Part 6: Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory - Masculinity v Femininity

->Part 5<-

The dichotomy I will be addressing in this post is bit problematic because the naming of it is challenging in its sexist titles. Hofstede decided that countries that show competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, materialism and desire for power are Masculine in nature while those who value relationships and quality of life are Feminine. Certainly stereotypes of both genders can be used to support the naming but, on the contrary, anyone at a beauty contest can attest to female competitiveness and I  believe Quality of Life (at least in their minds) is pursued by men as well as women. Additionally, gender role distinction is higher for masculine societies than feminine which flies in the face of nearly every romance novel on the market today.  Nevertheless there is a polarization detailed by his research and thus requires some form of labeling. Various people have renamed the poles to Quantity of Life v Quality of Life... still problematic in my view but less sexist. I will stick with the original names to maintain continuity with the original research but keep in mind they are labels rather than descriptors.

Before I list the country scores also keep in mind that this is not capturing Foreign Relations policy but individual attitudes at a group level. For instance the US scores almost in the middle of the dichotomy with a 62. When viewing Foreign Policy over the past fifty years the ambition, power and aggression-- much less assertiveness-- immediately jump out as extreme examples. However that is from a nationalistic stand point and it is often true that national behavior and individual behaviors are different. Another conundrum is that Russia scores a 36 on the scale meaning it is heavy to the feminine side which would also go contrary to its foreign relations since it was first formed. Norway and Sweden fall at the extreme feminine side with single digit scores.

As a subculture in the United States, UK, Australia and other English speaking countries I think we would have the same confusion presented by our societies. However I will go out on a limb and say that we squelch our ambition, competitiveness and assertiveness out of a desire to avoid conflict. Research does indeed show a difficulty in identifying with a single gender (Williams, P., & Allard, A. (1996). Case study: Cross-gender preoccupations in two male children with autism. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 26(6), 635-642. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Aspergirls: Empowering Females With Asperger Syndrome). Additionally the traits of Higher Functioning Autism and Aspergers are more acceptable in women than men indicating that the groups are seen as more feminine from an outside view.

And again, as with Power Distance, you should attempt to make a determination about the nature of the people you work with and use the tips suggested by Kwintessential accordingly here in the US or other of the English speaking clusters.  With those on the 'feminine' side respect the boundary between business and life, expect men and women to have similar roles in the group and work to establish trust. For more 'masculine' individuals keep in mind that your work life boundaries may not mean much, or anything, to them and that business can occur at any time. This is especially relevant in terms of networking. For a 'masculine' person any event can be a place to discuss business and your actions in that setting will reflect on how they perceive you in the workplace. This extends to social sites one the web too. A professional LinkedIn account and an unprofessional Facebook account will hurt you with the more 'masculine' cultures.

->Part 7<-

Helpful resources:

World Map of Masculinity v Femininity

Masculinity/Femininity - Tips

Part 5: Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory - Uncertainty Avoidance Index

->Part 4<-

The Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) from Hofstede measures how a culture handles ambiguity, uncertainty and change. Those groups that measure high on the UAI tend to experience high anxiety regarding uncertainty and seek to limit or minimize the uncertainty in any given situation. Cultures that measure low on the index try to have as few rules as possible, are more pragmatic and are more tolerant of change. Examples of countries that are high on the UAI are Greece, Russia, Poland and Portugal (contrary to popular views of Germany is it much closer to the middle). Countries that score low on the scale are Sweden, China and the UK; while the US is low at a score of 46 it is not the lowest by far.

From a theoretical standpoint I think the Autsim subculture would score very high on this index. In fact I suspect most readers of that last statement said "well, duh". Ritualistic behavior, precision and the need for sameness are hallmarks of of autistic behavior at all levels and sometimes, depending on the situation, this has been included as part of the Autistic Advantage (source).

For those of us in low scoring countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, China and the US (map) I cannot think of a stronger point of conflict between the subculture and culture as a whole. In those countries that are high on the Index many of these behaviors may be seen as well within cultural bounds offering a rare break for ASD folk in their attempts at integrating with society.

I would go into detail regarding Kwintessential's tips for dealing with cultures that score lower than us on UAI but I imagine they are well known in practice, if not theory. All of us in low index countries have had to learn to deal with the changes common to the neurotypical society around us and being told to be more flexible. I would be interested to hear how someone from a high UAI country experiences this dimension.

As suggestions to those of us on the Spectrum I would say focus on the anxiety created by the changes with typical anxiety measures such as meditation, calming talk, a type of tea that works for you and possibly medication.  Xanax has been used for anxiety attacks but the potential for addiction and misuse make it impractical for any sustained usage. Some anti-depressants have been for effective for reducing anxiety in general and may be a good line of defense against total meltdowns.  Here are a couple of articles that offer anxiety remedies to try: 5 Quick Ways & 25 ways to relieve anxiety

->Part 6<-

Helpful resources:

World Map of Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty Avoidance - Tips

5 Quick ways to overcoming anxiety

25 ways to relieve anxiety

Part 4: Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory - Individualism v Collectivism

->Part 3<-

Next up for Hofstede's dichotomies is Individualism v. Collectivism. This measures the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups and how they perceive themselves in that group. Individualists tend to use first person singular pronouns, look out for themselves, place their emphasis on personal achievement and choose their own affiliations with others. Collectivist groups (non-political) see themselves  as part of a group, will use first person plural more frequently, look out for the good of the group and take their lead on friendships and partnerships from the group as a whole.

Not surprisingly the United States is one of the strongest Individualist societies measured by Hofstede (source) with Australia the UK slightly behind it. Canada is still strongly individualist as well though not as strong as the first three. At the opposite end of the spectrum you find China, Pakistan and the northern countries of South America [note the split between the northern countries -- Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela-- and the Chile, Argentina, Brazil & Uruguay cluster is fascinating].

In a theoretical sense I can make an argument for Autism being either an individualist subculture due to the well documented social issues or a collectivist subculture due to the unifying experience of being an excluded and in many cases severely tormented group. The research in this area has been heavily focused on the issues of ASD folk integrating with the Neurotypical society (e.g. Source 1, Source 2) which then tends to lead us on a path of individualism. Countering that is the growing belief that Autism is a variation of the human condition rather than an illness requiring a cure.  Web sites like The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Shift Journal and Wrong Planet offer a much more communal feel indicating a process of integration not seen among neurotypical groups in the United States and other individualist societies.

I think it is safe to say that regardless of where an ASD subculture would fall on the individualist v collectivist dichotomy the extreme individualism of the United States, Great Britain, Australia and, to a lesser extent, Canada requires a work interaction approach similar to someone coming from a collectivist society. To that end the tips from Kwinitessential are extremely applicable:

• Use your own initiative; do not depend on the group for answers
• Personal life and business life are usually kept separated
• People will expect to be given a chance to complete work on their own without intervention from you
• Co-workers will attempt to stand out in some way even in group settings; this is expected and tolerated

And while the Kwintessential tips do not state this I think it bears exploration in terms of the last tip I paraphrased. It is common for those on the Spectrum to avoid calling attention to themselves and may even resent those who do. In the work setting those who call attention to themselves are often promoted or rewarded meaning that many of us on the Spectrum get left behind. It will feel alien to you to point to your own work but you may have to do just that if you want to get ahead. Come up with a way that works for you and run with it. if nothing else keep a journal of projects and accomplishments that you have done to break out at your review or put on your resume when looking for a job. Resentment and resistance to this are natural for someone on the Spectrum but do not let it paralyze you.

As a final note I want to address the concept of using advocates in the job hunt or the workplace. With limited exception a true agent is not a normal practice in the American workplace (I cannot speak for elsewhere but I would suspect that the UK, Australia and Canada are similar in that aspect). Institutionalized advocates are barely present in the form of the Equal Employment Opportunity officers, Ombudsmen and Employee Relations and keep in mind, they all work for the company too. They may not be totally biased but they do have to balance their considerations.  It is not all bleak though. Recruiters are a common way to find work and given a bit of honesty between you and the recruiter they can be an excellent advocate in the job search even helping you gloss over some of the difficulties you might have. Inside the workplace you can find the people I mentioned above that will help you resolve issues and possibly even get fair treatment. Additionally many companies provide Employee Assistance Programs that offer counseling in psychological, monetary or even legal terms. And then there are the governmental and non-profit organizations such as the EEOC or GRASP that can help with guidance. Check these out and make use of them.

Update: I totally forgot about Unions as a form of workplace advocacy. If you are in an industry with trade union representation it may be well worth the dues and time to engage them with your workplace struggles.

->Part 5<-

Helpful Resources:

World Map of Individualism - Hofstede

Individualism - Tips

Part 3: Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory - Working well with those in authority

->Part 2<-

Hofstede's Power Distance Index (PDI) measures how we perceive the hierarchical authority in a given situation (family, work, etc.). On one end you have more autocratic and/or authoritative expectations where someone decides for the rest and with a limited group of influencers making the decision. On the other end are the more egalitarian and/or democratic cultures where everyone has equal rights and decisions tend to be made with a more cooperative input scheme (voting, meetings etc.). For clear examples think of the Big Brother government as one extreme and the Hobbesian state of nature on the other.  The US, Canada and England fall just to the Hobbesian side of middle meaning that as a culture they expect a certain level or power distance but that there is also a sense of equality and expected involvement in decisions.  For more countries please see the World Map provided here.

For those of us on the Spectrum being in the middle is probably a horrible place; I suspect that we would rather know exactly what was expected or that nothing was expected. For instance we may not know when the power role ends and the equality role begins: "I could never tell when he was being my boss and when he was being my friend" (source) and then act in ways that are inappropriate for the expected relationship or, as in the case of the article in question, fail to protect ourselves when the relationship is being abused.

For myself I will often use humor to defuse a tense situation but in the case of being dressed down by my manager for flaws this is a poor course. I may be able to disagree with them but it needs to be in a sober straightforward way or with light humor. To be honest I am still working on that aspect of my inter-work relationships.

Thankfully Kwintessential has a list of tips available on their site on how to deal with those who are above or below the score on scale (tips).  Using the map and the tips you can make a general assumption about the environment you are heading into; be warmed though, an individual boss may be from a different culture in which case their expectations may be different from the general population.  Learn about your boss, watch how they treat others and how others treat them. That should give you an idea of what they will expect and where they might fall in relation to yourself on the PDI.

As for inside the Autism subculture I suspect that we are much further towards the egalitarian side of the index. Whether learned from our experiences in dealing with difficult authority figures (teachers, parents, adults, bosses) or innate is beyond me and I have not found any studies on this yet.  This may come into major conflict where someone expects to be treated with a certain level of respect and instead we are familiar and informal with them.

The conflicts we experience at work may come down to our mis-perception of the Power Distance Index that then colors our interactions with people in different levels of authority. In addition to the normal communication steps we need to follow (eliminate the pedantic conversation, listen well to others, etc) a weather eye on the Power Distance Index will help smooth things over with those in positions of authority.

->Part 4<-

Helpful links:

World Map of Power Distance Index Scores

Tips on dealing with Power Distance Index differences

Part 2: Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory

>Part 1<-

Before I jump into Hofstede's dimensions it is worth taking a look at the concept of people with autism as a culture unto themselves.  There certainly has been enough discussion on the concept of those with disabilities or different mental states  forming a subculture or even a culture unto themselves (Example One, Example Two, Example Three, Example Four) and autism certainly fits into one of those two categories. Even the concept that Autism is a disability is being challenged from the ASD community meaning that there is a form of group identity being formed and debated.

Yet I am not sure I believe that Autism is a culture unto itself yet. My thought is that if you took all Autistic people and magically dropped them onto an isolated world they would go through a similar acculturation process as another group with a unifying factor. Certainly those on the Spectrum  have formed strong subcultures within the framework of larger national cultures but lumping all ASD folk into one large group and calling it a culture seems as problematic as if I did that with Asians, people over 7 feet in height, those who caught malaria or are deaf. The independent subcultures are much stronger than a diluted larger population.

This is an important distinction in analyzing how the ASD culture/subculture relates to the dichotomies that the Hofstede theory puts forth. How a subculture relates to the dimensions is much different than how a top level culture has determined their relationship. The subculture, necessarily, takes its cues from the parent culture and is influenced by the parent culture's views on the dimension.

So in considering ASD and the Cultural Dimension theory I will consider it in the context of a subculture. Determining what the parent culture is will be a bit more challenging as the subculture can have parent and even grandparent cultures. For instance consider myself: ASD subculture and I live in the United States so I have that influence. However is there an in-between cultural layer of affluence level or race that affects my subculture identity? I am not sure.

->Part 3<-

Introduction to Autism and Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory

This is the introduction to a series of articles I will be producing on Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Theory and how it relates to ASD. Cultural theory is a complex subject and when mixing cultures (such as nationality and the Autism way of thinking) any clarity is useful; if nothing else someone can say "nope, that's not it" and eliminate an avenue of explanation.

Prior to delving into the meat of the series I felt an introduction to Hofstede and his work was needed.

Geert Hofstede founded the office of personnel research at IBM in 1965. Between the research he conducted at the company (well over 117,000 respondents) and further refinement done afterwards he was able to develop a model of cultural dimensions that identified four dichotomies that measured the orientation of cultures to various internal values. Later he would add a fifth dichotomy following the involvement of Chinese managers and students.  A sixth (and so far final) dichotomy completed the theory in 2010. These dichotomies are:

• Power distance index (PDI): “Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.” Cultures that endorse low power distance expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. People relate to one another more as equals regardless of formal positions. Subordinates are more comfortable with and demand the right to contribute to and critique the decision making of those in power. In high power distance countries, less powerful accept power relations that are more autocratic and paternalistic. Subordinates acknowledge the power of others simply based on where they are situated in certain formal, hierarchical positions. As such, the power distance index Hofstede defines does not reflect an objective difference in power distribution, but rather the way people perceive power differences.
• Individualism (IDV) vs. collectivism: “The degree to which individuals are integrated into groups”. In individualistic societies, the stress is put on personal achievements and individual rights. People are expected to stand up for themselves and their immediate family, and to choose their own affiliations. In contrast, in collectivist societies, individuals act predominantly as members of a life-long and cohesive group or organization (note: “The word collectivism in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state”). People have large extended families, which are used as a protection in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.
• Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI): “a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity”. It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. 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 environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of change.
• Masculinity (MAS), vs. femininity: “The distribution of emotional roles between the genders”. Masculine cultures’ values are competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition and power, whereas feminine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life. In masculine cultures, the differences between gender roles are more dramatic and less fluid than in feminine cultures where men and women have the same values emphasizing modesty and caring. As a result of the taboo on sexuality in many cultures, particularly masculine ones, and because of the obvious gender generalizations implied by Hofstede's terminology, this dimension is often renamed by users of Hofstede's work, e.g. to Quantity of Life vs. Quality of Life.
• Long term orientation (LTO), vs. short term orientation: First called “Confucian dynamism”, it describes societies’ time horizon. Long term oriented societies attach more importance to the future. They foster pragmatic values oriented towards rewards, including persistence, saving and capacity for adaptation. In short term oriented societies, values promoted are related to the past and the present, including steadiness, respect for tradition, preservation of one’s face, reciprocation and fulfilling social obligations.
• Indulgence, vs. restraint (IVR): Societies with a high rate of indulgence allow hedonistic behaviors: people can freely satisfy their basic needs and desires. On the opposite, Restraint define societies with strict social norms, where gratification of drives are suppressed and regulated.

      From Wikipedia

This framework is not without its criticisms but as with any good theory it offers a start for the conversation and a structure on which to hang the pro and con arguments. There are certainly further areas to look at including:

• Hofstede's academic site
• Kwintessentials' analysis of the theory
• Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind, Third Edition - Hofstede's recent work
• Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations - Original publication
• Global Ambitions and Local Identities: An Israeli-american High-tech Merger - Work by Galit Ailon; critic of Hofstede's theory

->Part 2<-

Global Business Etiquette Help

Wrong Planet is one of the most aptly named internet resources for ASD and Aspergers as all of us feel like we are strangers traveling in a strange land. As such we seek guidance on how to deal with the social and business mores of this strange culture we are in.

Kwintessential has thumbnail guides on the business etiquette for various countries that can help demystify it a bit for us especially if we have to do business abroad.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-in.html

Their general Etiquette, Customs and Protocol Guides are useful too: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html