is
the management of groups.
MASCULINITY
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 value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational life.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are
caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of
success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what
motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).
The Philippines scores 64 on this dimension and is thus a Masculine society. In
Masculine countries people “live in order to work”, managers are expected to be decisive and
assertive, the emphasis is on equity, competition and performance and conflicts are resolved by
fighting them out.
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with
the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it
happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with
this anxiety in different ways. 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.
The Philippines scores 44 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for avoiding
uncertainty. Low UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more
than principles and deviance from the norm is more easily tolerated. In societies exhibiting low
UAI, people believe there should be no more rules than are necessary and if they are
ambiguous or do not work they should be abandoned or changed. Schedules are flexible, hard
work is undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake, precision and punctuality do not
come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.

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ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular,

The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a

of them in exchange for loyalty.

the management of groups.

The Philippines scores 64 on this dimension and is thus a Masculine society. In

fighting them out.

these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.

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