COMPARE COUNTRIES "South Africa vs Colombia"

Culture is defined as the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. This programming influences patterns of thinking which are reflected in the meaning people attach to various aspects of life and which become crystallised in the institutions of a society.

If we explore South African culture through the lens of Model 6-D, we can get a good overview of the deep drivers of their culture in relation to other world cultures such as Colombia.

POWER DISTANCE: South Africa scores 49 on this dimension, which means that people to a greater extent accept a hierarchical order in which everyone has a place and does not need any more justification.Conversely, Colombia has a high score on the PDI scale, making it a society that believes that inequalities between people are simply a fact of life.

INDIVIDUALISM: South Africa, with a score of 65 is an Individualist society. This means there is a high preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Unfortunately At a score of 13 Colombia is amongst the lowest Individualist scores, Since the Colombians are a highly collectivistic people, belonging to an in-group and aligning yourself with that group’s opinion is very important. 

MASCULINITY: Colombia is a Masculine society – highly success oriented and driven. Colombians are competitive and status-oriented, yet collectivistic rather than Individualist. Similarly South Africa scores 63 on this dimension and is thus a Masculine society. In Masculine countries people “live in order to work”.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE: South Africa scores 49 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for avoiding uncertainty.  Unlike Colombia has a high score on Uncertainty Avoidance which means that as a nation they are seeking mechanisms to avoid ambiguity. 

LONG TERM ORIENTATION: With a low score of 13, Colombian culture is classified as normative. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results. Similarly A low score of 34 on this dimension means that in South Africa the culture is more normative than pragmatic.

INDULGENCE: With a high score of 63 it is clear that South Africa has a culture of Indulgence. They possess a positive attitude and have a tendency towards optimism. In addition, they place a higher degree of importance on leisure time, act as they please and spend money as they wish. Similarly  Scoring a very high 83 in this dimension, Colombia is shown to be an Indulgent country. People in societies classified by a high score in Indulgence generally exhibit a willingness to realise their impulses and desires with regard to enjoying life and having fun.