Through thousands of interviews asking the question of what type of culture one is looking for, and through my own struggles understanding what type of culture I believed was right for me, I was always relegated to fuzzy caricatures of culture through the lens of generalities. We all know the common phrases, work hard/play hard, family culture, corporate culture, and startupy (whatever that entails). Knowing there had to be better definitions, I came across the work of Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist who is well known for pioneering research on cross-culture groups and organizations. Being apart of different types of cultures in my career, there have been times where in the first week of joining a new organization, I knew I made a mistake in terms of cultural fit. Referencing Hofstede’s work, and with my own observations, I want to give some insight on questions to ask during the interview process, but also food for thought in reference to your own preferences when it comes to your professional contentment to provide optimal performance.
Description
Power Distance Index
The first dimension of Hofstede’s Cultural Index is the Power Distance Index. Power distance refers to the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted, between people with power. An example of a company with a high-power index would be a multi-national organization that is worth in excess of billions of dollars, with over 10,000 employees. Here there is a high vertical plane and complex hierarchy between the CEO of the company and an individual employee. To meet with the CEO could be akin to an audience with the Pope, though there are advantages in working in such companies also. On the other end of the spectrum is a company that is very flat, and usually one or two levels between an individual contributor and the CEO. One is likely on a first-name basis with the leader of the company, information travels very quickly, and the decision-making time frame is lightning fast in comparison. These types of companies are small private organizations or startups.
Advantages: A high PDI means that you likely belong to an organization with many more resources, there are more advancement opportunities, there are more structured roles and responsibilities, and you can settle into middle-management much more if you don’t have grand ambitions. The advantages of a low PDI means you have incredible visibility, a much better impact on decision making, and you usually have a much broader position than you would have at a more hierarchal company.
Individualism versus Collectivism Index
An individualistic company is one that when the work is done, you go home. These are organizations that there is no “family culture”, but a string of people who are doing a job, mostly in an individualistic capacity, with little interaction. Again, these are companies that might be large in nature, where you only know a handful of co-workers within your own department. Another example is an aggressive sales firm where everyone is out for their own best interests, and it's highly competitive in nature. In contrast, a collective environment is one where there is a strong culture based on similar values toward doing work. These are more social companies with multiple social events, designed for solidarity and a cohesive mission toward meeting a goal. Companies that could be considered collective are smaller in nature and have the need for collaboration between groups to effectively perform. In a collective environment, you know your co-workers fairly well, and the separation between work and home life can become blurred.
Advantages: In an individualistic organization you can have much more autonomy to work the way you want, and the decision-making is left to yourself and your superior for the most part; independent from other teams. If you’re highly competitive in nature, you would probably flourish more. In addition, the perks of an individualistic culture are that you’re able to get rewarded by recognition much more if that is one of your motivating drivers. In a collective company, you have much more of a sense of purpose and belonging. Work can be much more fun when you’re around co-workers you know very well, and there is a great team environment. You value where you work, and you’re more apt to stay as it truly feels like a family culture.
Masculinity versus Femininity Index
When considering masculinity and femininity, there is the natural inclination to think of it in terms of men and women’s classic values of either brute and beating your chest all day, or being overly sensitive. While there is some correlation, this has more to do with values and policies within an organization. A highly masculine culture could be considered rigid, competitive, with the bottom line more important than one person. An example used earlier, a sales organization could be considered masculine, and there is some comparison to be made between a highly masculine and individualist culture. A feminine organization places more onus on the worker and their happiness. These companies are more centered around extended benefits, more of a work/life balance, and a better emphasis on diversity and respecting differences.
Advantages: A masculine culture, while some might think it's ego-driven, is designed for a ton of work that has to be done in a short period of time. Public accounting could be considered masculine as the number of hours required to work during the busy season. That’s where the separation between what one traditionally thinks about masculinity and the perils that come with overabundance has to be considered, it merely means that the emphasis is more on the work. There can be a great value, like individualistic cultures, if you’re competitive and derive your motive for optimal performance from that, and you can master your craft in a masculine type of culture better possibly. In the same breath, a feminine culture can be a great fit for the most masculine of men, it is just a preference toward a value of employees other than the work. Here comfort is much more attainable, and knowing your own preference is critical.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index
The uncertainty dimension is pivotal in understanding as it is extremely determinant of job satisfaction. As it indicates, this is the capacity one might have when completing a task. Companies with a high UAI are usually much larger, much like power distance. These are companies that have been around for decades, with standard operating procedures dating back just as long, and highly defined positions with metrics that determine success. There is little autonomy, as most of what makes you successful has been determined for you. You have a playbook for success, and your position in most cases is to do the work correctly and accurately. A low UAI is the epitome of a startup, where people are thrust into positions they have never done before, there are limited resources and little help to figuring out issues, and it is usually outside of your natural scope of experience.
Advantages: Usually with a high UAI, you know exactly what success looks like, and if that is important to you it can give one a high sense of accomplishment. There is usually a litany of resources available if something is ambiguous, and usually, the day goes fairly smoothly if an issue does arise. You have the ability to highly specialize in one area and master it. On the other side, if you love puzzles, and figuring things out with the autonomy to do so, you will love to be in a company with a very low UAI. Creative and resourceful individuals thrive in a low UAI environment, because solving those issues becomes the reward itself. While it is hard to master like in a higher UAI, you know a little bit about a lot of different things which gives you skills that you wouldn’t get vice versa.
Understanding Yourself
While the extremes have been described, usually no one is on one side or the other. You can love to strive for recognition and competition, but still love to collaborate and connect with coworkers. A great exercise when beginning your job search is to analyze your past experience and examine positions or projects that were the most fun for you at the time. When have you been the happiest in your job to where Monday’s weren’t so bad? Using each scale, rate yourself and your preference in each, staying away from the middle as much as possible. If you had to pick one or the other, where do you think you’d be the happiest? In a giant conglomerate with multiple levels you can climb to, where you work mostly alone, don’t interact much with other departments, and success is pre-determined, or the oppositive of that? While it likely is somewhere in the middle as it is for most of us, say you had to pick a side for each of the four dimensions described (there are actually six in total), what would you decide? Make a list, of what you’ve done, what you’re doing now, and the position and company you want to see yourself at in the future.
Questions to ask in an Interview
Being very astute on job fit, even I was unfamiliar with the index until recently. Asking an interviewer how masculine their company is will likely get an eye batted, or a simple misunderstanding for what you’re trying to determine. Instead, below are a few questions that might give you potential insight from the Recruiter or hiring manager's perspective. If you do get the question of “what type of culture you’re looking for”, this is a great way to convey that you understand your preferences, and you’re insightful enough to list each of the four dimensions.
Power Distance Index
What does your org chart look like? How many levels are there from CEO downward?
How assessable is the CEO, would you say it’s an open-door policy where the leadership team is attuned to issues for the frontline employee?
What does success look like for promotion? What would be the career track for this role? (If it is a company where it is Staff Accountant I, Staff Accountant II, etc., you’ll know there is a high PDI)
What is the overall scope of the position, how specialized is the role? (This also gives insight to UAI)
Individualism versus Collectivism Index
How cohesive is the culture, would you describe it as a family environment?
Are there a lot of team-building events and corporate celebrations outside of work?
What is the collaboration like for teams in different areas of the company?
Masculine versus Feminine Index
What is a typical work week like, 40-50 hours, more? (Some interviewers are scared off by work/life balance questions)
Would you consider the culture team-oriented, or more competitive in nature?
What is the benefit structure? (Again, be careful about asking too quickly, as you want to be focused on adding value to the company, not so much what you’re getting until after the interview and into the offer stage)
How flexible would you describe the culture? Are there strict guidelines on 9-5, or is it more performance-oriented?
Uncertainty Avoidance Index
Has a job analysis been performed? What does success look like in the position?
What is the scope of responsibilities?
Has the manager been in a similar position?
Is this a newly created role, or a backfill?
While sometimes you never know a culture until you’re actually immersed in it, hopefully, you can gain better insight through understanding your own preferences, and asking the right questions to determine if it is a fit. While some of the examples have been extreme for illustration, even larger companies might be a collection of smaller departments with independent cultures from one another. One of the biggest reasons new employees aren’t successful is that they don’t understand what is the best fit going in, only to find out in dismay later. While Hofstede was a pioneer in cultural understanding, think for yourself in addition to what has been stated, and try to determine the things you’ve enjoyed about cultures you’ve been involved with in the past, and try to replicate that. Good luck!
