Cross culture is a concept that recognizes the differences among people of different nations, backgrounds, and ethnicities, and the importance of bridging them (Kopp, 2023). The different peoples of the world communicate with each other verbally and non-verbally, showing respect for different behaviors and activities; and taking part in those activities when invited to do so to support cross-cultural communication. The International Networking Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region in South Korea (ICHCAP) studies cultural heritage in Central Asia and develops plans for exchange and cooperation. One of the recent activities of this center was the holding of the International Forum on the traditional celebration of the New Year in Central Asia in May 2023 on the campus of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Issayeva, 2023). Nowruz has become the object of attention due to the humanitarian content of this holiday, the values that it promotes in matters of peace and solidarity between generations, an atmosphere of love and mutual understanding within families, as well as reconciliation and good neighborliness between representatives of different ethnic cultures and faiths.
However, mutual understanding between countries is based not only on political decisions. Intercultural and international understanding has become a decisive factor for the cultural, technological, and economic development of a state or nation. A significant role in establishing and maintaining intercultural communication is played by the similarity or proximity of cultural parameters, value systems, and worldviews. These dimensions can be defined using the Cultural Dimensions Typology developed by the Dutch scholar Geert Hofstede. It shows the influence of a society’s culture on the values of its members and how these values relate to behavior.
The theory offers several dimensions along which cultural values can be analyzed: individualism-collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; power distance (strength of social hierarchy), masculinity-femininity (task orientation vs. person orientation), long-term orientation, and indulgence vs. self-restraint (Helen Wale, n.d.)
To determine the nature of communication between South Korea and the countries of Central Asia, we chose this typology, although it must be taken into account that factual data on Hofstede’s theory were obtained by experts only in one of the Central Asian countries – in Kazakhstan, which we will consider due to historical and ethnic proximity of the peoples and ethnic groups of a given region as its full representative. The main cultural trends in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan are developing, although not identically, but mainly in a parallel plane.
Power distance is a dimension that denotes the degree to which the uneven distribution of power within a society is accepted by those members who lack this power. This dimension relates to the fact that all people in a society are not equal, thus it expresses the attitude of a culture towards inequality among people.
With an average score of 60, studies have shown that South Korea is a slightly hierarchical society. This means that people accept the existing hierarchical order in which everyone has their place. Centralization of power seems normal.
Kazakhstan, with an even higher score of 88, is a country where government officials are even further removed from society than those in South Korea. The distribution of power justifies the fact that those with power have more advantages than those less powerful in society. The discrepancy between less powerful and more powerful people results in high importance of status positions, in addition, as in other countries with high power distance, parents here expect children to obey without questioning their authority.
The fundamental issue in the collectivism-individualism cultural dichotomy is the degree of interdependence that a society maintains among its members. In individualistic societies, people should only care about themselves and their immediate family. In collectivist societies, people belong to “groups” that look after them in exchange for loyalty.
South Korea, with a score of 18, is considered a collectivist society. This manifests itself in a close long-term commitment to a member of the “group”, be it family, extended family, or extended relationship. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is of utmost importance and takes precedence over most other social rules and regulations. The society promotes strong relationships in which everyone takes responsibility for the other members of their group. Offense leads to shame and loss of face, the relationship between employer and employee is perceived in moral terms (like family ties), and hiring and promotion decisions take into account the employee’s ingroup. Kazakhstan’s similarly low score (20) indicates that it is also a very collectivist society. Greater importance is placed on the goals and well-being of the group. This is evident in early integration and close, long-term commitment to a strong, cohesive in-group. Loyalty and interdependence are of utmost importance.
A high score on the “motivation for achievement and success” dimension indicates that society will be driven by competition, achievement, and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in their field – a value system that begins in school and continues throughout life. A low score (consensus-oriented) on this dimension means that the dominant values in society are concern for others and quality of life. In a consensus-oriented society, quality of life is a sign of success, and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental question here is what motivates people: the desire to be the best (determined) or the love of what you do (consensus-oriented).
South Korea scores 39 on motivation to achieve and succeed and is thus considered a consensus society. In countries that score low on motivation to achieve and succeed, the focus is on “working to live.” Managers strive for consensus, and people value equality, solidarity, and quality in their work lives. Conflicts are resolved through compromise and negotiation. Incentives such as free time and flexibility are preferred. The focus is on well-being and status is not displayed. It doesn’t matter what social level you are at, the main thing is what you have achieved. With an intermediate score of 50, Kazakhstan has something of both worlds: high achievement and success motivation for certain parts and low achievement and success motivation for others, but no dominant cultural value.
The next dimension of “uncertainty avoidance” has to do with how 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 learned to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that attempt to avoid them is reflected in scores on uncertainty avoidance.
With 85, South Korea is one of the most uncertainty-averse countries in the world. South Korean people who exhibit high levels of uncertainty avoidance adhere to rigid codes of beliefs and behavior and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. In this culture, there is an emotional need for rules (even if rules never seem to work), time is money, people have an inner drive to be busy and work hard, precision and punctuality are the norm, innovation can be resisted, safety is the norm, an important element of individual motivation. Both institutions and individuals in this society strive to reduce uncertainty by applying strict rules, regulations, and the like.
Kazakhstan, with a score of 88, scored very highly on the Uncertainty Avoidance dimension, also demonstrating that as a nation it sees mechanisms to avoid ambiguity. People are reluctant to accept change and are very risk-averse. To minimize the level of uncertainty, the need for strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations is also supported here. The unknown is minimized by establishing these rules, regulations, etc.
Another dimension, long-term/short-term orientation, describes how each society must maintain some connections with its past while dealing with the problems of the present and the future, and societies prioritize these two existential goals differently. Normative societies, for example, those who score low on long-term orientation, prefer to preserve time-honored traditions and norms while viewing social change with suspicion. On the other hand, those with high culture scores take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and effort in modern education as a way to prepare for the future (Hofstede, 2023).
South Korea, with a score of 100, is considered one of the most pragmatic and long-term societies. The idea of one and all-powerful God is not familiar to South Koreans. People live their lives guided by virtues and good practical examples. In South Korea’s corporate business, for example, we see a long-term focus on higher equity capital rates, a priority on sustainable market share growth rather than quarterly profits, and so on. The idea behind this is that companies do not exist to make money for shareholders every quarter, but to serve their stakeholders and society as a whole for many generations to come (IvyPanda, 2023).
With a very high score (85), Kazakhstani culture is somewhat less so but still demonstrates high pragmatism. People believe that truth depends largely on situation, context, and time. They demonstrate the ability to easily adapt traditions to changing conditions, a strong tendency to save and invest, thrift, and perseverance in achieving results.
Finally, restraint vs. The indulgence dimension is defined as the degree to which people try to control their desires and impulses, depending on how they were raised. Thus, cultures with relatively weak control can be characterized as permissive, and with relatively strong control as restrained.
With a low score of 29, South Korean society is characterized by restraint. Societies that score low on this parameter are prone to cynicism and pessimism. Moreover, unlike indulgent societies, restrained societies do not place much emphasis on leisure and do not control the gratification of desires. People with this orientation feel that their actions are limited by norms and believe that self-indulgence is somewhat wrong.
A low score of 22 on this dimension indicates that a culture of restraint dominates in Kazakhstan to an even greater extent than in South Korea. Restraint indicates that society suppresses the satisfaction of needs and regulates it through social norms.
All of the above parameters highlight the significant similarities between the cultures of South Korea and Kazakhstan and, similarly, the other Central Asian countries we have pointed out. This suggests that, as a result, the Republic of Korea’s public diplomacy and soft power are more attractive and are not perceived as a threat to local cultures in Central Asian states. Sometimes the common belonging to the Altai language group is emphasized, which also brings people closer together (cabar.asia, 2021).
References
Cabar Asia (2021). Central Asia and South Korea: searching for opportunities to expand cooperation. Retrieved from https://cabar.asia/en/central-asia-and-south-korea-seeking-opportunities-for-increased-cooperation. Accessed on 01.12.2023.
Hofstede (2023). Country comparison tool. Retrieved from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool?countries=kazakhstan. Accessed on 05.12.2023.
Issayeva, Zhansulu (2023). 2023 International Forum on Central Asian Traditional New Year Celebrations. Retrieved from https://www.unesco-ichcap.org/2023-international-forum-on-central-asian-traditional-new-year-celebrations/#:~:text=The%202023%20International%20Forum%20on,May%202023%20in%20Seoul%2C%20ROK. Accessed on 05.12.2023.
Ivy Panda (2023). Hofstede: South Korea Analysis. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/hofstede-south-korea-analysis/. Accessed on 05.12.2023.
Kopp, Carol (2023). Cross Culture: Definition, examples, and differences across countries. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cross-culture.asp#:~:text=Cross%20culture%20is%20a%20concept,up%20and%20maintaining%20new%20markets. Accessed on 03.12.2023.
Wale, Helen (no date). CFI Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. Retrieved from https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-theory/. Accessed on 03.12.2023.
Note: The views expressed in this blog are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the Institute’s editorial policy.