Chinese Culture and Chinese People’s Innovation Ability From the Perspective of Hofstede’s Value Dimensions

韩莉

【Abstract】Hofstede has identified four value dimensions that have a significant impact on behavior in all cultures. These dimensions are power distance， uncertainty avoidance， individualism-collectivism， masculinity and Femininity. According to Hofstedes theory， Chinese culture is of great power distance， high uncertainty avoidance， collectivism and masculinity. These cultural characteristics are of great significance of the formation of peoples innovative consciousness， the development of innovative thinking， innovation team building， the courage and perseverance of the innovation process.

【Key words】Hofstedes value dimensions； Chinese culture； innovation

I. Introduction

Innovation is the soul of a nations progress， and the power of a countrys prosperity and development. Nowadays international competition will be mainly reflected in the competition for innovative talents. However， innovation ability is not innate， but acquired under the influence of a certain social environment， through education and training， system promotion， practical internship and the hard work of individual and groups. Among the factors of education and training， culture is one of the important factors that cannot be ignored. For the rising， is there an appropriate cultural soil for innovation in China？ How to improve peoples innovation ability is one of the cultural problems that cannot be avoided. The paper analyzes the influence of Chinese culture on peoples innovation ability from the perspective of Hofstedes value dimensions theory.

In order to distinguish the cultural characteristics of different countries， Dean of Holland Institute of cultural studies， Geert Hofstede wrote the famous book “the ending of culture” on the

basis of the data from the collected a total of 1160000 questionnaires from 40 countries in 20 languages on the perspective of attitude and values. Based on his study Results： Hofstede believes that cultural differences in different countries can be classified into four dimensions： Power distance， uncertainty avoidance， individual-collectivism， masculinity and Femininity.1

Power Distance： in some cultures， those who hold power and those who are affected by power are significantly far apart（high power-distance）in many ways， while in other cultures， the power holders and those affected by the power holders are significantly closer（low power-distance）. People in high-power-distance countries believe that power and authority are facts of life. These cultures teach their members that people are not equal in this world and that everybody has a rightful place， which is clearly marked by countless vertical arrangements. Social hierarchy is prevalent and institutionalizes inequality. Children seldom interrupt the teacher， show great reverence and respect for authority， and ask very few questions. In organizations， you find a greater centralization of power， a large proportion of supervisory personnel， and a rigid value system that determines the worth of each job. People in low-power-distance believe they are close to power and should have access to that power. To consider superiors to be the same kind of people as they are， and superior perceive their subordinates the same way. People in power， be they superiors or government officials， often interact with their constituents and try to look less powerful than they really are.

Uncertainty avoidance： high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures try to avoid uncertainty and ambiguity by providing stability for their members， establishing more formal rules， not tolerating deviant ideas and behaviors， seeking consensus， and believing in absolute truths and the attainment of expertise. They are also characterized by a higher level of anxiety and stress： people think of the uncertainty inherent in life as a continuous hazard that must be avoided. There is a strong need for written rules， planning， regulations， rituals， and ceremonies， which add structure to life. People in low-uncertainty –avoidance accept the uncertainty inherent in life more easily and are not as threatened by deviant people and ideas， so tolerate the unusual. They prize initiative， dislike the structure associated with hierarchy， are more willing to take risks， are more flexible， think that there should be as few rules as possible， and depend not so much on experts as on themselves， generalists， and common sense. As a whole， members of low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are less tense and more relaxed—traits reflected in the Irish proverb“Life should be a dance， not a race.”

Individualism –Collectivism： people in cultures that value individualism， their personal goals take priority over their allegiance to groups like the family or the employer. The loyalty of individualists to a given group is very weak； they feel they belong to many groups and are apt to change their membership as it suits them， switching churches， for example， or leaving one employer for another. An “I” consciousness prevails： competition rather than cooperation is encouraged； personal goals take precedence over group goals； people tend not to be emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions； and every individual has the right to his or her private property， thoughts， and opinions. These cultures stress individual initiative and achievement， and

they value individual decision making. People in Collective societies are born into extended families or clans that support and protect them in exchange for their loyalty. A “we” consciousness prevails： identity is based on the social system； the individual is emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions； the culture emphasizes belonging to organizations； organizations invade private life and the clans to which individuals belong； and individuals trust group decisions. Collective behavior， like so many aspects of couture， has deep historical roots.

Masculinity and femininity： masculinity is the extent to which the dominant values in a society are male oriented and is associated with such behaviors as ambition， differentiated sex roles， achievement， the acquisition of money， and signs of manliness. In a masculine society， men are taught to be domineering and assertive and women nurturing. Cultures that values femininity as a trait stress caring and nurturing behaviors. A feminine world view maintains that men need not be assertive and that they can assume nurturing roles； it also promotes sexual equality and holds that people and the environment are important. Gender roles in feminine societies are more fluid than in masculine societies. Interdependence and androgynous behavior are the ideal， and people sympathize with the unfortunate.

II. Innovation ability and Culture

Our former Minister of Education once gave a speech on China Innovation Forum and put forward that independent innovation ability should have three elements： innovative talents， innovation system and innovative culture. Innovation needs cultural soil. The traditional Confucius culture both benefits and hinders Chinese peoples innovation ability. We research the strengths and weaknesses of the influence of traditional Confucius culture to peoples innovation ability to help our own development.

III. Chinese culture and Chinese peoples innovation ability

According to Hofstedes four value dimensions， China belongs to the far-east couture. 100stands for the highest value of each， and 50 stands for the medium. In his statistics， China got 89 for power distance， 44 for uncertainty avoidance，39 for individualism-collectivism and 54 for masculinity and femininity. Chinese model is used to analyze the influence of Chinese couture on peoples innovation ability.

Power distance：

China belongs to the high power distance culture. Therere obvious gaps in different ranks and social classes in China. The privilege has been seen as a manifestation of glory， power and wealth and a sign of success. Peoples democratic consciousness is relatively weak compared with western countries. It is often a habit to be obedient to their superiors. In Chinese society， it is generally accepted that rank is natural， necessary and inevitable. And innovation needs to have the spirit of independence and freedom of thought， not the worship of authority blindly， not the fear of authority. The culture with large power distance is not conducive to peoples innovation consciousness. Chinese people are baptized by the Confucian culture， and they have conformist mentality and blindly advocate authorities. Few people question authorities， especially college students who rarely question the professors. Chinese Children are taught from an early age that they should be obedient to their parents at home， and to their teachers at school and to their leaders at work. Thus， obedience has been the basic principles of their life， the lack of critical thinking and questioning are not conducive to peoples innovation ability. Most peoples main motivation of work or study is to get a good job， to stand out and bring honor to their family， to repay their parents， to fulfill their goals of achievements， mostly referring to ones personal interests， not pursuing truth or promoting the development of all mankind. Utilitarian and superficial motivation hinders people to create.

Uncertainty avoidance：

Chinese culture is with a higher degree of uncertainty avoidance and is not easy to adapt to “uncertainty”. They pursue satisfaction with things as they are and stability. People tend to “abide by the law and behave oneself ” and “live and work in peace and contentment” and “take things as they are”. The innovation abilities are seen as adventures which require the courage to take risks and try new things. The characteristics of high uncertainty avoidance culture restrict peoples innovation thinking. Chinese culture emphasizes the conservative ideas like “unification”， the pursuit of “order”， “shoot the bird which takes the lead”， thus creates people lack of personality. Generation after generation， a nation of seeking stabilities and not adventure is formed. As for the Chinese examination-oriented education， students seldom learn in practice， so it is difficult to form and develop innovation abilities.

Individualism and collectivism：

According to Hofstedes statistics， Chinese culture emphasizes collectivism and has always respected the collective interests more than individual interests， national interests more than all values. Innovation requires collaboration. According to a comprehensive survey， over 1/3 of the Nobel Prize owners have been awarded for working with others. In contrast， only a few of the non-winning scientists cooperate actively with others. The results show that working together with others can increase creativity. From this point of view， the Chinese collective culture is conducive to peoples innovation ability.

Masculinity and femininity：

According to Hofstedes theory， the Chinese culture in this dimension is above middle and belongs to a masculine society. Since ancient times， Chinese people have the idea of “men go off work and women stay home with kids”. Now in the modern days， characteristics of masculinity are still obvious. Peoples value orientation is more utilitarian. Material properties and social status become a measure of success in most cases. Power and social relations are measures to judge ones ability. Roles of men and women in society are still different. The proportion of females work as leaders in all walks of life is still lower than that of males. Innovation needs fine qualities like perseverance and the spirit of never yield in spite of reverses in frustration. Never give up ones ideal and goals. The masculine culture is in favor of peoples clear goal， overcoming many difficulties and the ultimate success in their innovation process. The masculine culture is also conducive to building a regular system to reduce the group conflicts and overlapping power， to specific responsibilities and roles to deal with the problems unemotionally and ensure that the team innovation process is smooth. But to some extent， too standardized management may also weaken the interpersonal relationship， and make it difficult to build a cohesive team. Therefore， the influence of masculinity to peoples innovation ability is of two sides.

IV. Conclusion

Chinese culture with large power distance is not conducive to peoples innovation consciousness. Chinese high uncertainty avoidance culture restricts peoples innovation thinking. Chinese collective culture is conducive to peoples innovation ability. The influence of Chinese masculinity to peoples innovation ability is of two sides. Knowing about these impact， wed better make better use of our strengths and try to avoid our shortcomings to compete in the international world.

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