Cultural forces shaping social influences: the role of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of cultural forces that shape social influence with a look at Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism. The direct effect of these cultural dimensions on social influence is investigated. To measure social influence, this paper relies on the dimensions of Hofstede. A multiple regression analysis is applied to answer the hypotheses. The research design adopted for the research was quantitative, and the method used to collect data was an online survey. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and distributed to the targeted respondents for obtaining primary data.The respondents involved were 340 SMEs in the urban area of Harare province in Zimbabwe. A nonprobability convenience sampling method was used for the study. Hofstede’s cultural factors of power distance, individualism, and uncertainty avoidance were used as the independent variables that moderate social influence.

Keywords: {'name': 'Culture'}, {'name': 'power distance'}, {'name': 'individualism'}, {'name': 'uncertainty avoidance'}, {'name': 'cultural dimensions'}

Authors & affiliations

RC Chabika
Affiliation not supplied

JH Van Schalkwyk
Affiliation not supplied

LR Jansen van Rensburg
Affiliation not supplied

Re-an Muller
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

DOI: 10.1002/jsc.4240030307

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102437

DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12486

DOI: 10.1108/CCSM-04-2019-0084

DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.414

Andrijauskien, M., & Dumciuvien, D. (2017). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and national innovation level. DIEM: Dubrovnik International Economic Meeting, 3(1), 189–205.

DOI: 10.1525/9780520313514-017

DOI: 10.1177/0022022100031001009

DOI: 10.1109/ICSE-SEIP.2017.33

Bartlett, C. A., & Ghoshal, S. (2003). Managing across borders: The transnational solution (2nd ed.). Harvard Business School Press.

Beamer, L., & Varner, I. (2001). Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2008.06.002

DOI: 10.1177/0893318912465815

DOI: 10.1007/s11575-015-0253-8

DOI: 10.1177/0149206314527131

Davlembayeva, D., & Papagiannidis, S. (2024). Social influence theory: A review. In S. Papagiannidis (Ed.), TheoryHub Book. https://open.ncl.ac.uk ISBN: 9781739604400

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_806-1

DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.23.1.263

DOI: 10.3390/su14105851

Espig, A., Mazzini, I. T., Zimmermann, C., & Castro de Carvalho, L. (2022). National culture and innovation: A multidimensional analysis. Innovation & Management Review, 19(4), 322–338.

DOI: 10.1177/001872675400700202

DOI: 10.1007/s41471-021-00106-8

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0094

DOI: 10.1177/0022022109332738

DOI: 10.25300/MISQ/2018/13215

Gladwell, M. (2011). Outliers: The story of success (2nd ed.). Back Bay Books.

DOI: 10.1002/jocb.395

Gudykunst, W. B., & Kim, Y. Y. (2003). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural communication (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Gupta, M. (2021). Social network behavior inappropriateness: The role of individual-level espoused national cultural values. Information & Management, 58(5), 103489.

Gupta, S., & Sharma, R. R. (2021). Innovation and cultural differences: The role of culture in innovation in multinational organizations. Innovation Journal, 19(4), 50–67.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7

Helmreich, R. L., & Foushee, H. C. (1993). Why crew resource management? Empirical and theoretical bases of human factors training in aviation. Academic Press.

Helmreich, R. L., John, A. W., Klinect, J. R., & Merritt, A. C. (2001). Culture, error, and crew resource management. In E. Salas, C. A. Bowers, & E. Edens (Eds.), Improving teamwork in organizations: Applications of resource management training (pp. 305–334). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Hofstede, G. (2022). The 6-D model of national culture. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gertjan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/

DOI: 10.9707/2307-0919.1014

Hofstede, G. H., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Hofstede, G. (2003). Cultural dimensions. Retrieved from www.geert-hofstede.com

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Sage Publications.

DOI: 10.1177/1069397103259443

DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.884

DOI: 10.30880/jtmb.2020.07.02.006

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-11502-9_5

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101748

DOI: 10.14738/abr.52.2768

DOI: 10.5465/amr.1995.9512280032

DOI: 10.1057/s41267-016-0037-9

Klopf, D. W. (1998). Intercultural encounters: The fundamentals of intercultural communication (4th ed.). Morton Publishing.

Kluckhohn, C. (1951). The study of culture. In D. Lerner & H. D. Lasswell (Eds.), The policy sciences (pp. xx–xx). Stanford University Press.

Kluckhohn, F. R., & Strodtbeck, F. L. (1961). Variations in value orientations. Row, Peterson.

DOI: 10.5559/di.20.4.05

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.509611

DOI: 10.1177/0149206305279367

DOI: 10.1007/s11575-021-00447-w

DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400150

DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2017.08.001

DOI: 10.1109/TSE.2014.2360674

Limna, P., Siripipatthanakul, S., Siripipattanakul, S., Woodeson, K., & Auttawechasakoon, P. (2022). Applying the UTAUT to explain factors affecting English learning intention via Netflix (English subtitle) among Thai people. Asia-Pacific Review of Research in Education, 1(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4236/apr.2022.11001

DOI: 10.1108/13527600710745741

Marikyan, D., & Papagiannidis, S. (2023). Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology: A review. In S. Papagiannidis (Ed.), TheoryHub book (pp. xx–xx). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43178-6_8

DOI: 10.1177/0018726702551004

Mei, Y. C., & Aun, N. B. (2019). Factors influencing consumers' perceived usefulness of M-wallet in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 8, 1–23.

DOI: 10.1177/0022022100031003001

Milosevic, D. (2019). The economic and management of natural resources: Comparison of Hofstede's cultural dimensions between Italy, Germany, & Serbia. The Economic and Management of Natural Resources, 10, 77–110.

DOI: 10.4135/9781483384719

DOI: 10.1108/JOCM-08-2017-0311

Neuliep, J. W. (2015). Intercultural communication: A contextual approach (6th ed.). Sage.

Nickerson, C. (2023). Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 11/09/2024 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/hofstedes-culture-dimensions-theory.html

Nkando, M., & Levitt, K. (2021). Perceived effects of power distance on organizational change in a multicultural organization. International Leadership Journal, 13(2), 54–81. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3537179

Orr, L. M., & Hauser, W. J. (2008). A re-inquiry of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions: A call for 21st century cross-cultural research. The Marketing Management Journal, 18(2), 1-19.

DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12172

Phetnoi, N., Siripipatthanakul, S., & Phayaphrom, B. (2021). Factors affecting purchase intention via online shopping sites and apps during COVID-19 in Thailand. Journal of Management in Business, Healthcare and Education, 1(1), 1-17.

Phillips, N., Babbitt, A., Cho, S., Kane, J., Mejeur, C., & Pearson, C. (2020). Creating spaces for interdisciplinary research across literature, neuroscience and DH: A case study of the digital humanities and literary cognition lab (DHLC). Digital Humanities Quarterly, 14(3). https://digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/14/3/000447/000447.html

DOI: 10.1108/JOCM-08-2017-0311

Poturak, M., Meki?, E., Hadžiahmetovi?, N., & Budur, T. (2020). Effectiveness of transformational leadership among different cultures. Journal of Business and Management, 26(2), 119-129. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjbm.2020.26.2.11

DOI: 10.1142/S136391961730001X

Rong, V. (2020). The impact of East Asian cultural values on familial interactions. Undergraduate Research Writing Conference, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey.

Roudometof, V., & Musa, B. A. (2024). Communication and globalization: Media, culture, and society in the 21st century. Frontiers in Communication. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topic/51243/communication-and-globalization-media-culture-and-society-in-the-21st-century

DOI: 10.1177/1059601112470405

DOI: 10.1162/152417301750406112

Schwartz, S. H. (2020). National culture as value orientations: Consequences of value differences and cultural distance. In V. Ginsburgh & D. Throsby (Eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture (pp. 2). Amsterdam: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814376-5.00009-X

DOI: 10.1002/job.2357

DOI: 10.1016/0883-9026(93)90011-S

DOI: 10.3390/su131910820

Sherif, M. (1935). A study of some social factors in perception. Archives of Psychology, 25(69).

DOI: 10.20525/ijrbs.v13i6.3516

DOI: 10.1504/JBM.2020.141281

DOI: 10.2307/2095521

DOI: 10.1037/a0018938

DOI: 10.1155/2019/3946356

DOI: 10.1108/MD-05-2017-0462

Toivanen, P. S. (2023). 5 ways Nordic leadership can boost productivity through trust and flexibility. Retrieved from https://nordic-minds.com/blog

DOI: 10.1177/1368430220921940

DOI: 10.1177/106939719302700301

DOI: 10.1023/A:1027452919403

Vinney, C. (2024). Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions—and why they matter. Verywell Mind. Retrieved 16/09/2024 from https://www.verywellmind.com/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-858990

DOI: 10.1080/0958519032000114219

Weber, M. (1930). The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Scribner/Simon & Schuster.

DOI: 10.5465/amj.2008.0843

DOI: 10.5465/annals.2015.0134

DOI: 10.1111/joms.12520

Wong, Y.H., & Chok, N.V. (2021). Malaysian consumers’ purchase intention towards online seafood shopping amid pandemic: The moderating role of the Covid-19 risk perception. International Journal of Business, Marketing and Communication, 1(3), 1-18.

DOI: 10.1080/13602380701698418

Wu, M-Y. (2006). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions 30 years later: a study of Taiwan and the United States. Intercultural Communications Studies, XV(1), 33-42.

DOI: 10.34069/AI/2020.26.02.14

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_1124-1

Zimmermann, K. A. (2017). American culture: Traditions and customs of the United States. Live Science. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from https://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html