Understanding Power Distance in Society

The term power distance was used, as far as I know, for the first time in the 1960s by a Dutch sociopsychologist, Mark Bulder, who did experiments with individuals whom he gave different power relations. And in the 1970s, I have borrowed the term when I wanted to describe differences between national societies. Now my definition of power distance as a dimension of societal culture is the following. It is the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. So the power distance lies with the people at the bottom and not with the people at the top. There's always somebody who wants to take the position at the top if the people at the bottom let her or him do it. But it's only if the people at the bottom accept it that this can be done. How does power distance transfer itself in a society? Well, it is present in the relationship between the children and the parents. The children learn. a position towards the parents and other older people in their environment. Now, here I have an opposition of the two extremes, and most countries, I must say, most cultures are somewhere in between. But I put on the one side large power distance, on the other side small power distance. In large power distance, inequality in a society is considered a normal part of society. That's the way the world is made. In a small power distance, the idea is that inequality is somewhere wrong and it should be reduced if possible. In large power distance, the feeling is that superiors are actually superior beings. They are different kind of people. Whereas in small power distance, the idea is that, okay, there are hierarchies, but the hierarchies are somewhat the rules of the game. You need it to create order. But it doesn't mean that the superiors are also superior and sometimes you can change roles. Then in large power distance, the feeling is that power comes first and good and evil comes afterwards. So first you know who has the power and then you decide what is good and what is evil. In the small power distance, the feeling is that power should be used legitimately and everybody on the top or on the bottom is actually under the same rules of law. In the education of children, on the large power distance side, respect is one of the most important things a child can learn. On the small power distance side, independence is one of the most important things a child can learn. In the organizing, large power distance societies, they love centralization. And small power distance... Societies love decentralization. And finally, the relationship between the subordinates and their boss. In the large power distance societies, subordinates simply assume, expect that they will be told what to do. In the small power distance societies, subordinates, when it relates to their work, they expect to be consulted. Now, how do we measure societal power distances? There is no absolute standard. We know that all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others. This, of course, is a pun on a sentence from George Orwell, Animal Farm, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. But what we measure is the difference between one society and another. The position of societies relative to each other is measured by an index, the Power Distance Index, PDI. And these are plotted on a scale from 0 to 100, and scores close to 0 stands for a smaller power distance, and scores close to 0 stands for a smaller power distance, Close to 100 stand for a larger power distance. Now, here I have made a table for a few countries. Actually, we have data for 76 countries, but I only took 14 countries here. And you can see on the one side the countries with the higher power distance within the top, Russia. And then it's followed by Mexico, China, the Arab countries, India. And from the European countries, the largest power distances are in France. And then comes Japan. Japan is not really very high. It's just about the break-even. And then just below the break-even is Italy. Now we get to the low side. We get the United States, we get the Netherlands, we get Australia, we get Germany, we get Britain, and the very low one here is Denmark. What can we do with this power distance index? Well, you can validate it. And what does validating mean? Validating means that you have these numbers and you are going to compare them statistically with phenomena in society. Phenomena that are measured by other people and other ways. Actually, it's hard data from society. And that is done by correlation. And I have made a small list of things Power distance index scores correlate with, on the high side, more income inequality, on the low side, less income inequality. On the high side, a smaller middle class, a larger lower class. On the low side, a larger middle class. Actually, most people are middle class. On the high PDI side, you find that... dictatorships. And if it isn't a dictatorship, it's an oligarchy. An oligarchy means that there are a limited number of people from whom the power comes. On the low-poverty side, the use of power should be legitimate. They have the trias politica, which means the legislative, the judicial, and the executive power. which are separated. And the people at the top, the executive top, they are also subject to the two other powers. In the large power distance side, in politics, you've got a big chance of violence, as often there is fighting in local politics. On the low power distance side, most conflicts are resolved peacefully. On the large power distance side... In order to change a political system, usually you need a revolution. But the paradox about revolutions is, revolutions lead to the fact that you've got another face on the top, but not necessarily that the system itself changes. On the low power distance side, political systems change slower, they change by evolution, and evolution in general means that, yes, there is a change. Then another. A bit of research has demonstrated that in large power-distance countries, business executives tend to be older. If people are in power, they stay in power longer until they're a lot older. Whereas in the low power-distance societies, business executives tend to be younger. And the last one I selected is how innovations come about. Innovations, either social innovations or technological innovations. They come about in a large power distance society only when they are supported by the hierarchy. Whereas in the low power distance societies, we have spontaneous innovations. There are people who come with original ideas. We call them mavericks or rebels. And they come with innovations which therefore are more frequent in low power distance societies. The last question I want to raise, which... People often ask is, but don't these scores change over time? Well, first of all, there is a reason why anyway they will not change very quickly, because they are transferred, as I said, from parents to children. And after childhood, these values rarely change. People carry them with them for their entire life. Now, there is an interesting research project. by a professor from Groningen University, Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, who has compared answers to questions correlated with power distance for two successive generations, and the answers are from the World Value Survey, and the generations are 30 years apart. The first generation is about the time that my first research was done, and the second generation is not long ago. And what he shows is that If you look at the scores of that older generation and the younger generation, there is a shift towards smaller power distances over these 30 years. Not a very big shift, but there is a shift. But the position of countries relative to each other has remained the same. They have been moving together. And this is precisely what the scores are based on. So the scores don't change. Country differences expressed in the scores are also often rooted in history. You can find historical stories from centuries ago where you say, well, this was the difference between Britain and Germany at the time, and look how it is now. So, the scores can be assumed to be stable over time.

It is the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. So the power distance lies with the people at the bottom and not with the people at the top. There's always somebody who wants to take the position at the top if the people at the bottom let her or him do it. But it's only if the people at the bottom accept it that this can be done.

How does power distance transfer itself in a society? Well, it is present in the relationship between the children and the parents. The children learn.

a position towards the parents and other older people in their environment. Now, here I have an opposition of the two extremes, and most countries, I must say, most cultures are somewhere in between. But I put on the one side large power distance, on the other side small power distance.

In large power distance, inequality in a society is considered a normal part of society. That's the way the world is made. In a small power distance, the idea is that inequality is somewhere wrong and it should be reduced if possible.

In large power distance, the feeling is that superiors are actually superior beings. They are different kind of people. Whereas in small power distance, the idea is that, okay, there are hierarchies, but the hierarchies are somewhat the rules of the game. You need it to create order.

But it doesn't mean that the superiors are also superior and sometimes you can change roles. Then in large power distance, the feeling is that power comes first and good and evil comes afterwards. So first you know who has the power and then you decide what is good and what is evil. In the small power distance, the feeling is that power should be used legitimately and everybody on the top or on the bottom is actually under the same rules of law.

In the education of children, on the large power distance side, respect is one of the most important things a child can learn. On the small power distance side, independence is one of the most important things a child can learn. In the organizing, large power distance societies, they love centralization.

And small power distance... Societies love decentralization. And finally, the relationship between the subordinates and their boss. In the large power distance societies, subordinates simply assume, expect that they will be told what to do. In the small power distance societies, subordinates, when it relates to their work, they expect to be consulted.

Now, how do we measure societal power distances? There is no absolute standard. We know that all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others. This, of course, is a pun on a sentence from George Orwell, Animal Farm, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. But what we measure is the difference between one society and another.

The position of societies relative to each other is measured by an index, the Power Distance Index, PDI. And these are plotted on a scale from 0 to 100, and scores close to 0 stands for a smaller power distance, and scores close to 0 stands for a smaller power distance, Close to 100 stand for a larger power distance. Now, here I have made a table for a few countries. Actually, we have data for 76 countries, but I only took 14 countries here. And you can see on the one side the countries with the higher power distance within the top, Russia.

And then it's followed by Mexico, China, the Arab countries, India. And from the European countries, the largest power distances are in France. And then comes Japan. Japan is not really very high.

It's just about the break-even. And then just below the break-even is Italy. Now we get to the low side. We get the United States, we get the Netherlands, we get Australia, we get Germany, we get Britain, and the very low one here is Denmark. What can we do with this power distance index?

Well, you can validate it. And what does validating mean? Validating means that you have these numbers and you are going to compare them statistically with phenomena in society. Phenomena that are measured by other people and other ways.

Actually, it's hard data from society. And that is done by correlation. And I have made a small list of things Power distance index scores correlate with, on the high side, more income inequality, on the low side, less income inequality. On the high side, a smaller middle class, a larger lower class. On the low side, a larger middle class.

Actually, most people are middle class. On the high PDI side, you find that... dictatorships. And if it isn't a dictatorship, it's an oligarchy. An oligarchy means that there are a limited number of people from whom the power comes.

On the low-poverty side, the use of power should be legitimate. They have the trias politica, which means the legislative, the judicial, and the executive power. which are separated.

And the people at the top, the executive top, they are also subject to the two other powers. In the large power distance side, in politics, you've got a big chance of violence, as often there is fighting in local politics. On the low power distance side, most conflicts are resolved peacefully.

On the large power distance side... In order to change a political system, usually you need a revolution. But the paradox about revolutions is, revolutions lead to the fact that you've got another face on the top, but not necessarily that the system itself changes.

On the low power distance side, political systems change slower, they change by evolution, and evolution in general means that, yes, there is a change. Then another. A bit of research has demonstrated that in large power-distance countries, business executives tend to be older. If people are in power, they stay in power longer until they're a lot older.

Whereas in the low power-distance societies, business executives tend to be younger. And the last one I selected is how innovations come about. Innovations, either social innovations or technological innovations. They come about in a large power distance society only when they are supported by the hierarchy. Whereas in the low power distance societies, we have spontaneous innovations.

There are people who come with original ideas. We call them mavericks or rebels. And they come with innovations which therefore are more frequent in low power distance societies. The last question I want to raise, which...

People often ask is, but don't these scores change over time? Well, first of all, there is a reason why anyway they will not change very quickly, because they are transferred, as I said, from parents to children. And after childhood, these values rarely change. People carry them with them for their entire life.

Now, there is an interesting research project. by a professor from Groningen University, Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, who has compared answers to questions correlated with power distance for two successive generations, and the answers are from the World Value Survey, and the generations are 30 years apart. The first generation is about the time that my first research was done, and the second generation is not long ago. And what he shows is that If you look at the scores of that older generation and the younger generation, there is a shift towards smaller power distances over these 30 years.

Not a very big shift, but there is a shift. But the position of countries relative to each other has remained the same. They have been moving together.

And this is precisely what the scores are based on. So the scores don't change. Country differences expressed in the scores are also often rooted in history.

You can find historical stories from centuries ago where you say, well, this was the difference between Britain and Germany at the time, and look how it is now. So, the scores can be assumed to be stable over time.

Transcript for:Understanding Power Distance in Society

Transcript for:
Understanding Power Distance in Society