I think his analysis is quite off the mark at times. I’ll go point by point.
[quote]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.
Taiwan scores high on this dimension (score of 58) which means that people accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. Hierarchy in an organisation 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. Challenges to the leadership are not well-received.[/quote]
If anything, I’d expect this score to be much higher.
[quote]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.
Taiwan, with a score of 17 is 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 overrides most other societal rules and regulations. Such a society fosters strong relationships, where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivistic societies, offence leads to shame and loss of face. Employer/employee relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family link), hiring and promotion take account of the employee’s in-group. Management is the management of groups.[/quote]
I think this really depends upon the situation. In terms of the family or other people with whom there is a relationship, Taiwanese culture appears quite collectivist to me. In terms of general society, a lot of people don’t seem to give a shit about anyone else. The average Western society is more collectivist in that regard.
[quote]Masculinity / Femininity
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 behaviour.
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).
Taiwan scores 45 on this dimension and is thus considered a 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. Incentives such as free time and flexibility are favoured. Focus is on well-being, status is not shown. An effective manager is a supportive one, and decision making is achieved through involvement.[/quote]
I agree with his first (two) paragraph(s), although the education system is pretty extremely masculine by that definition, at least in certain aspects. Those last two sentences of the last paragraph are flat out wrong.
[quote]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 UAI score.
Taiwan scores 69 on this dimension and thus has a high preference for avoiding uncertainty. Countries exhibiting high uncertainty avoidence 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.[/quote]
Broadly, I agree, except with the contention that Taiwanese value precision and punctuality. How long has he been living here? I would argue that there’s something wrong here. One cannot avoid uncertainty without precision and punctuality. I find living in Taiwan to be an extremely uncertain and unpredictable experience in a whole lot of ways.
[quote]Long term orientation
The long term orientation dimension is closely related to the teachings of Confucius and can be interpreted as dealing with society’s search for virtue, the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather than a conventional historical short-term point of view.
Taiwan scores 87, making it a long term orientation culture. Societies with a long-term orientation show an ability to adapt traditions to a modern context i.e. pragmatism, a strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, perseverance in achieving results and an overriding concern for respecting the demands of Virtue. The countries of South East Asia and the Far East are typically found at the long-term end of this dimension.[/quote]
I would not describe Taiwan as having a long term orientation at all. Its demographics, its workplace structures and economy, and its environment (man made and “natural” – if there are such places in Taiwan!) do not point to the long term. With its power distance and its extreme individualism in some areas, I think this place is extremely short term focussed. You want to see short term thinking? Drive a vehicle in Taiwan. This morning, near my house, I saw a woman without a helmet riding a scooter with one hand holding an umbrella with the other while it poured down rain. Maybe having the foresight to burn host money at a temple counts towards having a long term orientation.