Of Orrefors and Noritake: or, has Geert Hofstede something to say about web site design?
| Date | 01 July 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520610686265 |
| Pages | 337-340 |
| Published date | 01 July 2006 |
| Author | G.E. Gorman |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
EDITORIAL
Of Orrefors and Noritake:
or, has Geert Hofstede something
to say about web site design?
G.E. Gorman
School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington,
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at Geert Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture.
Design/methodology/approach – Reviews Hofstede’s web site and numerous of his writings.
Findings – The distinctive sites mentioned are a reflection of Swedish and Japanese dimensions of
culture respectively. In a global village, where the web is almost ubiquitous, this kind of
understanding is more important than ever.
Originality/value – Considers the value that Hofstede’s paradigm, or perhaps another cross-cultural
analytical tool, might have in enhancing understanding of web design and usability.
Keywords Worldwide web, Nationalcultures
Paper type General review
The innovative cross-cultural researcher, Geert Hofstede, believes that we can
characterise national and organisational cultural types according to what he terms
“Five dimensions of culture”, with which many readers will be familiar http://feweb.
uvt.nl/center/hofstede/page3.htm:
(1) power distance;
(2) individualism;
(3) masculinity;
(4) uncertainty avoidance; and
(5) long-term/short-term orientation.
Power distance refers to the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in a
society. It is the extent to which the less powerful members of organisations and
institutions (for example, the family) accept that power is distributed unequally. This
represents inequality as defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a
society’s level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. A
high power distance ranking for a country or society indicates strong inequalities of
power and wealth, whereas a low power distance ranking suggests that society places
much less emphasis on differences between power and wealth.
Individualism – with its opposite, collectivism – refer s to the degree to which a
society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships.
Individualism addresses the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. A
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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Editorial
337
Online Information Review
Vol. 30 No. 4, 2006
pp. 337-340
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/14684520610686265
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