Uncertainty avoidance Essays

Uncertainty avoidance Essays Uncertainty avoidance Essay Uncertainty avoidance Essay Uncertainty avoidance 1 . uncertainty Avoidance, a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. The uncertainty avoidance dimension expresses the degree to which a person in society feels uncomfortable with a sense of uncertainty and ambiguity. The fundamental issue here is how 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? Countries exhibiting strong Uncertainty avoidance Index or IJAI, maintain rigid codes f belief and behavior and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. Weak I-JAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance tend to be more emotional. They try to minimize the occurrence of unknown and unusual circumstances and to proceed with careful changes step by step by planning and by implementing rules, laws and regulations. In contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable nvironments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of change. 2 There are many ways to detect if someone has a high amount of Uncertainty Avoidance. For example, the use of formality in interaction with others, dependence of formalized policies and procedures, apparent resistance of change are all characteristics of high uncertainty avoidance. Signs of High Uncertainty avoidance More physical and apparent ways to detect if someone has a high Uncertainty Avoidance is to check if they display the ollowing descriptions or attributes. Do they follow a strict structure with rules and expertise, do they have high security (avoiding the unfamiliar). Also you can check if they are hectic, stressful or even emotional. 3 ln contrast people can also exhibit characteristics of low Uncertainty Avoidance. Unlike high IJA, those with a low level use informality in interaction with others, they often rely on informal norms and behaviors in most matters. Also, they will show moderate resistance to change. Signs of low uncertainty avoidance To detect if someone has a low uncertainty avoidance eep a keen eye out for the following symptoms and hints. Such people often abide by only a few rules and live a life with little set structure, one that is loose and free; they will appear to be calm and collected. Also, they are interested most likely in entrepreneurship and business matters. 4 Those with High uncertainty avoidance are often to be characterized as more careful and considerate types of people. However, the low uncertainty avoidance personalities are tend to show the highest risky natures. The following characterizations were by the average perceived Uncertainty Avoidance based on the basic concepts of Uncertainty avoidance like risky behaviors and personality. Low Uncertainty Avoidance Countries Some of the lowest uncertainty avoidance countries are unsurprisingly USA, I-JK, India, China and Indonesia, perhaps in an obvious way if you understand the concept of Uncertainty avoidance. These countries often are large capitalist countries that invest heavily and produce a lot while exhibiting signs of high and risky behavior. High Uncertainty Belgium, Italy, Russia, Korea and Mexico. These countries are for the most part elatively calm and collected. The countries usually participate in safe behaviors and live life with a rigorous and set structure. 5 Uncertainty Avoidance is taught so managers can have an idea what sort of rules and practices are accepted and necessary in different cultures. For example cultures with high uncertainty avoidance usually do better with more laws and regulations and cultures with low uncertainty avoidance expect more space and more freedom. Managers study uncertainty avoidance to be better prepared to manage in an international setting. 6 ln the ame way managers can face situations where they have to deal with employees of different cultures businessmen are expected to do business across different cultures and uncertainty avoidance can give insight to whether a culture expects you to strictly adhere to rules and traditions or whether you are allowed more freedom and familiarity. 7 Similar to international business, international communications requires you to bridge the gap between many cultures and adhering to social norms is an important part of international relations. And uncertainty avoidance applies to ocial norms in different cultures. 8 Uncertainty avoidance is important in international negotiations because negotiations relies on reaching an understanding and that can be made difficult if the other party expects you to follow different norms or if the other party is not comfortable with certain situations. Uncertainty avoidance also applies in many fields other than international business and the cultures associated with high or low uncertainty avoidance are also associated with specific traits. 9 n politics, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance citizens tend to have ow interest in politics and citizen protests are repressed. This is because political unrest would bring about changes which the majority would not be comfortable with. There also tends to be many laws with laws being more specific as to avoid any uncertainty in the interpretation and to guide which behavior is acceptable. On the other side of the spectrum in cultures with lo w uncertainty avoidance citizens tend to be very interested in politics as it serves as a tool for change. Protests are accepted as another tool for change and laws are general. 0 ln education, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance, teachers as viewed as having all the answers and learning is structured. A lot of focus is emphasized on mathematics and science. In cultures with low uncertainty avoidance, teachers are not necessarily viewed as all knowing and the learning is open minded with less focus on facts. Uncertainty avoidance also affects the family life, cultures with uncertainty avoidance tend to have rigid gender roles and cultures with low uncertainty avoidance have more flexible and more varied gender roles.